Can you please give an overview of your brand
In the US, Cheez-It is over 100 years old and is now a $1.35 billion brand1. However, whilst Cheez-It might be a household name in the US; it didn’t even exist in the UK and Ireland until August 2024. That changed when we made one of our boldest category moves yet: bringing Cheez-It across the Atlantic … Enter Cheez-It Snap’d: a British take on an American classic. It’s a thin and crispy baked snack with a deliciously light, crunchy texture. And the clue is in the name; its flavour is all-out moreishly cheesy. The Cheez-It Snap’d variant was launched in the UK and Ireland in four flavours: Double Cheese, Cheese & Chilli, Cheese & Smokey Bacon and Cheese and Sour Cream and Onion.
How is your brand currently performing?
Cheez-It has made quite the entrance … in just a year we’ve hit £24 million2 in value sales and sold over 16.3 million packs – that’s one flying off shelves every two seconds3! Launched in August 2024, Cheez-It quickly became the UK’s biggest brand launch of the year and the fourth-largest in CPG4, despite having only half the time in market of the top three, and achieved 14.5 per cent total market penetration in its first full year5.
Shoppers love the bold flavours and crispier texture, and with a 52 per cent repeat purchase rate, they’re clearly coming back for more6. Add in a Snack Brand of the Year Award at the 2025 Asian Trader Awards and strong presence across grocery, convenience and wholesale, and it’s safe to say our first year has been a true Cheez-Hit!
How is the crisps and snacks market currently performing?
The numbers have been crunched, and the snacking category is worth £5.7 billion in the UK, growing at +1.8 per cent7. It’s one of the most dynamic sectors in retail, fuelled by frequent shopper purchases, particularly within symbols and independents. Put simply – shoppers love to snack and it’s that constant demand that delivers growth opportunities for retailers, as well as ensuring the category remains valuable and profitable.
Cheez-It Snap’d Cheese and Chilli 120g PMP Photo: Handout
Do you have any new product development?
At a time when consumers are watching their spending but still want snacks that feel special, Cheez-It brings something bold and different to the aisle. That’s why we recently rolled out our 120g PMP sharing format into symbols and independents, designed to meet growing demand for social and at-home snacking. Available in two popular flavours – Double Cheese, which has delivered nearly £13 million in sales to date8, and Cheese and Chilli, a hot variant that caters to the nation’s growing appetite for spicy snacks – the launch offers retailers the opportunity to bolster their snack offering with a proven hit. The duo is also set to recruit incremental shoppers to the category, building on the existing 3.6 million shoppers9. We also launched our Cheese and Smokey Bacon flavour last July to mark our one-year anniversary.
How are you supporting your brand and NPD?
Alongside the major mults, we made sure wholesale and convenience were front and centre. A major, multi-channel AFH campaign built mental availability, making Cheez-It unmissable, while big in-store activations with symbols and independents – complete with vinyl-wrapped windows, DJs and sampling – brought the brand to life and got people talking. Over 6,500 samples were handed out, with an additional two million samples distributed since launch. Coupled with tailored pack formats, from on-the-go singles to 120g sharing bags, and new launches like Cheese & Smokey Bacon, we’ve maintained momentum and built strong sales, penetration and repeat purchase across the channel.
Photo: Handout
How important are independent retailers to your brand?
We’re committed to giving independent retailers the tools they need to make Cheez-It a success. That starts with our dedicated trade website, stockitcheezit.com – a simple, mobile-friendly hub packed with product info, POS materials and direct contacts at retailers’ fingertips. On the ground, we’re driving excitement with activations like this summer’s first ever Flavour Fest – a Cheez-It and Pringles co-branded activation at wholesaler depots across the UK. More recently, we launched our “Deck The Shelves” Christmas competition, whereby retailers can win a whopping £10,000 in cash and consumers can get their hands on £100 Prezzee gift cards by stocking and purchasing PMP formats respectively10.
What trends are occurring in the sector?
Market growth is being driven by both Large Sharing and Singles. Notably, the biggest brand change year-on-year has come from the addition of Cheez-It. Innovation and flavour remain king, with bolder tastes and spicier variants climbing the charts as consumers look for snacks that really bring the heat. Cheez-It is perfectly placed to meet that demand, with Double Cheese already delivering over £13 million in sales11 and Cheese & Chilli catering to the nation’s growing appetite for spice. At the same time, larger formats are booming as shoppers seek affordable treats for Big Night In and social occasions; that’s why our new 120g PMP sharing format is such a timely addition, hitting the sweet spot of value, visibility and versatility.
Describe your brand in three words …
Notoriously cheesy satisfaction
Notes:
1 NielsenIQ, Total Outlets, Retail Data = 52 WE 10-05-24
2 Circana | Crisps | All Outlets GB | Value Sales | 52we 09 Aug 2025
3 Circana | Crisps | All Outlets GB | Value & Units Sales | 52we 09 Aug 2025
4 Kantar Worldpanel, 2024
5 Kantar Worldpanel, 2024
6 Kantar Worldpanel, Take Home Panel, Total Market, 44w/e 15th June 2025
7 Circana | Total Snacks | Value & Unit Sales | Since launch (68we) 22 Nov 2025
8 Circana | All Outlets GB | Total Crisps | Value Sales | 52we 9th Aug 20256
9 Kantar by Numerator, 52 w/e 30th Nov 2025, Total Market, Total Cheezits (Large Sharing & Singles)
10 GB residents only. 18+. For full terms and conditions visit: www.pringles.com/uk/tsandcs.html.
11 Circana | All Outlets GB | Total Crisps | Value Sales | 52we 9th Aug 2025