Energy Bar Overview The energy bar market grew from a grassroots effort focused on the professional athlete consumer base. These athletes typically obtained products at competitive events aimed at the everyday consumer. The creation of this market is credited to PowerBar, but there has been significant contribution from others. PowerBar and the market PowerBar began as a company trying to create a performance-enhancing food that marathon runners could consume during an energy-draining race. Initially, the product was marketed and distributed at bicycle shops and events where running and cycling were the means of competition. As this new category began to expand, new competitors began to enter the market. These new players have started to segment the food bar market into different categories. The main consumers of the food bars market can be divided into three main segments: energy bars, sports bars and slimming bars. In the United States, the food bar market is dominated by several companies: PowerBar, Balance Bar, Luna, MetRx, and Cliff Bar. Each of these is representative of one of the three main segments of the food bar market. In terms of similarities, the food bar industry as a whole seems to be targeting demographics rather than target segment. Marketers are focusing more of their money on packaging their products to appeal to women. This can be seen by the focus on flavors such as Chocolate Covered Strawberry (Xenadrine Bar by Cytodyne), Almond Bliss (Nature's Plus Special Yours Bar) and Chai Tea (Luna Bar by Clif Bar). While some companies in the food bar industry are more of a women's focus, they are able to differentiate based on the type of women they market to based on the segment each company focuses on (e.g. sports, energy, and weight loss). Women in each category have specific needs that must be met. For example, an energy bar might appeal to a woman who is a busy executive on the go and has little time to stop and eat. While a woman worried about maintaining her shape would be at the center of slimming bars. PowerBar and its competitors' market visionPowerBar looked at the market from an energy perspective by creating a bar focused primarily on men. However, this limited vision allowed them to miss the concept of creating female-centric bars. Their close competitor, Clif Bar, has built a solid brand.