The latest review of impulse purchases, including crisps, nuts, and snacks, has just been released. The report, by KP Snacks using current data from Nielsen and Kantar, shows that shoppers are not only becoming increasingly price-sensitive but also value-conscious as economic pressures persist.
That said, the total market is up 0.5% MAT[1]. This is likely led by consumers turning to convenience stores for take-home missions rather than just top-up and impulse shops. We can see that younger shoppers (16–34), as well as both lower and higher-income groups, are driving this change, purchasing five or more items per visit – the younger demographic specifically is attracted to food-to-go solutions across breakfast and lunch.
When it comes to snacking the total convenience channel is broadly flat, with popcorn, nuts and sharing growing, while Singles and Multipacks are in slight decline. Walkers is underperforming across all time periods losing -1.2ppts of share as well as Pringles losing -0.6ppts. KP, Pladis, and Tayto are seeing growth[2].
Independents V Multiples
Independents are having a tough time, underperforming across all time periods, with the steepest drop 12wks -3.0%. But for those attached to a symbol, there’s positive growth – +3.2% 12 w/e and +3.5% 4 w/e. KP Snacks is gaining 0.7ppts of the total bagged snacks market yet Walkers and Pringles are underperforming across both Independents and Symbols, with consumers favouring smaller brands[3].
Seeing major brands lose growth can be worrying for retailers but most brands still have their place. Offering trust and familiarity to consumers, as long as products are well-priced consumers will continue to make purchases.
With winter on its way and festive celebrations kicking off in November, sharing bags will only continue to grow, making them a key player over the next couple of months and beyond.
[1] Nielsen Data to:04.10.25 | Kantar Data to: 05.10.2025
[2] Nielsen Data to:04.10.25
[3] Nielsen Data to:04.10.25
