Snacks in 2025: The big picture
Snacks in South Africa is projected to see fast retail current value growth in 2025, primarily driven by price inflation, rather than retail volume sales expansion. Many categories are under pressure, with reduced or limited consumer uptake and the downsizing of pack sizes hampering retail volume sales. Price remains a critical factor in purchasing decisions, reflecting heightened consumer sensitivity amid economic constraints. Despite this, manufacturers of leading national brands continue to invest in innovation, often leveraging nostalgic themes to maintain engagement and brand loyalty. Health and wellness trends are reshaping the snacking landscape, with growing demand for products like nuts, snack bars and fruit-based snacks. However, these offerings typically carry premium price points, limiting accessibility for lower-income consumers. Meanwhile, snacks are increasingly being consumed as meal replacements, driven by affordability concerns and time-poor lifestyles, which is supporting growth in categories like savoury snacks and sweet biscuits. On the other hand, chocolate confectionery faces significant headwinds, with elevated unit prices prompting consumers to seek more affordable indulgence options. Promotional activity, including multibuy deals and deep discounts, remains a key driver of purchase intent in this category.
Key trends in 2025
Intentional indulgences are reshaping the snacking landscape in South Africa, as consumers increasingly seek out novel, impulse-driven treats that offer both sensory appeal and emotional satisfaction. Brand owners are responding with bold innovations in flavours and textures, particularly within sugar confectionery. A standout example is Woolworths Strawberry and Cream Jellies, which feature a creamy filling encased in a jelly sweet to deliver a multi-sensory experience that elevates everyday indulgence. Such products cater to evolving consumption occasions and reflect a broader shift toward snacks that feel special, shareable and worth the splurge.
Competitive Landscape
Snacks in South Africa remains highly competitive, with Simba (Pty) Ltd (GBO PepsiCo Inc) set to maintain its leadership position in 2025, despite a gradual downturn in retail value share. The company remains strong in savoury snacks with brands like Simba and Lay’s, where it faces intense competition but stands out through ongoing innovation and robust promotional activity. Mondelez South Africa (Pty) Ltd is expected to remain the second-ranked player, despite a further small drop in retail value share. Its flagship brand, Cadbury, is set to remain the leader in chocolate confectionery, supported by aggressive multibuy promotions that help offset the impact of rising unit prices and consumers trading down.
Channel developments
Supermarkets is projected to remain the dominant distribution channel for snacks in South Africa, with a further small increase in retail value share in 2025. It offers widespread accessibility across both urban centres and smaller, rural communities. An extensive footprint allows it to serve a diverse consumer base, making supermarkets key sales drivers of snacks nationwide. Supermarkets also play a strategic role in influencing purchasing behaviour through targeted promotional activity, particularly during mid-month and end-of-month periods, when consumer footfall typically increases. These promotions, often featuring multibuy deals, discounts and in-store activations, are designed to attract price-sensitive shoppers and boost retail volume sales across snacks categories.
What next for snacks?
The outlook for snacks in South Africa is expected to be shaped by cautious development and strategic adaptation. While retail value (constant 2025 prices) sales are projected to grow healthily, retail volume growth is predicted to remain under pressure due to rising production costs that continue to push up retail prices. In response, manufacturers are likely to streamline their portfolios, discontinuing underperforming SKUs to make room for new, more relevant innovations. Private label is set to play an increasingly influential role, not only through an expanding presence across categories, but also by setting the tone for innovation, offering trend-aligned, affordable alternatives that challenge brands. As the competition intensifies, success is likely to depend on balancing affordability, relevance and differentiation in a price-sensitive and rapidly evolving marketplace.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Snacks industry in South Africa with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to a comprehensive range of core packaged food categories.
If you're in the Snacks industry in South Africa, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Snacks in South Africa report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Snacks in South Africa?
- Which are the leading brands in Snacks in South Africa?
- How are products distributed in Snacks in South Africa?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and/or the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- What are the key health and wellness concerns driving, or challenging, sales in Snacks?
- How significant are vegan and vegetarian dietary requirements in determining sales growth in South Africa?
