Updates freshen up mint sales; sugar-free varieties the strongest flavors - Food Merchandising

Discount Store News, July 15, 1996 by Barbara White-Sax

Americans like mints strong and sugar-free. As a result, the continued growth of sugar-free products made 1995 a good year for the mint category, a trend that is likely to continue this year.

Mint sales tallied $226 million across all three trade channels last year, up 2.9% according to Information Resources Inc., Chicago. Growth in the peppermint category, which IRI reports separately, charted an even more impressive growth rate last year, 8.3%. Total dollar sales in that segment was $153 million.

"The segment has shown some of the best growth in the candy category," said a spokeswoman for the National Confectioners Association The growth may be attributed to the cross-merchandising opportunities in mints, as well as to some creative new packaging changes that have made the product more appealing to more consumers.

Mass merchants have experienced the highest category Growth in mints compared to other trade channels. Some of this might be the result of expanded snack and food departments, especially by Wal-mart, Kmart and Target. Dollar sales for the breath freshener category grew 10.8% at mass, while unit sales rose 9.1%.

At drugstores, category dollar sales increased 2.8%, but unit sales dipped 2.8% Supermarket chains showed the least change in mint sales in the past year, with a dollar sales growth of 1.1% and unit sales essentially flat, up 0.1%.

Generally, mints are offered along the candy aisle and at check outs. Since mints tend to be a low-calorie candy snack, a spot at checkout can appeal to diet-conscious shoppers with a hankering for a piece of candy. In addition, easy access to breath mints, usually purchased to freshen breath, gain wider exposure at checkout, adding another dimension to the sales success.

"Between 50% and 60%, of candy purchases are impulse buys," noted Elizabeth Faullin, a spokeswoman for Lifesavers. "Effective merchandising that makes brands easy to find are the most successful. We recommend placing products in multiple locations."

The strategy is important to selling both multipacks and singles.

"As a discount drug chain we do more business in multipacks," said one retaiIer. "People come in for lunch and can't get past the impulse of a bulk buy."

Multipacks are also a big draw at an East Coast drug chain. We put the products in multiple location - anywhere there's room," said buyer at the chain. You have to show it to sell it."

One of the most successful products in the mint category is Altoids, a super-strong pressed mint in a nostalgic tin. Altoids, made by Callard, & Bowser-Suchard, ranked fourth on IRI's list of top-selling mints by dollar sale.

Other manufacturers in the extra-strong mint segment are Schuster Marketing's Blitz Power Mints. Clark Candy's Breath Bombs and Vivol A.M.'s Power-Mints. The extra-strong category, often used for breath freshening, accounts for about 10% of category sales and is growing, according to published reports.

Sugar-free mints, which account for about one-quarter of breath mint sales, is being reinforced wit new product introductions. Life-Savers, BreathSavers, No. 1 in dollar sales last year, added a new flavor to its lineup this year, iced mint, bringing the flavor count up to five. Vanilla mint was added last year. The most popular mint flavor of Lifesavers is spearmint.

Other sugar-free brands receiving customer recognition include Velamints, which ranked sixth in dollar sales on IRI's top-sellers list Frisk, imported by Gerrit J. Verberg; and Uniconfis, Smint.

Some manufacturers have brought new entries to the category in the form of packaging changes, which are serving to increase exposure to the category, and ultimately, sales.

Last year, Warner-Lambert introduced Certs Cool Mint Drops in a flip-top cardboard box, and Pez recently introduced Pez Peppermint to appeal to adults. The mints come in the classic Pez dispenser, minus the character head. Pez is gearing the new mint program to adults by telling them to "Come back to Pez."

Also, Brach & Brock's Star Brites peppermint candies, long leaders in the bagged candy section, are now being offered in a single-serve roll pack, suitable for a quick pick-up and easily placed in a pocket or purse.