Where the Gains Are
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store sales of nonchocolate candy rose more than 4% in 2014, with units up just over 1%, according to IRI. Many of the segments—novelty, nut/coconut and hard sugar candy, among others—saw soft sales. But the biggest segment, chewy, enjoyed strong dollar and unit sales growth.
| Candy type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Chewy | $1,106.7 | 8.6% | 866.2 | 4.5% |
| Breath freshener | $227.2 | 3.0% | 128.0 | -0.7% |
| Novelty | $193.3 | -2.0% | 155.4 | -4.9% |
| Licorice | $132.2 | 0.3% | 77.8 | -2.4% |
| Specialty nut/coconut | $120.7 | -1.3% | 92.9 | -5.6% |
| Hard sugar candy | $115.3 | -5.2% | 161.3 | -1.0% |
| Plain mint | $80.4 | 0.3% | 67.7 | -3.9% |
| Total nonchocolate (including segments not shown) | $1,984.0 | 4.4% | 1,555.1 | 1.1% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Customer in Focus
According to research by Mintel International, 26% of consumers who buy or eat sugar confectionery—which for Mintel includes nonchocolate as well as gum and mints—say they eat it while “on the go.” This fact highlights the appeal of unwrapped candy, resealable pouches and smaller pack sizes. In fact, 57% of consumers who buy or eat nonchocolate candy told Mintel that they are more likely to try a new candy variety if it is in a smaller package, while 40% would prefer more shareable packaging options.
Distributor Data: C-Store Nonchocolate Shipments
Calendar year 2014
Average shipments per store per week of nonchocolate candy from distributor McLane Co. rose 8.3% by dollars in 2014.
| Segment | APSW (in dollars)*** | APSW dollar growth | PCYA* |
| Total nonchocolate | $66.87 | $5.10 | 8.3% |
| -Standard | $44.76 | $0.33 | 0.7% |
| -King | $21.05 | $3.87 | 22.5% |
| -Hand-to-mouth | $1.07 | $1.05 | 9.9% |
| -Multipack | $0.00 | -$0.15 | -99.8% |
| Total bagged | $91.11 | $9.28 | 11.3% |
| -Peg | $47.30 | $2.90 | 6.5% |
| -Value | $21.53 | $2.30 | 12.0% |
| -Standup pouches | $11.71 | $8.57 | 272.71% |
| -Laydown | $4.56 | -$3.02 | -39.9% |
| -Gummi fruit snack | $4.01 | -$0.42 | -9.4% |
| -Value 2/$1.50 | $1.91 | -$1.00 | -34.4% |
| -Sugar-free | $0.08 | -$0.04 | -31.8% |
Source: McLane Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
*** Average shipments per store per week
Quarterly Look: Nonchocolate
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Seven of the top 10 nonchocolate UPCs posted c-store dollar and unit sales gains in the last quarter of 2014, according to IRI.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| PayDay (3.4-oz.) | $9.0 | 6.4% | 4.9 | -0.3% |
| Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers Assorted (5-oz.) | $7.0 | 20.1% | 4.0 | 17.9% |
| Ice Breakers Cool Mint 1.5-oz.) | $5.8 | 15.6% | 2.4 | 11.8% |
| Skittles Original Fruit (4-oz.) | $5.5 | 18.5% | 3.0 | 11.9% |
| Skittles Original Fruit (2.17-oz.) | $5.2 | 3.7% | 4.1 | -3.2% |
| PayDay (1.85-oz.) | $5.1 | 1.5% | 4.3 | -4.5% |
| Sour Patch Kids (5-oz.) | $5.0 | 12.2% | 2.8 | 8.0% |
| Ice Breakers Wintergreen (1.5-oz.) | $4.8 | 20.3% | 1.9 | 16.5% |
| Altoids Peppermint (1.76-oz.) | $4.6 | 3.4% | 1.9 | 0.6% |
| Jolly Rancher Assorted Fruit (7-oz.) | $4.5 | 7.4% | 1.6 | 1.9% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $473.6 | 8.8% | 361.2 | 3.1% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Nonchocolate Standard and King-Size
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
C-store sales of king-size nonchocolate candy rose nearly 23% in 2014, while standard sales slipped 1.1%, according to Nielsen.
