What is the role of the convenience-store channel in selling gum products?
Hettinger: Wrigley sells through distributors to about 138,000 convenience stores, which accounts for about 40 percent of our dollar sales. Beside c-stores our other major channels are food stores, drug stores and mass marketers. Our sugar-free brands include Eclipse, Orbit, Orbit White and Extra. NPN: How do sugar-free brands fit into your overall marketing strategy? Hettinger: To understand the answer to that question, you need to understand the different categories of gum products. Each category meets a different consumer need. There are “sweet” gums which include our sugared products such as Juicy Fruit, Wrigley’s Spearmint and Doublemint. These products are for consumers who chew gum for the taste. For these customers, our Extra brand is the sugar-free alternative that comes in stick form and is sold in packs. After sweet gums and sugar-free gums, there are “intense” gums and “dental” gums. Intense gums are for breath freshening, and our sugar-free product for these consumers is o
