Summer came early for much of the nation this year when heat domes settled over cities from the Pacific Northwest to the Eastern Seaboard as early as May and stuck around for most of the season. For convenience stores, hot temperatures typically translate into increased sales of cold beverages — packaged from the cold vault…

The vape category continues to cope with regulatory shifts, including ongoing premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) uncertainty. While some retailers are bullish on the category, recent data from Circana highlights challenges for the segment. Between April 23, 2022, and April 23, 2023, electronic smoking devices — including e-cigarettes, vape kits and mods, for example —…

There are many ways to assess the state of the cigarette category within the convenience store industry. On one hand, there’s no denying the customer base continues to tighten. In late April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its latest findings of smoking rates and concluded that only 11% of adults currently…

On the heels of Californians voting to enforce a statewide ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including menthol, legislators introduced a bill that aimed to eventually outlaw tobacco sales. Assembly Bill (AB) 935 looked to prohibit anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from buying tobacco products in the Golden State. The California Association of…

Convenience stores and gas stations have traditionally welcomed the public to use their restrooms, with the hope people will purchase snacks, beverages, tobacco and other products as well as fill their tanks on their way out. That goal still rings true; however, new c-store designs oftentimes turn bathrooms into must-see sights. For example, the Buc-ee’s…

The average American tobacco/nicotine user no longer presents a one-dimensional profile, sticking to a single type of product. Now there are dual- and poly-usage customers who combine cigarettes with modern oral nicotine products. Plus, there are tobacco/nicotine users who have entered the cannabis market. These changes have significantly altered, and broadened, the demographic for accessories.…

While the vape segment still faces a vexing regulatory environment, sales are delivering for c-stores. By September 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claimed to have received 8.9 million pre-market tobacco applications (PMTAs), mostly for e-cigarettes, vape products and e-liquids. Although the agency has decided on 96% of the submissions, an estimated 329,000 remain…

Cocktail trends come and go: Cosmos, old fashions, sangria and even gin fizzes have all had their time in the spotlight. But these concoctions typically dominated the bar and restaurant scenes. While convenience stores have always supplied the liquor, the bartending was done elsewhere. Rather, beer sales historically outperformed other alcohol categories in c-stores. Now,…

Legalized cannabis, herbal options and increasing cigarette costs could work in favor of the roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco category in 2023. The RYO segment has always been a small player in the overall tobacco category. The $35.8 million generated by RYO tobacco sales in 2022 is a pittance of the nearly $55 billion attributed to cigarette…

From mental health to physical well-being, consumers show greater interest in over-the-counter health options. COVID-19 dramatically changed the health and beauty aids (HBA) category at c-stores.  Three years later, the need for pandemic-related products has eased. Instead, seasonal illnesses push demand. From late fall into early 2023, Americans struggled with the triple-demic: new COVID variants,…