Offering a snacks upgrade for family nights in and movie sessions.
THE big night in often features sharing treats.
And, to capitalise on that, snack brands have been keen to develop high-end products that allow consumers to give their evening on the sofa as much luxury as possible.
Walkers Market Deli, for example, is the snack giant’s premium range of pitta, tortilla and classic potato chips made with what the company calls “the finest real ingredients from across Britain and Europe”.
Matt Goddard, head of impulse field sales at brand owner PepsiCo, said: “Each variety features irresistible ingredients such as mature cheddar from Cornwall, aged Aceto Balsamico di Modena PGI and sun-dried tomatoes from the Manisa region in Turkey to create a truly delicious snacking range that is perfect for all occasions, and to attract consumers with an interest in good food and great authentic flavours.”
Walkers has also extended its Sensations brand of crisps into flavoured nuts. “Flavoured nuts are driving growth in the snacking nuts category.” Goddard said.
“They’re being purchased by a younger shopper than category norms, but up until the launch of Sensations Nuts there was no real brand that took the lead and championed flavour.”
• Butterkist has a new take on microwave popcorn.
Called Pop ‘n’ Pour, the new product features a carton containing two bags of plain popcorn and two sachets of flavoured sauce. Consumers heat a sachet of sauce in warm water, while the corn is popping in the microwave; once ready they drizzle the sauce over the popcorn, creating their own warm, sweet treat.
The 220g Pop ‘n’ Pour packs come in two flavours, Chocolate and Chocolate Orange. The RRP is £2.29.
Helena Blincow, Butterkist brand manager, said: “We predict the Pop ‘n’ Pour range will do extremely well, especially as the Chocolate flavour boasts only 64 calories per serving and the Chocolate Orange 67 calories.”
• The rise of film-streaming services has boosted sales of popcorn, according to Tyrrell’s. “The arrival of home-entertainment packages such as Netflix, Blink Box and of movies on demand, means the traditional Friday or Saturday movie night is now taking place multiple times a week,” said Cath White, senior marketing manager.
“We believe sales of our sharing bag of popcorn is benefiting from this trend, especially mid-week where consumers aren’t usually in the treat mentality of a Friday or Saturday night.”
