In brief
Pringles wanted to reach a channel it was not serving in Mexico: traditional trade, the independent mom-and-pop stores outside the supermarket chains.
The product answer was Pringles Snack Stack, a smaller, lower-priced pack. But a new pack does not open a channel. A route to market does.
Pilot Lite built that route: importation, repacking, storage, logistics, distributors, in-market activation and local co-manufacturing.
The launch put Pringles on shelf in around 2,000 traditional trade outlets within six months and proved the channel could work for the brand.
The result is a repeatable model for emerging markets: adapt the product, then build the operating model around the channel.
The channel most global brands underserve
How do you get a global snack brand into thousands of small shops across Mexico?
Not the way you get it into a supermarket. Mexico's traditional trade runs on independent mom-and-pop stores: small footprints, cash purchases, low price points and fragmented distribution. The playbook built for major retail chains does not transfer.
Pringles saw the opportunity. Its existing range was priced and packed for modern retail. Reaching the shoppers in these stores meant rethinking both the product and the way it reached the shelf.
Why a new pack was not enough
The product answer was clear: Pringles Snack Stack, a smaller, lower-priced pack that put the brand within reach of a new shopper.
This is where most emerging market launches go wrong. The pack gets designed, approved and produced. Then it sits. No importer set up for the format. No repacking capacity. No distributor with a reason to push it. No one in market making sure it lands in the right stores.
A format innovation without a route to market is a product in a warehouse. The pack is the easy part. The operating model is the work.
What Pilot Lite built
Pilot Lite took ownership of the route to market end to end, following its Explore, Build, Deploy framework.
Explore. Developed and test-launched the go-to-market strategy for traditional trade, validating the format and channel before scaling.
Build. Managed importation and repacking, arranged storage and local logistics, and negotiated and contracted a local co-manufacturing arrangement in a complex market.
Deploy. Coordinated distributors, ran in-market activation and local account management, and supported fulfilment so product reached the stores and kept moving.
Every link in the chain had an owner. That is what turned a new pack into a working business.
The result: a new channel, proven in market
The launch did what the brand set out to do. It put Pringles in front of a shopper, and inside a channel, it had not reached before. Within six months, Snack Stack was on shelf in around 2,000 traditional trade outlets, enough to prove the channel worked and the model could scale.
The bigger outcome was the model itself. The project proved that packaging-led channel innovation, backed by a purpose-built operating model, can open new routes to growth in emerging markets. It can be repeated in any market where traditional trade carries the volume.
What CPG leaders should take from it
Growth in emerging markets is a route-to-market problem first. The shopper is there. The demand is there. The missing piece is usually the chain that connects them.
Design the pack and the operating model together. If importation, repacking and distribution are planned after the pack is approved, the launch is already late.
Test in market, then scale. A focused launch shows quickly whether a format works in a channel, before full investment is committed.
Make the model repeatable. A single market win matters. A playbook that travels to the next market matters more.
Traditional trade is not a niche. In many emerging markets it is the market. Brands that build for it will own the next wave of growth.
About Pilot Lite
Pilot Lite is a global CPG growth execution firm headquartered in London. Over 17 years it has launched more than 220 ventures across 30 markets for brands including PepsiCo, Unilever, Diageo, Danone and Coca-Cola. Its Explore, Build, Deploy framework takes innovation From Stuck to Shelf to Scale.
Frequently asked questions
What is traditional trade in Mexico? Traditional trade refers to small, independent mom-and-pop stores, as opposed to supermarkets and modern retail chains. Reaching them needs different pack sizes, price points and distribution.
What is Pringles Snack Stack? A smaller, lower-priced Pringles format created to make the brand more accessible to shoppers in Mexico's traditional trade.
Why does traditional trade matter for global snack brands in Mexico? It reaches shoppers that supermarkets do not. Mom-and-pop stores serve everyday, lower-ticket purchases close to home, so a brand sold only through modern retail is missing a large part of the market.
What did Pilot Lite do for Pringles in Mexico? Pilot Lite developed and test-launched the go-to-market strategy, managed importation and repacking, arranged storage and logistics, coordinated distributors, ran in-market activation and contracted local co-manufacturing.
Can this model work in other markets? Yes. The project created a repeatable model for emerging markets where traditional trade carries much of the volume: adapt the product, then build the operating model around it.