Market Trends of Middle East & Africa Energy Bar Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the MEA Energy Bar Market according to our research experts:
EVOLVING FITNESS TRENDS AND INCREASING DEMAND FOR INDULGENT ENERGY BARS
The demand for a healthier snack is growing in the region with more preference for high protein and nutrition intact snacks. Innovative flavors, packaging, and convenience attract consumers and drive impulse purchasing. Change in snack consumption patterns with consumers demanding healthier products is expected to continue and fuel the growth of the market. Rising obesity and the diabetic population in the region is another factor triggered the demand for healthy snacking. The annual snack bar sales (including energy bar) in the Middle East & Africa crossed 12.8 million Kg in 2016 and it continues to increase grow at a faster rate. Expanding supermarket/hypermarkets in the region is driving the impulse buying behavior of consumers by offering discounts and multiple varieties.
HYPERMARKET/SUPERMARKET EMERGES AS THE DOMINANT DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL
The demand for clean label energy bars with easily recognizable ingredients is also stealing the consumer's attention across various retail formats including hypermarkets/supermarkets. Owing to a huge retail space catering to a wide variety of preferences, the supermarkets/ hypermarkets are dominant channels for the sales of energy bars in the Middle Eastern and North African countries. The positioning of functional snacks drives its sales growth in the mass merchandiser channels, as snack bars and other related products are often placed at the entrance, end of aisles display, in island bins, at the checkout, and/or in the designated snack food aisles that invariably attract consumers' attention.
