Meat snacks—beef jerky, meat sticks, pork rinds and more—are right at home at U.S. convenience stores. And, despite the rough economy and some sales slippage, new products and popular brands continue to excite customers. Paul Lyons, president and owner of Up North Jerky in Troy, Mich., and a partner, with Sam Kassem and Mike Abdullah,…
Variety Spicing Up Salty Snacks
In the midst of the recession, more consumers are opting for at-home entertainment, which is good news for the salty snacks category. This trend may account for a jump in sales of chips and popcorn, the quintessential counterparts for an at-home movie. Last year, salty snack sales totaled $4,962 with a profit of $1,867, a…
Variety Spicing Up Salty Snacks
Salty Statistics According to a study by The Nielsen Co. that outlined c-store trends, pretzels and popcorn sales saw strong growth during the 52 weeks ended March 21, 2009, with sales for pretzels up $164 million, a 10.1% increase. Popcorn sales totaled $119 million, a 14.3% increase from the previous year. Potato chips lead the…
Growing Snack Sales
Sunflower seeds, which have quietly built a loyal following both as planned and impulse purchases, are garnering more shelf space these days as c-store retailers expand this category. Randy Adams, buyer for Huck’s Food and Fuel in Carmi, Ill., found that sunflower seeds have proven so popular that when he recently completed a nuts and…
Unleashing the Profit Potential of Meat Snacks
C-store operators need to transcend mere impulse merchandising and gain a real understanding of shifting consumer demographics in order to make the most of the meat snack category. Long considered a convenience store staple, meat snacks—primarily dried snacks and pork rinds—are enjoying a renaissance with the addition of many new flavors, new packaging and better…
Taking Stock in Kieler
Ashley Cullen doesn’t fancy himself a holy being among retailers, but he does know that dropping an occasional bag of Combos onto a gondola doesn’t make for the crowning achievement in inventory management. “When I first got here, we were lucky if we got $200 a day in deli,” Cullen said. “Now we’re averaging $450…
Salty Snacks Make for Sweet Sales
U.S. Potato Chip Sales in Conveniece Stores Brand Dollar Sales Unit Sales Lays Potato Chips $134,799,200 118,439,400 Ruffles Potato Chips $66,052,770 50,400,370 Pringles Potato Chips $49,686,480 33,452,710 Lays Kettle Cooked Chips $16,943,230 12,468,950 Baked Lays Potato Chips $13,905,450 12,278,340 Wavy Lays Potato Chips $12,319,640 5,579,530 Utz Potato Chips $11,325,480 9,010,104 Cape Cod Potato Chips $11,185,150…
Sensible Snacking
World Gourmet Marketing LLC, a New Jersey-based food manufacturer, announces the addition of 8 Grain Crisps to its Sensible Portions brand of healthy and delicious all-natural snacks. The product expands the current line of pellet snacks, which are manufactured using a hot air popped technology. In addition to providing a good source of whole grains,…
Salty And Meat Snacks: Healthy Trend in Snacks Sales
Like other retail channels, the convenience store industry is witnessing a change in consumers’ snack choices. "We’re definitely seeing a shift to healthier snacks, but I think it’s a little slower than some of the other channels just because our customer base is still predominantly younger males who aren’t as much into healthier eating as…
Packaged Snacks
TOP PERFORMERS FritoLay (PepsiCo) Kellogg/Keebler Kraft Foods Inc. HONORABLE MENTIONS Jack Links Beef Jerky Nabisco/Planters Lance Inc. Frito-Lay, Kellogg’s/Keebler and Kraft head the list of top performers in the packaged snack category, according to 84 category buyers representing 12,600 convenience stores. Honorable mentions in the category were Jack Links Beef Jerky, Nabisco/Planters and Lance. The…