May 2021

KP SNACKS LAUNCHES BRAND NEW RANGE, POPCHIPS VEG VIBES

KP Snacks’ flagship ‘Better for You’ brand, popchips, has today announced the launch of an exciting new product range, popchips Veg Vibes.

Classically popped not fried, the brand new light and crunchy snack made of chickpea, rice, and sweet potato is launching in two flavours, Sriracha and Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar, which have been especially designed to meet bold flavour notes shoppers are looking for.

Popping with positivity and offering deeply satisfying flavours that consumers don’t usually see in vegetable based crisps, popchips Veg Vibes drives greater awareness and excitement for the brand which recently moved to No. 2 ‘Better for You’ Brand in the Crisps, Snacks and Nuts (CSN) category^[1].

Insights show that plant based eating trends are becoming increasingly more prevalent, with more consumers actively choosing diets which incorporate veg and plant based foods. 46% of 25-44 year olds believe plant based eating is healthier and 38% believe it’s better for the environment^[2]. popchips Veg Vibes has been created to drive greater penetration of popchips and drive appeal amongst younger and more health-conscious shoppers.

The popchips health and flavour credentials have driven the brand’s appeal to date, and the new launch sees popchips capitalise on the constant evolution of healthy eating trends, with a unique vegan snack that appeals to young shoppers who are looking to make empowered choices.

Zoe Cashin-Howe, Marketing Controller at KP Snacks says, “This is our second biggest initiative of 2021 for popchips following our new TV campaign and we are excited to be bringing this unique product to market as we think consumers are really going to love it.

“We know that a snack should taste great and be made of the good stuff, so we’ve used intense flavours to make this vegetable-based snack truly pop. We look forward to introducing this highly differentiated product and seeing our ‘Better for You’ range grow.”

popchips Veg Vibes will be available in 85g sharing and 23g singles formats. popchips recently debuted on TV for the first time ever with a £2.3M marketing investment.  The launch of popchips Veg Vibes also follows the introduction of a brand new look and feel for popchips which was launched at the end of 2020 giving the brand a more modern look and feel, with fresh and vibrant colours to really bring it’s positivity to life. Alongside the new pack design, KP Snacks also reduced popchips brand packaging saving an estimated 23 tonnes of material, the equivalent of over 5 million fewer packs per year.

popchips has recently been ranked as the No.2 ‘Better for You’ bagged snack brand, with growth in popchips sharing (+17.3% YTD^[3]) contributing to this. The flavour-packed core range includes BBQ, Sea Salt, Sour Cream & Onion, and Sea Salt & Vinegar, providing a more permissible snack option without compromising on big flavour.

[1] Nielsen Scantrack 12w/e 27.03.21

[2] IGD Shopper Vista Veganuary report Feb 2020

[3] ^{Nielsen  Scantrack 27.03.21}