CStore Decisions February 2021 Digital Edition is sponsored by ADD Systems.
Foodservice sales are expected to rebound in 2021, especially for c-stores keeping pace with current trends — from comfort food to international and healthy fare — as well as new technology.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, it has steered the course of consumer trends with a heavy hand, advancing the adoption of technology while simultaneously altering food and beverage preferences and demands. Even as convenience store retailers rushed to adapt, food sales suffered at many c-stores.
Convenience foodservice sales overall declined an estimated 8.6% in 2020, with prepared foods down 13%, according to Chicago-based research consulting fi rm Foodservice IP’s “2020 C-Store Foodservice Report Reflecting COVID-19 Impact.”
But 2021 holds the promise of a major rebound. Foodservice IP predicted c-store foodservice will return to historical growth levels in the latter part of the year, and many retailers share the same optimism.