A Gluten-Free Snacks Guide for Convenience Retailers

The gluten-free market is soaring in the UK and is an area that convenience retailers must focus on to grow their sales and profits. According to Coeliac UK, while only one in 100 people have coeliac disease, 10% of the population is following a gluten-free diet. Their motivations for doing so range from managing a health condition or for the perceived wellness benefits.

For context, this is now only slightly less than the percentage of people who smoke (13%). While we’re not suggesting you fill the area behind the counter with gluten-free snacks, it does illustrate the size of the market for the retailers who get it right.

If you want to make your store known as a destination for gluten-free food, you should create a dedicated bay to help shoppers buy what they need quickly.

However, this doesn’t need to be a permanent fixture. After a few weeks, your gluten-free shoppers will be aware that they can rely on you as a destination. You can then simply merchandise these products within their respective categories, highlighting them with a sticker on the shelf-edge label.

Here, we’ve analysed data from more than 85 gluten-free brands available from Epicurium to reveal the bestselling lines you can stock to boost your sales.

Gluten-Free Confectionery Brands

Candy Kittens is Epicurium’s number-one gluten-free confectionery brand. Available in 140g hanging bags and 54g impulse lines, Candy Kittens offer retailers a healthy margin of 30%+. Retailers should consider stocking the brand’s bestselling Very Cherry, Eton Mess and Wild Strawberry flavours.

Retailers looking for a further point of difference within sugar confectionery should also stock Jealous Sweets, which come in 125g sharing bags and 24g ‘shot packs’. With varieties such as Berry Sours, Berry Foams and Fizzy Friends, Jealous Sweets offers a range of textures and flavours to tempt your shoppers.

In chocolate, two brands stand out – Rhythm 108 and Flower & White. Rhythm 108 is Swiss chocolate luxury in a 33g snack bar format. There are two flavours available – Almond & Sea Salt and Creamy Coconut, which offer a PoR of 28%. Meanwhile, Flower & White is a range of chocolate-covered meringues and mallows available in bars and bags. Its mallows singles range, available in Raspberry, Salted Caramel, Mango & Passionfruit and Strawberry & Banana flavours, offers retailers a 30% margin and consumers a treat containing less than 100 calories.

Gluten-Free Crisps & Popcorn

If you’re looking to introduce a gluten-free savoury line, then your first port of call must be Propercorn. Not only is it our bestselling savoury gluten-free brand, but it’s also our bestselling gluten-free brand overall. While Sweet & Salty and Lightly Sea Salted are must-stocks, sweet flavours such as Caramelised Biscuit and Salted Caramel are also worthy of consideration, as well as the brand’s Salt & Vinegar Chips.

Elsewhere, Eat Real’s Lentil Chips, Quinoa Chips and Hummus Chips offer affluent flavours in a 25g impulse snack format. A favourite among urban cafes and wholefood stores, Eat Real offers margins of around 48%, making them a key profit driver for any gluten-free range.

Finally, Popchips and Pipers are also strong-selling gluten-free snacks. Popchips was one of the early pioneers of an alternative method of making crisps – shunning the deep fryer for heat and pressure. We offer five flavours across single grab bags and sharing bags, which we advise retailers to use within meal deals and big night in displays to drive sales.

Pipers meanwhile comes in Anglesey Sea Salt, Lye Cross Cheddar & Onion and Kirkby Malham Chorizo flavours. Each variety proudly displays the ingredients' location, tapping into consumer desire for authenticity and traceability in their food.

Gluten-Free Grocery Products

Ready meals are one area that often gets overlooked when considering gluten free, but Itsu’s grocery products make this easy to fix. The brand has a range of gluten-free noodle cups available in flavours such as Rice Noodles Katsu, Satay, Chilli Miso and Chick-n Ramen (Be warned, the Udon Noodles do contain gluten, so remember to always check the label).

The brand also offers a range of Miso’easy sachets in Traditional and Chilli varieties (PoR 25%). In snacking, Itsu has a gluten-free range of Seaweed Thins in Sweet Soy & Sea Salt, Sea Salt, Wasabi and Sriracha flavours, as well as Rice Cakes and Prawn Crackers.

Gluten-Free Snacking

Gluten-free snacking is an easy area to get right, with several quality brands available from us. KIND is our bestseller, with four of its varieties – Dark Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt; Almond & Coconut; Caramel, Almond & Sea Salt; and Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate, ranking among our top 50 lines overall.

Elsewhere, Trek’s range of protein flapjacks are a great way to give gluten-free shoppers a workout energy boost. For a more indulgent protein hit, consider stocking Trek Power. It comes in flavours such as Millionaire Shortbread and Peanut Butter Crunch, while offering a PoR of 29%. Similarly, Nakd bars also come in a range of dessert flavours, though with more of a focus on fruit and veg, such as Banoffee Pie, Blueberry Muffin and Carrot Cake. This useful impulse line can be stocked alongside food to go to give shoppers a healthier alternative.

For a health boost, Urban Fruit’s range of dried Strawberries, Pineapple and Raspberries is a useful impulse line. It can be stocked near the counter or used to add a splash of colour to lunch meal deal displays. If you’re looking for a range of gluten-free fruit snacking for children, consider Bear’s Yoyo range, available in Blackcurrant, Mango and Raspberry flavours, with a PoR of 28%.

Order Growth-Driving Gluten Free Snacks at Epicurium

Becoming a destination store for gluten-free snacks may seem complex at first, but by taking a category-by-category approach, you can ensure you are covering all basis. Our team can help you get a profitable range in place that helps you stand out in your community. Click here to register an account.