Familiar names matter in crisps & snacks. Matt Collins, trading director at KP Snacks, notes 61.3% of shoppers say that brand is the most important factor when choosing what to buy. With this in mind, it’s crucial to make sure you have a strong core range of familiar lines to attract regular basket spend. This should be balanced with leaving some space for new lines which shoppers may be interested to try.
It’s also important to think about location. Crisps & snacks are an impulse category, with 53% of sales picked up in secondary locations. In other words, secondary sitings near related categories, such as soft drinks, can help boost overall basket spend.
Top five best-selling crisps & snacks
| KP Big Hoops BBQ Beef 70g £1.25 PMP |
| Walkers Quavers 54g £1.25 PMP |
| Walkers Cheese & Onion 70g £1.25 PMP |
| Doritos Chilli Heat 70g £1.25 PMP |
| McCoys Grilled Steak 65g £1.25 PMP |
The overall top selling crisps & snacks in the stores covered by Retail Data Partnership’s data reinforces the importance of brand recognition. Nine of the top selling lines are either Walkers or KP products. The only exception to this is Pringles Sour Cream & Onion 165g, £2.75 PMP, which is the tenth bestseller overall.
More than just the brands to stock, the top sellers also reveal a great deal about pack size and formats. More than just the top five, the top ten bestsellers are all price-marked packs. Of these, the Pringles line is the only one not price-marked at £1.25.
Top five selling crisps and snacks by rate of sale (value)
| Line | Rate of sale (value) per store |
| KP Big Hoops BBQ Beef 70g £1.25 PMP | £161.41 |
| Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps 70g £1.25 PMP | £128.28 |
| Walkers Quavers Cheese Snacks 54g £1.25 PMP | £125.27 |
| McCoys Grilled Steak 65g £1.25 PMP | £114.38 |
| Doritos Chilli Heat 70g £1.25 PMP | £112.67 |
Read more crisps and savoury snacks product news and category advice
Top three non-£1.25 PMP lines by rate of sale (value)
| Line | Rate of sale (value) per store |
| Pringles Sour Cream & Onion 165g £2.75 PMP | £90.90 |
| Pringles Texas BBQ 165g £2.75 PMP | £87.06 |
| Pringles Salt & Vinegar 165g £2.75 PMP | £58.95 |
Looking at the top five by rate of sale per store, a slightly different picture emerges. The first thing to note is the substantial jump in value per store between KP Big Hoops BBQ Beef 70g and the next best performer. The gap in weekly sales value between first and second is comparable to that between second and fifth. In other words, the KP line is comfortably out in front as the strongest seller in terms of value per store.
Read more price-marked packs product news and launches
The other variation between the two tables is perhaps explained by distribution. The Quavers and Doritos lines have the second highest and highest distribution, respectively, in the top five. But in terms of rate of sale per store they’re out performed by lines with lower distribution. Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that despite the higher price-mark on the Pringles lines, they still only bring in just over 50% of the weekly sales value delivered by Big Hoops BBQ Beef 70g.
Building the right crisps & snacks range
While the rate of new launches in the crisps & snacks category is strong, the sales data from RDP’s stores reiterates that familiar names are the safest profit drivers. Walkers and KP lines dominate the category. It’s worth noting that the vast majority of sales come in price-marked lines between 50g and 70g, pointing to the most popular formats for shoppers.
Meanwhile, the relative strength of the Pringles lines shows that offering some diversity in the category can pay off and bring profits to your business.
*Data taken from a survey of 2985 stores, over twelve weeks
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