Situation

• Our client, a European Tex Mex player with a presence in Tortilla Chips and a nascent offering in healthier Popped Chips, asked FSA to support in re-setting their Savoury Snacking strategy. The initial strategy, which had been devised with one of the large strategy consultancies, lacked clear and actionable direction, or first-hand knowledge of the ‘rules of the game’ within Savoury Snacking which dictate the opportunity

What we did

The project centred around a 1-day workshop where members of the FSA team, who had run or been on the leadership team of large UK Savoury Snacking businesses, shared their insights on where the growth opportunity was likely to exist in the European market. Specifically, we:

• • Described the current shape of the Savoury Snacking category in Europe by country and segment, highlighting the importance of tailoring products to the local tastes within markets, particularly in segments beyond Mainstream Potato Chips
  • Outlined the ‘rules of the game’ in Savoury Snacking relating to sources of economies of scale and drivers of profit, and the implications on product and brand vs private label choices for our client. These were predicated on decades of experience in the most developed Savoury Snacking market in Europe, the UK
  • Brainstormed with the client over the future shape of their Snacking business, objectives, and alignment with the wider corporate strategy
  • Identified potential acquisition routes to short-cut to the desired strategy

The workshop presentation was supported by market analysis using Euromonitor and UK scan data, interviews with the client’s team to understand their objectives and current Snacking position, and store audits in the UK

Results delivered

• We produced a summary presentation with the learnings from the workshop for the client, which they are using as a key input into developing an updated Savoury Snacking strategy in Europe