HERSHEY, Pa., Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) unveils its latest confectionery category leadership and shopper-driven merchandising solutions to more than 23,500 convenience store (c-store) retailers at the 2018 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show Expo on October 8-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
C-store retailers that visit Hershey’s NACS Show Expo booth (#4205) will discover how the company continues to innovate. Hershey, the No. 21 player in total snacking and market leader2 in U.S. confection – the convenience channels’ No. 13 snacking category – is growing its portfolio of in-demand confection and snacks and investing in resources to better equip the convenience channel to meet the needs of the shopper as the retail landscape evolves.
EXPANDING ACCESS TO CATEGORY EXPERTISE
Hershey has launched its Mobile Customer Insights Center (MCIC) and Hershey Solutions online portal to expand access to its winning insights and category solutions within the convenience channel.
“The MCIC and Hershey Solutions represent the next generation of Hershey’s category leadership,” said Phil Stanley, Chief Sales Officer, The Hershey Company. “Growth for ourselves and our partners will come from universal access to merchandising solutions and strategies in both physical and digital formats.”
Hershey’s MCIC is an expandable, 53-foot tractor trailer learning center that began traveling to retailers’ headquarters in September 2018. A mobile version of Hershey’s Global Customer Insights Center located in Hershey, Pa., the MCIC provides direct access to Hershey’s category insights and fosters conversations with a team of traveling convenience channel category experts.
Hershey Solutions is an online portal created for c-store retailers. This resource aids them in their efforts to stay ahead of new product launches and trends, drive profits through rebate incentives from promotional programs, access expert merchandising strategies, and learn about shopper behavior insights—anytime, anywhere and from any device.
C-store retailers can learn more about the MCIC’s travel route and enroll in Hershey Solutions on the floor of NACS.
DRIVING GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE C-STORE
For 20 years, Hershey has leveraged its position of strength as the leader in confection to equip its c-store retail partners with new strategies to drive category sales and support overall business growth.
New to Hershey’s booth this year is a store-size queue line display. Queuing is an innovative front-end solution that led to Convenience Store News awarding Hershey a 2018 Category Captain Award. In research, 80 percent of shoppers4 like a queue line and that sentiment directly translates to sales growth. Test results show that the right mix of products in the queue can drive a 20 to 25 percent sales increase5.
C-store retailers will also learn about the benefits of positioning their top 20 most popular confectionery items in the “strike zone” of the candy aisle from category management experts and gain insight into best practices for integrating sweet and salty snacks into one aisle.
“At NACS, our experts will be advising our c-store retail partners on how to best tap into the power of confection,” said Stanley. “Candy, mint and gum generate the highest sales lift6 when displayed as compared to other categories, making our brands incredibly responsive to smart merchandising around the entire c-store.”
More category merchandising insights are available here.
THE SWEET OPPORTUNITY FOR C-STORE
While in-store planogram and merchandising solutions continue to improve shopper experiences, The Hershey Company’s iconic core brands are proven category drivers that should be incorporated in every section of the planogram. Reese’s remains the No. 1 brand7 franchise in the convenience channel and is 56 percent larger8 than the next largest brand9. Hershey continues to invest in Reese’s and its core confection brands to deliver products that meet shopper demand for Snackfection – the place where sweet and salty confection and snacks that deliver a variety of textures and flavors meet.
At NACS, Hershey will sample its latest chocolate innovation from the Hershey’s and Reese’s brand franchises: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Reese’s Pieces Candy. This candy bar unites perfectly placed Reese’s Pieces candies with smooth Hershey’s milk chocolate. Other products to be sampled include Hershey’s Gold Caramelized Creme Peanuts & Pretzels, new bars that feature a rich caramelized creme combined with salty, crunchy bits of peanuts and pretzels, and Reese’s Outrageous! bar, complete with crunchy, Reese’s Pieces Candy surrounding creamy peanut butter and covered in smooth milk chocolate.
Hershey will also sample products from its Ice Breakers brand franchise, which accounts for 11 percent10 of total refreshment sales in c-store. Ice Breaker’s Ice Cubes are the fastest growing franchise11 within refreshment, and Ice Breakers is the No. 2 refreshment brand12 in the channel.
About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has approximately 17,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.5 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and SkinnyPop.
For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed. To learn more visit www.thehersheycompany.com.
Contact:
The Hershey Company
Laura Renaud | lrenaud@hersheys.com
PriceWeber
Charissa Acree | cacree@priceweber.com
1 Source: IRI 52 week data through 9/9/18
2 Source: IRI 52 week data through 9/9/18
3 Source: IRI 52 Weeks Ending 9/02/18
4 Source: Hershey Small Format Queueing Research
5 Source: Hershey Small Format Queueing Research
6 Source: IRI Latest 52 WKS
7 Source: IRI 52 Weeks Ending 9/2/18
8 Source: IRI 52 Weeks Ending 9/2/18
9 Source: IRI & IRI Panel
10 Source: IRI 52 Weeks Ending 9/2/18
11 Source: IRI 52 Weeks Ending 9/2/18
12 Source: IRI 52 Weeks Ending 9/2/18
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0a8028b-eb6b-4a41-a652-ec30706a5bfd