Single-store owners can find success by connecting with those consumers who make
c-store visits part of their routine
-- Associated Grocers of New England here has tapped Stephen Nason as its convenience store business counselor, as the retailer-owned distributor continues to expand its
c-store program.
The second-most popular packaged beverage purchase behind soda among
c-store shoppers, though, doesn't contain sugar and isn't a caffeinated afternoon pick-me-up.
It's worth noting, however, that as the Marsh family struggled and ultimately failed to hold together their enterprise, the Village Pantry
c-store division is performing better than ever.
When searching for a profitable investment to fill the vacant storefront next to his gas station and
c-store, Patel, his family members and employees brainstormed ideas.
The survey asked these
c-store shoppers how often they shop, why they shop, when they shop, what they purchase and how much they spend.
C-store operators have to keep the customer coming back for more, and as they said in "Field of Dreams," if you build it, they will come.
The consumer most likely to buy prepared food at a
c-store is male; between the ages of 25 and 34; makes his home in the Northeast; earns an annual income of $35,000 to $49,999; and has children.
Just over 50 percent of the participants in this year's Realities of the Aisle study - 50.7 percent, to be exact - said they purchased prepared food at a
c-store in the past month, vs.
C-store operators also paid more in labor costs last year, specifically about 5 percent more or an additional $11,515 per store.
Twelve percent of male consumers polled said they shop at a
c-store "almost every day" and 23 percent said they shop at a
c-store "two or three times a week." In comparison, only 7 percent of women said they shop at a
c-store almost daily and 11 percent pegged their
c-store shopping frequency at two or three times a week.