LAS VEGAS — The confectionery and snack industries are gearing up for one of their most important annual gatherings as the Sweets & Snacks Expo returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center May 19–21, bringing together retailers, suppliers and brand leaders to shape what’s next in two of retail’s most resilient categories, including the convenience channel, which continues to lean heavily on snacks to drive traffic and margins.
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Hosted by the National Confectioners Association, the Expo is widely regarded as the premier business-to-business forum for candy and snack innovation, merchandising, and category strategy. The show draws thousands of industry professionals and features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing new products, packaging, and retail solutions.
The Expo serves as both a trend incubator and a commercial marketplace, with a growing focus on formats and innovations that resonate in convenience stores. As c-stores evolve beyond fuel and tobacco, snacks and confectionery are increasingly central to the in-store experience, particularly as operators expand foodservice, invest in higher-quality assortments, and seek to drive incremental basket size through impulse purchases.
Explore the Sweets & Snacks Expo
A central focus is product innovation. The show floor will feature a large-scale product showcase spanning confectionery, salty snacks, and emerging segments such as better-for-you, functional, and premium offerings. For convenience retailers, these segments are especially relevant as shoppers seek permissible indulgence, protein-forward snacks, and on-the-go options that align with changing lifestyles. Smaller pack sizes, resealable packaging, and grab-and-go formats are expected to be prominent across exhibits.
Dedicated areas such as the Specialty Market and Startup Street showcase premium, “free-from” and early-stage brands, many of which are targeting convenience distribution as a first point of entry. This reflects a broader shift, with c-stores increasingly serving as a testing ground for innovation because of their high traffic, rapid product turnover and ability to capture impulse demand.
Education and insights are also key components. More than 40 sessions are expected to cover consumer behavior, merchandising strategies, and category growth opportunities. For convenience operators, the focus will likely center on optimizing limited shelf space, using data to refine assortments, and aligning snack offerings with daypart-driven missions, from morning commuters to late-night shoppers.
For retailers, the value proposition is clear: discovery and differentiation. The Expo provides early access to new product launches and packaging innovations, giving convenience buyers a competitive edge in a channel where snacks and candy remain the highest-margin and most frequently purchased categories.
The event also serves as a major networking hub, connecting manufacturers, brokers and retail decision-makers across channels. Pre-show programming, including a Supplier Showcase on May 18–19, offers an additional forum to explore ingredients, equipment and services before the main exhibit floor opens.
As the snack and confectionery categories evolve, driven by shifting consumer preferences, premiumization, and innovation in flavors and formats, the Sweets & Snacks Expo is expected to play an outsized role in shaping convenience store assortments and reinforcing the channel’s pivot toward food, immediacy, and a more experience-driven retail model.
Explore the Sweets & Snacks Expo
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