Salty snack demand has rebounded at convenience stores after facing sales dips early in the pandemic when store visits declined.
Indeed, total salty snack sales rang in at just over $6 billion, rising by 12.1%, for the convenience store channel during the 52-week period ending Dec. 26, 2021, per IRI.
Within the salty snack category, potato chip sales topped $1.8 billion, an 11.7% rise for the period, with leading brands including Lay’s, Ruffles, Pringles, Herr’s and Utz. Tortilla/tostada chips saw sales of just under $1.3 billion, a gain of 14.8%.
‘Other’ salted snacks saw sales rise to nearly $894, up 9.4%. Pretzel sales topped $285 million, a 19.4% increase. Ready-to-eat popcorn/caramel corn saw sales of just under $249 million, up 10.1%. Pork rind sales totaled almost $212 million, a 3.5% increase, per IRI.
“Sales continue at a decent pace,” noted Mike Jackson, category manager with Baltimore-based High’s stores.
Sales of take-home-size packages, which were popular at the height of the pandemic, have slowed slightly for the 54-store chain.
With vendor supply issues and service levels varying, Jackson advised, c-stores must stay on top of issues with out-of-stocks from both their wholesalers and direct-store-delivery vendors.
“Make sure you try to rotate products, and if a particular item continues to have supply issues, that you substitute another item in its place,” Jackson recommended. “You cannot sell a product that is not there. Make more frequent adjustments to planograms to keep up with issues arising from prolonged out of stocks.”
Evolving Snack Habits
Snacks now play a central role in most consumers’ daily lives, but they are less culturally rooted as a type of occasion compared to meals, which are defined by strongly established ideals, norms and rituals, according to David Wright, senior manager of marketing for The Hartman Group Inc., a food and beverage strategy firm based in Bellevue, Wash.
“With the continuing health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, snacks have taken on a more visible and prominent role in consumers’ lives, as many stay at home more often and adjust their consumption habits,” Wright said. “Changes brought about by the pandemic have led to evolving snacking habits for consumers over the past year that involve more careful planning and stocking of snacks to have inside the house.”
Salty snacks top the list of all snack types consumed, he noted, with 76% of consumers reporting they consume them at least weekly, followed closely by consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks.
Roughly 71% said they consume those at least weekly.
“Among consumers who say they’ve changed how they snack today compared to a year ago,” Wright explained, “33% say they are seeking out salted snacks more often, and 50% say they are seeking out fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks more often.”
