If Thierry Henry knocked on your door and asked if you had any Walkers Crisps, what are the chances of you saying yes? Obviously you’d have them in your forecourt shop but what about at home?
Well, chances would be quite good there too because according to NielsenIQ data, Walkers Crisps is the number one crisps brand within the ‘potato chips’ segment, with 31% value share and 30% volume share. That means that Mr Henry has a near one in three chance of getting Walkers Crisps when be bangs on a UK front door.
The reason this is being mentioned is because the latest ad for Walkers has Thierry Henry and David Beckham watching football on TV and running out of crisps. Beckham sends Henry on a crisp hunt and he is only allowed back when he finds some Walkers. It’s all jolly good fun and part of the ‘No Walkers, No game’ campaign, with the message that there’s no substitute for Walkers.
In addition to seeing Henry and Beckham on your TV screen you can also see them on packets of Prawn Cocktail and Ready Salted crisps. The reason being that PepsiCo is celebrating its continued partnership with the UEFA Champions League with limited-edition packs across its core Walkers range featuring legendary football talent. And that’s not all as shoppers have the chance to win £500 every 90 minutes until July 14, by purchasing the new limited-edition talent packs. Plus an exclusive convenience competition gives retailers the chance to win the “ultimate football experience”, including tickets to the UEFA Champions League final and a store makeover.
Rachael Smith, senior marketing manager, comments: “This is set to be a huge summer of football in the UK and will be a prime opportunity for retailers to build on the excitement of football fans across the nation.”
Spicing up snacks
While many consumers stick to the tried and tested Ready Salted, Cheese & Onion or Salt ‘n’ Vinegar flavours, many more are putting their tastebuds to the test with hotter and spicier flavours.
Nic Storey, senior sales director, impulse and field sales at PepsiCo, says: “Shoppers are looking for elevated snacking experiences and intense flavours. In fact, UK consumers are hungry for spice, with 51% saying they love spicy food. Recent research shows that the UK’s desire for spice also ranks as the second highest in Europe. To tap into the demand for spicy snacks, we recently launched the Extra Flamin’ Hot platform. The three-strong range adds a deliciously intense twist to the nation’s much-loved favourites: Doritos, Walkers MAX and Wotsits Crunchy. Available in sharing bags and price-marked packs (PMPs), the flavours can help forecourt retailers maximise sales in this growing segment.”
One company that does particularly well with spicy snacks is Envis. Director Andy Brown says: “In the build-up to the summer season we are launching Crunchips X-cut in Red Chilli, to hit the spicy consumers. But we also have Crunchips X-cut in Sour Cream, as a milder but equally delicious alternative. And all of our new lines enjoy the same long shelf life and small case sizes that are working well for us in the forecourt sector.”
Meanwhile, tapping into the appeal of spicy and meaty flavours is Jacob’s Crinklys Chilli Beef, available in a 90g price-marked pack (PMP) format exclusive to convenience stores at £1.25 as well as a six x 23g multipack at £1.75.
Brand owner Pladis hopes the new non-HFSS flavour will widen the appeal of the £12.9m Jacob’s Crinklys brand(NielsenIQ).
Nielsen IQ data reveals that spicy and meaty flavours are outpacing total category growth sales wise, with sales up 26.8%. This latest addition to the range features the familiar flavour-packed ridges coated in a chilli beef seasoning.
The launch follows the successful non-HFSS recipe revision for Jacob’s Crinklys last summer, which saw the snack’s fat content reduced by 30% for its classic Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar flavours.
Jacob’s Crinklys Cheese & Onion now feature in Pladis’ limited-edition run of summer caddies. It joins the brand’s Twiglets, Cheeselets and Mini Cheddars caddies which are all rolling out across major retailers in time for the big sporting summer.
The value of PMPs
Not all forecourt retailers are fans of PMPs, but there is definitely a market for them in some locations.
Storey at PepsiCo is of the opinion that PMPs continue to offer a strong opportunity to grow sales. “For a long time, they have been of high importance to the savoury snacks category, acting as the engine driver of growth. PMPs reassure consumers of value and help retailers by offering an accessible price point that builds trust too. PMPs cater to multiple occasions and missions too, so it’s important retailers are stocking the right mix of flavours and brands.”
PepsiCo continues to invest in the PMP format through NPD and line extensions such as its Walkers Prawn Cocktail PMP – its third best-selling Walkers single flavour (Nielsen IQ) and its Wotsits Giants PMPs. Storey says that within the Independent and Symbols channel, the top 15 sharing PMP snack SKUs include Doritos, Quavers, Cheetos, Wotsits and Monster Munch, which demonstrates just how important these SKUs are for retailers (NielsenIQ).
Earlier this year, Walkers launched larger case sizes (18s) across several of its best-selling PMP SKUs. Mike Chapman, head of wholesale at PepsiCo, said at the time of the launch that making case sizes larger would help retailers keep up with demand and manage their stock more effectively.
Matt Collins, trading director at KP Snacks, says KP is delivering the fastest growth in PMPs at +25% (NielsenIQ) with an extensive PMP portfolio, offering a range of snacks at a variety of prices to suit all budgets and occasions.
“Our smaller format PMPs include the UK’s number one best value brand, Space Raiders, in a 40p PMP, alongside classic heritage brands like Discos, Skips and Wheat Crunchies at 50p, and family favourites including Hula Hoops core range and Pom Bear at 65p. Meanwhile, we also produce four of the top five large PMP SKUs, with Hula Hoops Big Hoops BBQ Beef (the best-selling PMP on the market – NielsenIQ), McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak, Nik Naks Nice ‘N’ Spicy and Nik Naks Rib ‘N’ Saucy are available in £1.25 PMPs.”
Top tips for selling more snacks
After updating yourselves with sales trends, it’s good to get some up-to-date merchandising advice. KP and PepsiCo share the following tips:
• Stock trusted and familiar brands and offer the right product and price mix to deliver and demonstrate great value. Brands continue to be crucial for shoppers, with 61.3% saying that brand is the most important factor when choosing crisps and snacks (Lumina).
• Excite and engage shoppers with a sprinkling of NPD alongside a strong core range.
• Capitalise on the growth of PMPs, they offer great value for money perception and have been a key driver of growth for convenience.
• Cater to the critical food-to-go mission and capitalise on the growth of meal deals.
• Make your fixture easy to shop. Blocking similar type products together such as ridged crisps will make it easier for your shoppers to find what they need.
• Place best sellers at eye line as this can drive up to 38% more sales versus being on the bottom shelf (PepsiCo/Trax Analytics).
• Drive impulse purchases in store with secondary sitings. According to PepsiCo research, shoppers are four times more likely to buy crisps, nuts and snacks if they see them in a secondary location.
• Make use of impactful branded display and pos material, such as stackers and dumpbins, to drive basket spend and make impulsive treat categories stand out in store.
