Pringles has enjoyed the greatest absolute value gain of any brand in crisps, nuts and snacks over the past year - accounting for 19% of total category growth.

Sales leapt 15%, or £23.5m, on volumes up 15.4% in a year in which Britain spent £124m (4.9%) more on crisps, nuts and snacks. Volumes climbed 1.9% [IRI 52 w/e 1 February 2014].

The growth takes Pringles’ annual sales to £180.7m and ends several years of decline for the brand. In 2012 to 2013, the brand suffered a 3.4% decline in value on volumes down 12.5%.

The brand, bought by Kellogg’s from P&G in June 2012 for $2.7bn, has now usurped Doritos as Britain’s biggest savoury snack. Only Walkers, measured separately by IRI as a crisp brand, is bigger in the overall crisps, nuts and snacks category, at £732.6m.

“It’s a really exciting category for Kellogg’s to be expanding in,” said Gareth Maguire, commercial director for snacks. “Pringles has gone from strength to strength since Kellogg’s acquired it because we’ve harnessed the broad consumer appeal the brand has and turned it into an exciting plan for shoppers.”

A £1 tube deal in the run-up to Christmas played a key role driving growth, contributing to a 0.4% dip in Pringles’ average price as prices across the snacks category rose 3.9%.

Growth was also boosted by an on-pack promotion allowing snackers to claim a free set of speakers, experiential activity at music festivals and the January 2013 launch of Pringles Xtra, now worth £8.9m.

Kellogg’s Special K Cracker Crisps, launched in September 2012, also had a strong year, growing 135.2% to £13.1m despite a 34.9% increase in average price per kilo, the greatest hike in the sector.

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