Mars unveils 2025 innovations at NACS to sweeten the year ahead

Mars, the maker of some of the world's most beloved treats and snacks, showcased new Mars Wrigley products at the 2024 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show Expo this month in Las Vegas.

A majority of Americans (93%) are within 10 minutes of a convenience store—and 71% of adult consumers find new products and brands in convenience stores. Mars knows that c-store shoppers and those on the go are adventurous with their purchases, making variety key to winning in the c-store space. The latest Mars Wrigley innovations and offerings aim to fuel category growth and provide new and exciting options to consumers.

"At Mars, our consumer obsession has guided us to a century of success. We know that consumers see convenience stores as part of their communities and their routines. To reach core consumers and attract new audiences, we're looking at new formats and textures with some of our iconic brands to drive trial and enthusiasm," said Tim LeBel, President of Sales at Mars Wrigley North America. "Beyond product innovation, we work with our customers to elevate shopper engagement through partnerships such as those with our Transaction Zone and Foodservices teams."

Supporting the Convenience Channel

Central to each convenience store is the transaction zone. And with less than three minutes to influence shoppers, retailers need to evolve store formats to maximize in-store trips, focusing on store layout, experience and assortment to appeal to shoppers. Mars featured the Transaction Zone team at NACS this year, which recently secured a patent for its PayPoint Optimizer technology, an advanced analytics tool that uses a store's transaction history to optimize checkout configuration.

Launched in 2022, the Transaction Zone team acts as consultants, collaborating with retailers to design layouts that attract new shoppers, maximize impulse purchases and enhance checkout experiences, ultimately driving category growth.

Mars Foodservices works to drive consumer excitement with unique menu offerings that leverage Mars Wrigley's iconic brands like M&M'S Minis, SNICKERS and TWIX. Working hand in hand with menu developers, Foodservices brings culinary expertise to the table to enhance offerings. Whether added to cookies, brownies, cakes, frozen yogurt or shakes, the team collaborates to deliver brand power, differentiation and excitement with unique flavor innovations that consumers are seeking.

On-Trend Innovations

Across the Mars Wrigley portfolio, the company unveiled several new insights-backed products that deliver on shoppers' evolving requests for a wider variety of products and formats, along with new textures. NACS attendees had a chance to sample the new treats, including:

• M&M'S PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY: Peanut Butter & Jelly is the latest star of M&M'S Peanut Butter portfolio, featuring berry flavored bite-sized chocolate treats with a deliciously smooth peanut butter center that will transport fans to the delicious experience of a PB&J sandwich.

• M&M'S Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich: Now you can finally get the great taste of M&M'S Peanut Butter in an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich. M&M'S Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches offer a multi-texture experience that combines M&M'S Milk Chocolate Minis candies, baked sugar cookies and 100% real creamy peanut butter ice cream in one treat.

• SKITTLES POP'd: The newest innovation from SKITTLES, SKITTLES Original and Sour POP'd provides fans an unexpectedly crunchy, crispy way to enjoy the SKITTLES fruity flavors they know and love.

• SNICKERS Dark Ice Cream Bars: SNICKERS Dark is made with caramel, peanuts, chocolate-peanut butter ice cream, and dark chocolate. SNICKERS Dark is 100% real ice cream and combines a golden ratio of textures to deliver total ice cream satisfaction.

• SNICKERS Pecan: A delicious twist on the iconic candy bar you love - the perfect blend of caramel, nougat and milk chocolate, now complemented by the savory-sweetness of pecans. And no need to wait until 2025 to try these satisfying treats—SNICKERS Pecan is available now!

• SNICKERS Shapes: Made with peanuts, milk chocolate, and nougat, these fun-shaped chocolate bars have all the classic flavors of SNICKERS Candy Bars with the added benefit of holiday flair—starting with SNICKERS Trees, coming out this holiday season.