How to power up sales growth in snacking

Now worth almost £5.3bn [Nielsen], crisps, snacks, nuts and popcorn (CSNP) is a category of huge scale, continuing to experience growth in both value and volume sales. The category represents a massive opportunity for retailers to grow sales and drive footfall by continuing to focus on key consumption and shopper trends.

Key trends in convenience, including the demand for bold flavours and the growth of food-to-go occasions, are driving category momentum and shopper appeal. At the same time, consumers continue to gravitate towards familiar and trusted brands, making it essential for retailers to stock a strong core range.

To support retailers in maximising their share of bagged snacks’ growth, KP Snacks is leading the category by providing proven, impartial ranging advice. Carefully crafted using the latest, in-depth category insights, KP Snacks’ ‘25 to Thrive’ range spotlights 25 must-stock SKUs to help retailers drive sales.

Covering the crisps, snacks, nuts and popcorn segments, the category-wide guidance delivers breadth and depth to meet today’s shopper needs with something for all snacking occasions and missions. KP Snacks regularly updates the range, providing a relevant, tested recommendation of products that tap into channel and category trends.

Top tips

1. Stock the brands that shoppers know & trust: 40% of sales go through the top 5 brands [Nielsen], so give the most prominent space and more facings to big brands.

2. Stock a range of price points to suit every pocket: The ‘25 to Thrive’ range covers a wide value spectrum featuring Space Raiders, the UK’s No.1 singles PMP. The Top 25 best-selling SKUs are £1.25 PMPs [Nielsen] and, of those, 44% are KP Snacks brands.

3. Provide a wide range of products to meet all of your shoppers’ needs: Make sure that your range contains nuts, popcorn and your local favourites to meet a wider variety of snacking occasions and missions. Retailers should also make sure to stock NPD, with 43% of consumers looking to experiment with a change [NIQ].

How retailers can benefit from category advice

KP Snacks has worked with independent retailers to put its ‘25 to Thrive’ advice into practice and help drive category sales. The results speak for themselves. After implementing the ‘25 to Thrive’ ranging advice, participating retailers reported a marked uplift in their bagged snacks sales, achieving an average growth of +15.3% [Retail].

Koyes Miah, City Centre News in Salford, has driven sales by giving best sellers more space and prominence in line with the ‘25 to Thrive’ guidance, adding variety with the introduction of popcorn and new SKUs including Discos Cheese & Onion £1.25 PMP.

“We have been really happy with the changes. It has been good to understand what the best-selling SKUs in the market are and we have made sure that each of these has a couple of facings,” explains Miah. Adding popcorn into the range and even putting them in a dump bin has definitely had an impact and we will keep them in the range.”

Meanwhile, Kenny Chupe, Our Local in Moston, has also achieved snack sales success through the ranging trials. While the store had a strong range already, best sellers needed more visibility and the introduction of a broader range of price points including PMPs, helped drive sales and customer satisfaction.

Kenny Chupe notes: “Taking part in the 25 to Thrive ranging trials has been a really positive experience and I’m very happy with how top-selling Bagged Snacks products are now displayed in my store. I’ve seen a massive uplift in sales of Bagged Snacks, particularly for best-sellers which now have double-facings, including Hula Hoops Big Hoops BBQ Beef and McCoy’s Salt & Malt Vinegar £1.25 PMPs.”

Watch Kenny Chupe implement ‘25 to Thrive’ ranging advice and learn from his success here.

Planning your shelf

PMPs are leading the way in the food-to-go occasion as shoppers seek value and convenience. Large McCoy’s and Hula Hoops Big Hoops PMPs perform especially well within food-to-go and lunchtime occasions, and the best-selling SKUs from these brands benefit from double-facings to drive sales.

Meanwhile, smaller format PMPs deliver an ideal choice for a quick and affordable snack, grouped together on the bottom shelf to make bagged snacks fixtures easier to shop. At-home occasions are also an essential part of category growth. Positioned together on the top shelf, popcorn and nuts cater to at-home, evening snacking occasions, covering core shopper missions.

Products you should be stocking

Hula Hoops Big Hoops - No.1 Brand in £1.25 PMP
Hula Hoops is an iconic CSN brand which is growing ahead of the overall category at +10.9% [Nielsen]. Hula Hoops Big Hoops BBQ Beef £1.25 PMP is the UK’s number one PMP SKU.

McCoy’s - No.1 Ridge Cut Crisp
McCoy’s is the UK’s leading ridged crisp brand, worth £192m and growing +4.2% in value [Nielsen]. Launched earlier this year, the new McCoy’s Hot ‘N’ Spicy flavour, available in a £1.25 PMP and Grab Bag, taps into both food to go and flavour trends, delivering the perfect blend of spice and seasoning.

KP Nuts - No.1 Nut Brand
KP Nuts is the UK’s number one Nut brand at five times the size of the nearest branded competitor, holding a 18.9% market share [Nielsen].

Discover more by checking out the ‘25 to Thrive’ guide featuring KP Snacks’ recommended range here.