Associated Wholesale Grocers Expands Salty Snack Portfolio
AWG Brands, the private brands portfolio of Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., has launched an expanded salty snacks assortment from its Always Save, Best Choice, and Best Choice Superior Selections brands.
According to AWG officials, the new lineup is designed to help AWG member retailers deliver exceptional value and quality to consumers in the highly competitive snack market. With the rising costs of national brand salty snack items, showcasing a larger variety of AWG Brands products in this category helps build consumer price perception and loyalty.
“The salty snacks category is important because it’s the second largest in center store grocery behind water and soda,” said Jared Grieve, AWG category manager. “From the highly anticipated Best Choice cinnamon sugar pretzel braids to the new value-sized Always Save potato chips, the AWG Brands salty snacks assortment puts our member retailers in a better position to compete and win through quality and price.”
Always Save potato and tortilla chips have long been popular snack items for consumers. The brand’s new, larger 12.5-13 ounce-size bags enable AWG member retailers to offer even more value to customers. These larger bags are designed for families and budget-conscious shoppers. An 8.5 oz. pork skins bag and a 25 oz. pretzels barrel are also new to the Always Save lineup.
Best Choice is introducing an array of new flavors and products that align with national brand equivalent quality and product variety, ensuring member retailers can generate strong margins and create exciting promotional opportunities.
Highlights of the new Best Choice offerings include:
Potato Chips: The top five most popular flavors are joining the existing four Best Choice kettle chip offerings.
Pretzels: A much larger assortment of pretzels, including rods, sticks, waffles, and seasoned braids in a variety of flavors from savory to sweet.
Tortilla Chips: Five new offerings perfect for dipping or enjoying on their own.
Pork Skins: Three flavor offerings of plain, barbeque, and hot & spicy in new 5 oz. packaging.
Corn Chips and Puffs: Three new corn chip varieties and one cheddar corn puff.
The snacking category also includes ready-to-eat popcorn. AWG Brands offers two opening price point SKUs from Always Save and two elevated toffee nut options from Best Choice Superior Selections.
According to data provided by AWG Partner Gateway (APG) and category research, salty snacks are a top sales driver in the center store, ranking second overall with $32 billion in sales. The snacking category continues to grow, with 50% of all food occasions being snack-related.
In the United States, private brand snack sales have reached $2.6 billion, reflecting a 14% increase from the previous year. Additionally, 55.4% of consumers are now purchasing private brand salty snacks, highlighting the increasing preference for these affordable, yet high-quality options.
This article was originally covered in sister publication Store Brands.
