Energy Bar Industry

The energy bar industry begun with a single creation in 1986 by PowerBar as a means to provide athletes with energy food. This was located in Berkeley, California. Initially, before any form of competition, it was distributed at bike shops and covered major events of running and biking. This saw the rise in demand of the energy bar and the rise in competition in this young industry. The growth of energy bar industry has been quick with its rise to $100 million to over $2 billion by 1996 which is only a decade. In fact, market analysis showed that the industry had an expected growth of 10 percent per year. With the rise of many firms offering the energy bar, different flavors were introduced to meet the needs of various customers. Market research conducted by PowerBar enabled finding various unsatisfied needs which led it to producing better brands than those it originally produced even though it kept its formula of ingredients (40/30/30). The industry has considered through the energy bar to address health including focusing on nutrition needs of the customers rather than just providing energy bars. The rise in various flavors which meets the needs of the customers has made the industry to be highly responsive to changes in customer’s tastes and preferences while various promotional methods have been adopted for the sole purpose of attaining competitive advantages, product positioning and customer loyalty in the industry. The level of competition has continued to grow everyday as customers’ demands are analyzed, market segments unsatisfied selected, the market information critically researched and analyzed and most importantly the ability of the market base continual growth.