The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) will showcase product innovations and convenience channel growth strategies at the 2025 NACS Show Expo, featuring the highly anticipated Reese’s OREO® Cup and new offerings across its snacking portfolio, including confectionery, salty snacks and protein offerings. The company will share data-driven insights on bundling strategies, promotional tactics and merchandising approaches that drive repeat purchases and increase basket sizes in convenience stores.
FEATURED PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
Reese’s OREO® Cup
- What it is: Milk chocolate and white creme peanut butter cups with OREO® cookie crumbs – since launch, it’s on track to be one of Reese’s biggest launches
- Why it matters: Unites America’s No. 1 candy and No. 1 cookie brands, making a high-impact debut poised to drive major growth
Jolly Rancher Ropes Tropical Flavor
- What it is: Chewy ropes with juicy center featuring fruit punch and mango pairing
- Why it matters: Expands the fast-growing Jolly Rancher Ropes lineup, capitalizing on 30.7% category growth since 2021¹
Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies in Sneaker Shapes
- What it is: Sneaker-shaped gummies in strawberry, mango, and lime flavors, created through a collaboration with basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal
- Why it matters: The third-fastest growing sweets brand since its 2024 debut¹
Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels Buffalo Flavor
- What it is: Buffalo-flavored seasoned pretzel twists
- Why it matters: The No.1 pretzel franchise in convenience stores and has grown 16.4% in the past year¹
SkinnyPop Popcorn White Cheddar and Butter (Reformulated)
- What’s new: White Cheddar now features real cheese; Butter has richer, creamier taste
- Why it matters: Enhances the No. 2 branded popcorn in C-stores while maintaining clean ingredients¹
BY THE NUMBERS
Salty Snacks Growth:
- 9.5% YTD sales increase for Hershey’s salty brands in C-stores (outpacing total category)²
- No. 1 pretzel franchise: Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels in convenience
- No. 2 branded popcorn: SkinnyPop Popcorn in convenience
Sweets Performance:
- Jolly Rancher and Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies are among fastest-growing non-chocolate confectionery brands in C-stores, and Hershey has grown sweets business by 23.2% in 2025²
Bundling Impact:
- 60% of shoppers have purchased a foodservice bundle at C-stores³
- 34% of shoppers include candy in their bundles³
- Nearly one-third of total C-store sales and profits come from foodservice²
Promotional Effectiveness:
- 56% average unit lift from confectionery promotions in C-stores4
- 92% promotional lift for standard-size bars (outperforming king-size bars threefold) 4
- Standard-size bars represent 15% of total CMG sales4
EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE
“We work hand-in-hand with our retail partners to make every shopper interaction count,” said Tiffany Menyhart, Chief Customer Officer, The Hershey Company. “Through thoughtful pack and product innovation grounded in consumer trends and understanding, we help retailers deliver more options and help increase sales.”
GROWTH STRATEGIES FOR C-STORE RETAILERS
Optimize Salty Snacks Assortment
Focus on stocking top-performing SKUs, organizing by usage occasion, and using vertical merchandising to boost visibility. These tactics ensure shelf space aligns with sales and maximizes conversions in busy aisles.
Accelerate With Sweets Innovation
Fast-growing brands like Jolly Rancher, Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies, and the newly acquired Sour Strips are propelling Hershey’s non-chocolate confectionery growth, with Sour Strips expanding distribution in 2026. Strategic acquisitions are boosting Hershey’s appeal among Gen Z shoppers and strengthening its position in convenience retail.
Maximize Promotions With Everyday Multiples (EDM) Strategy
The Everyday Multiples (EDM) strategy bundles low-cost items to encourage shoppers to buy more, offering consistent value and using prominent displays and signage to drive awareness. This approach is highly effective in C-stores, where confectionery promotions deliver a 56% average unit lift and standard bars achieve a 92% promotional lift.