Standard
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Skittles Original Fruit (2.17-oz.) | $22.6 | -3.3% | 18.4 | -7.1% |
| PayDay (1.85-oz.) | $20.2 | -4.9% | 16.8 | -6.5% |
| Starburst Original (2.07-oz.) | $15.9 | -2.0% | 12.9 | -5.8% |
| Starburst Fave Reds (2.07-oz.) | $14.6 | 3.4% | 11.8 | -0.1% |
| Juicy Drop Pop (0.92-oz.) | $14.5 | -4.3% | 7.8 | -4.8% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $558.0 | -1.1% | 617.1 | -2.3% |
King-size
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| PayDay (3.4-oz.) | $48.0 | 6.6% | 27.8 | 2.9% |
| Skittles Original (4-oz.) | $26.2 | 15.2% | 14.7 | 11.9% |
| Starburst Original (3.45-oz.) | $19.2 | 12.8% | 10.8 | 10.0% |
| Starburst Minis (3.5-oz.) | $18.6 | 199.2% | 10.6 | 197.3% |
| Life Savers Gummies 5 Flavors (4.2-oz.) | $17.7 | 20.8% | 9.9 | 19.1% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $243.2 | 22.7% | 138.2 | 18.8% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
CONTINUED: Closeups on Chewy, Novelty, Licorice & Hard Candies
Chewy Candy
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Chewy candy brands saw robust c-store sales in 2014, with three of the top five posting double-digit gains, according to IRI data.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Skittles | $125.2 | 19.8% | 85.1 | 14.4% |
| Starburst | $87.1 | 30.1% | 57.4 | 22.7% |
| Private label | $54.3 | 1.2% | 43.0 | 0.5% |
| Air Heads | $47.7 | 33.3% | 69.4 | 16.7% |
| Lifesavers Gummies | $46.7 | 2.9% | 21.5 | 2.0% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $1,106.7 | 8.6% | 866.2 | 4.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Best Practice
Stand-up pouches were big drivers of c-store candy sales growth in 2014, according to Joey Hendrix, senior manager of category strategy and insights, convenience store, for The Hershey Co. “Retailers that have carved out a shelf to add these items are seeing strong growth,” he says.
Larry Lupo, vice president of sales, convenience and drug channels for Mars Chocolate North America, concurs on the opportunity: “Offer larger bags as well as immediate-consumption sizes to capitalize on fill-in trips for consumers.”
Novelty Candy
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Novelty candy c-store sales fell 2% in 2014, with unit sales down nearly 5%, according to IRI.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Wonka SweeTarts | $29.0 | 3.5% | 18.2 | -3.6% |
| Wonka Spree | $17.3 | -3.5% | 13.1 | -8.3% |
| Wonka Nerds | $14.3 | -2.2% | 11.6 | -8.2% |
| Topps Baby Bottle Pop | $14.0 | -6.0% | 8.7 | -7.6% |
| Topps Juicy Drop Pop | $12.2 | -1.3% | 6.6 | -2.9% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $193.3 | -2.0% | 155.4 | -4.9% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Licorice Candy
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Between the Twizzlers brands and Good & Plenty, The Hershey Co. claimed nearly 63% share of c-store licorice sales in 2014, according to IRI.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Twizzlers | $56.7 | -1.0% | 30.7 | -4.4% |
| Wonka Kazoozles | $13.9 | 26.5% | 11.5 | 22.4% |
| Rips | $10.9 | 0.3% | 5.6 | -1.4% |
| Twizzlers Nibs | $10.7 | -2.5% | 6.1 | -6.6% |
| Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel | $10.3 | -16.6% | 5.3 | -24.7% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $132.2 | 0.3% | 77.8 | -2.4% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Hard Candy
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
While sales of hard candy were down overall in 2014, a few top brands—Tootsie Roll Pops, Charms Super Blow Pop—posted gains, according to IRI.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Jolly Rancher | $47.7 | -1.7% | 22.3 | 18.6% |
| Lifesavers | $14.5 | -1.5% | 11.9 | -4.9% |
| Charms Blow Pop | $8.9 | -2.9% | 36.1 | -3.6% |
| Tootsie Roll Pops | $7.1 | 7.5% | 28.0 | 7.3% |
| Charms Super Blow Pop | $5.5 | 6.5% | 14.1 | 6.6% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $115.3 | -5.2% | 161.3 | -1.0% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
| Product | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
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