The 2027 Lineup
Mars is rolling into the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas — October 7–9, booth #N2605 — with seven confirmed 2027 innovations spanning candy, salty snacks, and what the company is calling functional formats. The reveal positions Mars Snacking North America squarely in the channel's highest-velocity inside-sales categories: packaged candy and salty snacks, which NACS data consistently ranks among the top five c-store in-store revenue drivers.
The headline item for operators tracking the better-for-you shift is Cheez-It Protein, reformulated to deliver 7 grams of protein per serving while keeping the sharp cheddar flavor profile intact. It addresses the same consumer demand pulling c-store operators toward protein bars and functional beverages — without moving buyers out of the snack aisle. On the salty side, Pringles Buffalo Wild Wings extends the crisp brand into a licensed sports-bar flavor territory, offering three sauce varieties: Parmesan Garlic, Medium Buffalo, and Asian Zing. For convenience retailers, licensed flavor collabs have historically performed well as limited-engagement impulse drivers near the checkout and dispensed-beverage fixture.
Candy and Confection Bets
The confection slate leans hard on texture and flavor mashups. SKITTLES Crystals pairs soft gummies with tangy edible crystals in Original and Tropical Splash varieties — a format designed to widen the brand's footprint beyond its standard roll. M&M'S Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll and TWIX Frosted Cookie each target the comfort-flavor trend that has driven limited-edition c-store confection turns over the past two cycles. SNICKERS Almond Xtreme ups the nut load for incremental differentiation within the already-dominant chocolate bar set. Rounding out the list, COMBOS Honey Sriracha bets on the still-active sweet-heat trend in a baked pretzel shell format — a format that over-indexes in c-store salty-snack sets given its ambient shelf life and single-serve portability.
"Our 2027 lineup is built to capture cultural trends and help our retail partners maximize conversion opportunities storewide," said Tim LeBel, Chief Customer Officer, Mars Snacking North America.
What Operators Should Watch
Beyond the seven hero SKUs, Mars will also be sampling from a broader portfolio at a second booth (#N2904), including Nature's Bakery, KIND, RXBAR, Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, and Nutri-Grain — brands that fit the better-for-you snacking segment gaining ground in c-store planograms as operators look to broaden basket size and compete with grocery on snack variety.
For single-store operators and regional chains alike, the practical question is planogram prioritization. Protein-plus crackers and licensed flavor extensions tend to require dedicated facing commitments to hit sales velocity thresholds. Mars' presence across two booths at NACS signals the company is pitching a comprehensive salty-and-sweet reset conversation, not just incremental line fills, ahead of 2027 reset season.
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.
