Retailers keep asking for "healthier junk food alternatives" for the snack aisle, usually after a customer complains there's nothing but chips and chocolate near the counter. The fix isn't a health-food section — it's a few swaps stocked next to what's already selling.
Dates are the easiest one to add. They sit at room temperature, don't need refrigeration, and a 250g pack next to the chocolate bars covers the same impulse-buy sweet tooth. Safawi and Ajwa move fastest as counter items because the size is right for a single serving.
Dried fruit and nut mixes work the same way for the chips shelf — sold in small resealable pouches, they compete on convenience, not price. A few other lines worth stocking near existing junk food: plain popcorn (single-serve bags, not the flavoured tubs), roasted chickpeas, and small tubs of mixed nuts.
None of this needs a separate display or new signage. Put it on the same shelf, at eye level, next to what customers already reach for. The swap happens at the point of choice, not before it.
If you're sourcing stock, our supplier checklist for kurma distributors covers what to check before signing with a supplier, and our notes on Medjool pricing are useful for setting a counter price that still leaves margin.