Mints are Growing in Convenience Stores

 

November 2018

 

Mints are growing total breath fresheners in c-stores. This growth is driven by the Tic Tac brand. Total mints grew 6.4%, which Tic Tac grew 6.8% in 2016. Mints are the most profitable checkout category. Mint gum and candy bring the most margin, but mints bring the truest profit. Tic Tac is most efficient mint brand, bringing more share of profit than its share of space.  As a c-store retailer, offering the right might to meet shopper needs is extremely important. Mint is the most popular flavor category with 63% share and $528MM in sales. Fruit comes in second at 33% with $276MM in sales. Cinnamon comes in third with 4% and $37MM in sales. Fruit flavors are the fastest growing growth segment and appeals to Millennials and Hispanics.

 

Traditional mint flavors represent 80% of the category and appeal to your core baby boomer shopper.

 

It is also imperative that you carry the right flavors within each type from the right brands. Traditional mint flavors include wintergreen, spearmint and peppermint. Emerging flavors include citrus, berry, and fruit mixes. Other flavors emerging in the category are cinnamon and sour/beverages. You can also build on the success with mixers’ exciting and unique flavor pipeline. Tic Tac Mixers come in two different flavors: Pina Colada and Strawberry Banana. Pina Colada is currently outpacing Freshmint velocity by 25%. Coconut was the 2016 flavor of the year. Continue to look for Pina Colada on impulse displays. Strawberry Banana is the biggest fruit flavor in total gum and mints. This flavor is expected to perform in-line with Cherry Cola based on testing. These two flavors have the highest appeal to Hispanics.

 

Tic Tac Mixers turn as fast as the top 10 and bring new buyers to the category. Incremental growth is seen with fruit flavors, with approximately 70% of buyers new to the category. In addition, 2 flavors of Mixers bring variety to a shopper that wants options. You should renovate flavors every 18-24 months.

 

Make sure you’re carrying Tic Tac gum in your store. Check with your wholesaler for availability and to place an order.