44 (33) Pringles

Last year’s ranking: 33

Sales: £171.5m (-9.8%)

Pringles’ famous “once you pop you can’t stop” slogan looks shakier in 2018 than ever before. Those who once popped have stopped in droves: Pringles shifted an eye-watering 22 million fewer units in 2017 than it did the previous year. That’s a decline of £18.7m, dropping Pringles 10 places down the Biggest Brands list. It’s the year’s eighth biggest loss, and the biggest loss for any savoury snack brand. So what went wrong for Pringles?

Firstly there’s increased competition in the snacking category (and we’re not talking about weird American rip-off Prongles here). Hula Hoops (91) and McCoy’s (66), for instance, are up a combined £25.3m, thanks to a vast investment into marketing and NPD from owner KP Snacks over past years (think McCoy’s Chip Shop ads, which are back on the telly this year and Hula Hoops’ Golden and Puft variants). Walkers (1), meanwhile, churns out enough new flavours every year to keep interest fresh and sales booming. Pringles, on the other hand, has cut back its range, axing a number of extensions.

However, a spokeswoman for Pringles stresses the brand is still “the biggest large sharing brand in the UK”, noting a particular upsurge in sales over Christmas. It plans a raft of targeted promotions over the coming year, including brand partnerships and sponsorships around “key snacking events” such as the World Cup. It has also mounted a “Take a bite, win a flight” promotion across its full range, offering shoppers flights to European holiday spots.