Flipz, the No. 1 chocolate-covered pretzel brand under pladis Americas, is teaming with Dunkin' on a limited-time Pumpkin Spice Donut-Flavored Covered Pretzel, available now through October at select retailers nationwide. The SKU takes direct cues from Dunkin's Pumpkin Cake Donut, layering pumpkin and warm-spice notes over Flipz's signature sweet-and-salty pretzel base.
The launch lands at CVS, Kroger, Albertsons, Dollar General, Wakefern, Stop & Shop, and Five Below — a retail footprint that skews toward channels where c-store operators face consistent snack-aisle competition. For convenience retailers, the collab underscores the growing pull of QSR-branded snack extensions as an impulse category, particularly during the fall pumpkin-spice window when shopper intent around seasonal treats peaks.
The Retail Angle
The Dunkin' brand tie-in carries meaningful shelf-pull for convenience operators stocking the snack bay. Dunkin' operates more than 14,200 locations across nearly 40 global markets, and its pumpkin seasonal program has a loyal following that historically drives traffic surges in late August and September. Licensing that equity into a packaged snack puts a recognizable QSR flavor story into the grab-and-go set — exactly the kind of cross-category storytelling that drives impulse conversion at the forecourt and front-end.
"Pumpkin spice has evolved from a seasonal trend to a cultural phenomenon," said Shivani Arora, Marketing Director at pladis Americas. "By partnering with Dunkin', we're bringing together two fan-favorite brands to give consumers a new way to enjoy one of fall's most celebratory flavors."
Brian Gilbert, Vice President of Retail Business Development at Inspire Brands, added that Dunkin' fans anticipate pumpkin season annually, framing the collab as a way to extend that enthusiasm into the snack aisle.
C-Store Merchandising Fit
For single-store operators and regional chains alike, the SKU presents a practical cross-merchandise opportunity. Placing Flipz Pumpkin Spice Donut-Flavored Covered Pretzels near dispensed beverage stations or coffee bars — particularly where operators carry Dunkin'-branded or pumpkin-spice coffee programs — could reinforce a seasonal flavor story that shoppers are already primed to seek out. The sweet-salty snack format also fits naturally in the impulse zone near the point-of-sale, a high-velocity placement for limited-time novelty items.
Pladis, parent of Flipz and brands including McVitie's and GODIVA, has been leaning into co-branded LTOs as a growth vehicle in North America. The Dunkin' partnership follows Flipz's earlier donut-flavored line extensions, including a Blueberry Donut variety, suggesting the brand is deliberately building a donut-flavor platform rather than executing one-off seasonal plays. That continuity matters to buyers at the chain and category-management level who need to justify shelf space beyond a single selling season. Operators weighing the seasonal snack set should note the confirmed retail distribution at Dollar General, a channel that competes directly with c-stores on grab-and-go packaged snacks.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
