“We’re looking into 2023 and new and creative ways to drive sales,” says Charlie Iszard, center store manager for CrossAmerica Partners LP, Allentown, Pennsylvania. “We’re working on optimizing a lot more of our endcaps to be more and more impulse with the bestsellers. We’re trying to continually figure out how to optimize our promotions. The question is: How deep of a discount do you have to do to make the offer work? We’re experimenting as we speak.”
The Sweets & Snacks Expo spotlighted ready-to-eat popcorn brands across the show floor, and while popcorn/caramel corn grew 4.9% in c-store unit sales in 2022, according to Circana, it may be an overcrowded category.
“I don’t see any big growth in the popcorn sales. I think it’s just a lot of companies doing the same thing, and whichever one you settle on seems to do well,” says Randy Adams, snacks and candy category manager and buyer for Martin & Bayley Inc., a 125-store chain based in Carmi, Illinois, that operates Huck’s.
"That is a growing trend, to have something where you get both flavors, sweet and salty, in the same bag.”
Huck’s offers Popcornopolis, Popcorn Indiana and Crack Corn, and Adams supports those choices because they perform well.
Adams says that the bulk of the growth right now is hot flavors such as Tajin and chili lime, as well as nontraditional flavors, which he also saw repeatedly at the trade show.
“That’s definitely a trend,” says Adams. “It seems like [consumers ages 14-30] are all in on hot. I have 14- and 16-year-old grandsons, and their primary food is anything that’s spicy or hot.”
Kellogg’s taps into the trend with its Pringles Buffalo Scorchin line, the hottest Pringles item to date, according to the company. And Jack Link’s partnered with Frito-Lay to create Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili- and Flamin’ Hot-flavored beef jerky, a new product at this year’s trade show. The line extension takes a booming category—meat snacks—and adds the heat.
Further innovating the protein-filled meat snack segment, Field Trip Snacks showcased a variety of meat-snack options at the Expo, including chicken and turkey jerky with sticks and seasoning options that include hot truffle with jalapeno, cracked pepper, buffalo style, teriyaki mandarin orange and exclusive rights to Everything But the Bagel seasoning.
Mars Wrigley is investing in innovation in what it calls “tailwind categories.” These may not be the largest segments of the snack category, but they are growing and provide an opportunity to connect a brand with the segment, according to Mike Gilroy, vice president of trade development.
During the Sweets & Snacks Expo, this meant renewed focus by Mars on gummies, gum and ice cream. “It’s important to us that we lead these categories,” Gilroy said.
Additionally, sweet and salty mixes have been brewing for a couple of years, says Adams, but he’s been hesitant to lead with products like Chex Mix Muddy Buddies and Reese’s Popcorn because he doesn’t want to kick out too many salty items.
“But I think that is a growing trend, to have something where you get both flavors, sweet and salty, in the same bag,” he says.