Pandemic Pizza Boom Has Brands Competing For Larger Slices Of The Pie

Panera Bread is adding flatbread pizza to its menu, diving into a competitive space as pizza sellers from restaurants to frozen brands have seen sales soar during the pandemic …

At-home competition rises

Meanwhile, frozen pizza has also been a go-to item during COVID-19. Dollar sales across the category jumped 18.1% to $5.94 billion in the 52 weeks ended Oct. 4, according to data from Chicago-based IRI. Nestlé, the top marketer in the category led by brands such as DiGiorno—which has been promoting a pizza with a croissant-style crust—controls more than 39% of the market …

Even brands that have long held their spots in the pizza industry are stepping up their game. Hormel introduced pepperoni that cups and crisps more like pepperoni on a pizzeria’s specialty pie. Cup N’ Crisp, which curls as it cooks, was announced in March, just before people began spending more time at home. In October, Hormel held a Zoom cooking class for bloggers, chefs and others who prepared their own pizzas at home, using the product as pandemic cooking boredom set in.