Becky Allan, Marketing Manager at snack brand Takis, tells us how the super-fiery chilli flavours of this market-conquering phenomenon are the secret of its hot success
Can you please give an overview of your brand?
Takis first made a name for itself when it went viral in the US, with global sales of the popular rolled tortilla chips surpassing $2bn. Every Takis product is known for its fiery flavour, intense crunch and unique tortilla roll, providing consumers with an exciting and unmatched snacking experience.
The UK convenience sector can now enjoy the brand’s three SKUs: the best-selling Fuego flavour provides a blast of flaming hot chilli pepper and tangy lime, earning it an “EXTREME” rating on the brand’s Heat Meter. Takis’ Volcano variant meanwhile offers an intensely cheesy flavour with a cheeky fiery kick. The newest SKU, Dragon Sweet Chilli, ensures every bite is filled with a spicy sweet chilli flavour combination that tingles your taste buds. Marked as “Hot” on the Takis Heat Meter, these hot and spicy corn chips are sure to thrill true chip lovers.
How is your brand currently performing?
Takis is outperforming the wider snacking market with value growth of +8.1 per cent, making up 18 per cent of the market1. We are currently the fastest selling in the top 50 in the snacking category, driven by our increased distribution (+24 per cent YOY) 2.
When it comes to the convenience sector specifically, Takis is worth over £13 million and is in growth, seeing sales of over 6.1m packs a year3. We see no signs of this slowing, as Takis continues to cater to those looking for an intense snacking experience. In fact, our brand has a 23 per cent market saturation4, helped by our range of formats including the new PMP grab bags. This is a launch we’re particularly proud of, as it broadened our availability into the convenience channel – an area crucial to the snacking market.
How is the category currently performing?
The total market is proving a big profit driver for retailers, worth a huge £2.14bn, seeing 1.46bn packs sold a year5. When it comes to the tortilla sub-category, the convenience channel is seeing growth of +4.3 per cent year-on-year6. In the convenience sector, we’re seeing sharing formats grow at the quickest rate: +14.4 per cent year on year7!
The growth of the market is something that excites us here at Takis – there’s room to continue to expand and innovate, helping retailers provide snacking offerings that cater to a range of shopper wants and needs. There are lucrative profit opportunities to be had by retailers, and we’re here to help them make the most of them.
How are you supporting your brand and NPD?
This year has been a particularly exciting one that has seen us make significant headway in terms of establishing ourselves as a major player in the snacking category. With a marketing focus that sees us go where the consumer is, we are focusing our efforts on where Gen Z spend most of their time – social media. TikTok and Instagram are both incredibly important platforms; they enable us to not only be visible but build a community of fans and followers that we can engage with.
This clear, single-minded focus delivered two milestone for the year, the first being the launch of our third SKU into the market in April – the inimitable Dragon Sweet Chilli. This August then saw us launch Takis into the convenience channel, following a six-month stint exclusive to grocery, with a PMP offering that is bespoke to this sector. In a UK first for our brand, Takis’ three SKUs are available in PMP format, allowing retailers to capitalise on the market that is growing at +17.6 per cent value and +6.8 per cent units year-on-year8. Available to order via Booker Wholesale UK, Fuego, Volcano and Dragon Sweet Chilli are available in a 55g pack, price marked at £1.25.
How important are independent retailers to your brand?
Independent retailers are hugely important to our brand – and we are thrilled to have launched our products into this sector. Our core target audience is Gen Z – we know that they are the super snacking generation and more likely to buy on impulse, with independent retailers being perfectly placed to leverage this. When it comes to shopper attitudes to snacking, bold and strong flavour choices are dominating purchase decisions. While planned purchases lend themselves to “weaker” flavours, impulse purchase (57 per cent of shoppers buy bagged snacks at least once a week9) is where intense flavours, such as chilli and paprika, have their moment to shine10.
What trends are occurring in the sector?
The “Need for Heat” is not showing any signs of stopping, as 33 per cent of snackers are looking to explore new intense flavours in the category11, suggesting a continued interest in spicy flavour profiles. In fact, 35 per cent of consumers say they buy intensely flavoured crisps and bagged snacks with crunch because they like spice, 30 per cent because they like intense flavours and 33 per cent because they like to explore new flavours. This makes clear that NPD around intense flavour will be key to maintaining consumer interest.
Describe your brand in three words
Bold. Fiery. Daring.
1 Circana – Total Market – Total Crisps, Baked & Snacks – L52 w/e 12/05/24
2 Circana – Total Market – Bagged Snacks – L52 w/e 17/03/24
3 Circana – Total Market – Total Takis – L52 w/e 07/07/24
4 Circana – Total Market – Total Takis – L52 w/e 07/07/24
