Kitchen storage has held steady in dollar sales and even gained about 4% in unit sales at food retailers over the past year, indicating promotional efforts in this category. A similar pattern is seen in the overall market, which is led by mass merchants with about 62% of dollar sales (supermarkets have about 35%). Drug store share of this category continues to decline sharply as sales and units dropped 24% and 26%, respectively, over the past 12 months ending in mid-June. Small subcategories within this category showed healthy dollar sales gains, with ice cube trays and ice buckets jumping 12% and sink sets and cutlery trays rising 5%.
Innovations in storage containers, such as airtight twist caps and interlocking lids, are driving sales in this category. Compared to plastic storage bags, containers that can be reused are more expensive, but consumers may make the investment because of the reusability of the containers. Moreover, environmental considerations are prompting a growing number of consumers to invest in reusable containers. More eating-at-home is also helping to drive sales in kitchen storage.