- How has COVID-19 impacted consumer demand? To what extent have lockdown, home seclusion and stockpiling boosted sales? Will the longer term economic repercussions of the pandemic stimulate or suppress future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
- How significant will values-based claims, such as sustainability and ethical labelling, be in supporting future growth and brand equity?
Snacks in South Africa
Snacks in 2025: The big picture
Key trends in 2025
Competitive Landscape
Channel developments
What next for snacks?
DISCLAIMER
Chocolate Confectionery in South Africa
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Muted performance for chocolate confectionery
Private label gains from rapid innovation and portfolio expansions
Supermarkets leverage large assortments and promotions to win over consumers
Players to adapt to protect demand
Innovation to align with global trends but also see a local twist
Proposed regulation changes may disrupt the category
Gum in South Africa
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Chewing gum shows dynamism through new flavours and health-orientated options
Mondelez invests to remain the dominant gum player
Hypermarkets gains but supermarkets reigns
Retail value growth opportunities despite falling retail volume sales
Innovation to concentrate on chewing gum
Gum at risk from food labelling regulations
Sugar Confectionery in South Africa
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Smaller pack sizes and rising prices hinder retail volume sales development
Tiger Consumer Brands leads an increasingly competitive landscape
Supermarkets continues to gain momentum in sugar confectionery
Novelties that align with lifestyles and affordability to gain traction
Innovation and reformulation to meet the dynamics of a changing landscape
Players await food labelling announcements
Ice Cream in South Africa
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Bulk dairy ice cream adds dynamism to the category performance
Price competition intensifies in ice cream
Infrastructure investments boost the distribution of ice cream in underserved areas
Robust development expected for ice cream in South Africa
Indulgence to gain momentum in the forecast period
Ice cream is in the line of fire of prospective new food labelling regulations
Savoury Snacks in South Africa
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Salty snacks continue to meet the needs and preferences of local consumers
The pressure increases on the leading player
Supermarkets consolidates dominance with choice and price promotion advantages
Resilient demand for affordable, convenient and filling savoury snacks
Dual approach to innovation but rising production costs loom
Savoury snacks under the microscope of new food labelling regulations
Sweet Biscuits, Snack Bars and Fruit Snacks in South Africa
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Value for money positioning helps filled biscuits drive retail volume and value growth in 2025
National Brands leverages brand heritage, innovation and a wide offer to stay ahead of the field
Supermarkets fit well with local consumers’ shopping needs and preferences
Opportunities and challenges to shape category evolution
Strong innovation to update players’ portfolios in line with key trends
Food labelling changes to impact manufacturers and consumers
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Snacks
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- Chocolate Pouches and Bags
- Boxed Assortments
- Chocolate with Toys
- Countlines
- Seasonal Chocolate
- Tablets
- Other Chocolate Confectionery
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- Bubble Gum
- Chewing Gum
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- Boiled Sweets
- Chewy Candies
- Gummies and Jellies
- Liquorice
- Lollipops
- Medicated Confectionery
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- Power Mints
- Standard Mints
- Toffees, Caramels and Nougat
- Other Sugar Confectionery
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- Frozen Yoghurt
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- Single Portion Dairy Ice Cream
- Single Portion Water Ice Cream
- Plant-based Ice Cream
- Unpackaged Ice Cream
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- Bulk Dairy Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Desserts
- Multi-Pack Dairy Ice Cream
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- Bulk Water Ice Cream
- Multi-Pack Water Ice Cream
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- Nuts, Seeds and Trail Mixes
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- Potato Chips
- Tortilla Chips
- Puffed Snacks
- Rice Snacks
- Vegetable, Pulse and Bread Chips
- Savoury Biscuits
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Meat Snacks
- Seafood Snacks
- Other Savoury Snacks
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- Dried Fruit
- Processed Fruit Snacks
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- Cereal Bars
- Protein/Energy Bars
- Fruit and Nut Bars
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- Chocolate Coated Biscuits
- Cookies
- Filled Biscuits
- Plain Biscuits
- Wafers
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This report originates from Passport, our Snacks research and analysis database.
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