PepsiCo gains as buyers stock up on snacks
Consumer eating habits in U.S. evolving as more time is spent at home
PepsiCo Inc. reported a stronger-than-expected spring as homebound consumers looking for comfort stocked up on snack foods — and its current-quarter forecast was even more bullish.
As COVID-19 raged across the U.S., Americans seeking out familiar flavours filled their shelves with salty, crunchy treats, driving double-digit sales growth for brands like Tostitos, Fritos and Cheetos. Even newer snacks like fruitchips line Bare and Off The Eaten Path, a maker of black bean and chickpea crisps, saw double-digit growth.
Beverage sales were one key weakness, as both in-restaurant and grab-and-go gas station sales lagged during the lockdowns.
“Consumer eating habits continue to evolve with consumers spending more time at home, which benefits the at-home breakfast, snacking and dinner occasions,” chief executive officer Ramon Laguarta said in pre-recorded remarks about the second quarter.
As one of the first big packaged-food companies reporting results for the spring months, PepsiCo is being closely watched by investors for a look at how consumers are responding to 2020’s upheaval.
The company is well-positioned because of its high global share of the market for snack foods, according to Bloomberg.
And snack foods, it seems, carried the North American consumer through a difficult quarter. Ruffles potato chip brand saw high-single-digit growth, while oatmeal line Quaker’s organic revenue spiked 23 per cent in the quarter.
The snack and beverage giant sees the trend toward more breakfast meals at home remaining strong after the pandemic subsides, and the company said it has marketing plans to retain any new Quaker customers it picked up during the quarantines.
With an increase in online grocery shopping, PepsiCo said its five-year-old e-commerce business is projected to have $3 billion (U.S.) in sales this year, up from about $2 billion last year. While it’s not yet clear how much of the gains will be sustainable, chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said on a call with analysts “we’re prepared for it to stay large.”
Other packaged-food companies have been pummelled by Wall Street after reporting strong spring quarters, since investors didn’t see signs they could hold onto the gains. But PepsiCo says it’s optimistic it can capitalize on these new buying habits.
In fact, after reporting a 0.3 per cent slide in the latest period for organic revenue, a closely watched indicator of growth, the owner of the Mountain
Dew and Doritos brands said that metric will turn positive in the current quarter, predicting a low-single-digit boost. The company said it still won’t make an outlook for 2020.
“As we look ahead for North America, we expect our overall business to perform well, assuming there is no large-scale disruption in economic activity or population mobility as a result of the recent surge in COVID-19 infections in many markets,” Laguarta said. “With this in mind, we expect our snacks and food businesses to remain resilient, albeit with some moderation in growth while our beverage businesses should deliver better performance during the second half of this year.”