October 8/Telecommunications Weekly -- A new report from market research firm Mintel shows that after years of mediocre sales increases, the potato chip market grew 22% during the economic downturn*.
In addition, other salty snacks experienced recession-fueled sales jumps. The tortilla chip market increased by 18% since 2007, while smaller segments like popcorn and cheese snacks saw similar gains (17% and 20%, respectively). Now that economic recovery is starting to take hold, Mintel believes, sales increases should start to taper. Over the next five years, potato chip sales are expected to rise just above 3% annually, while tortilla chip sales should increase just above 4%.