PepsiCo's Lay's is executing a three-wave retail launch of five limited-edition flavors under its Holi-LAY'S platform, beginning October 25 and running through December 1, 2026 — a staggered shelf strategy designed to sustain snack-aisle velocity across the full holiday shopping window.

The SKUs and Shelf Dates

The first two SKUs — Cheddar Scalloped-Style Potatoes and Roasted Holiday Turkey — reach nationwide distribution on October 25. Maple Bacon, making its U.S. market debut, follows on November 8. The final two entries, Wavy Milk Chocolate and Wavy Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate covered chips, arrive at select retailers on December 1, with broader distribution planned for 2027. The chocolate-dipped Wavy formats represent a category extension beyond traditional flavored chips, moving into the confection-adjacent sweet-and-salty segment that has gained shelf space across snack aisles in recent years.

Consumer Data Driving the Push

The launch is underpinned by proprietary survey data PepsiCo commissioned through research firm RepData. Of 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults surveyed between August 12 and 26, 2026, 78% said they consider food a great holiday gift, and 55% said they prefer food gifts over clothing or candles. That figure gives PepsiCo Foods a commercial rationale to position the Holi-LAY'S lineup explicitly as gifting inventory — not merely impulse snack product — during the November-December retail peak.

"The holidays are all about gathering around the table with friends and family, and food plays an important role in those celebrations," said Denise Truelove, Senior Vice President of Marketing at PepsiCo Foods. "With this year's Holi-LAY'S lineup, we're bringing fans flavors inspired by courses on the holiday table."

Retail and Promotional Context

The limited-time flavor strategy is a proven volume lever for large salty-snack brands. Seasonal and LTO SKUs generate incremental display placement and drive trial among lapsed buyers, a pattern well-documented across convenience and grocery channels. The Maple Bacon U.S. debut is notable: flavor-market testing outside the domestic market before a stateside rollout is a common PepsiCo Foods approach for gauging consumer appetite with lower inventory risk.

To extend shopper engagement beyond the initial purchase, Lay's is running a sweepstakes beginning October 26 at HappyHoli-Lays.com, accessible via QR codes on qualifying bags. Prizes include branded merchandise and a Lay's x Le Creuset Signature Oval Casserole, a co-branded item that reinforces the gifting angle and adds aspirational value to the program. Co-branded cookware tie-ins have become a recurring tactic among major snack and beverage brands seeking to elevate seasonal activations beyond standard price promotions.

The Holi-LAY'S platform is also relevant for foodservice and hospitality operators sourcing seasonal snack items for catering, hotel amenity packages, and event gifting — segments where branded LTO product carries storytelling value that commodity snack SKUs do not. The December 1 chocolate-covered chip launch, with its Dubai-style dark chocolate and pistachio variant, tracks directly to the viral Dubai chocolate trend that drove significant incremental sales in the confectionery segment throughout 2025 and into 2026.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.