Now that cigar supply chain issues have begun to find steadier ground since the early days of the pandemic, c-store tobacco category managers wonder if more inventory reliability will stoke sales. IRI convenience store data shows cigar dollar sales grew moderately, at 3.3% for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2021. However, year-ago changes in…
Are Cigarettes Back to Normal?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears intent on moving ahead with revoking market authorization for menthol cigarettes. Next month, the agency is expected to release a proposed rule on the tobacco product standard to eliminate menthol cigarettes from convenience stores and other tobacco retailers. “(The National Association of Convenience Stores) is on record opposing…
OTPs Still on Top
Retailers, economists and parents worried the clogged supply chain would depress the holiday spirit by limiting inventories last year, but other tobacco products (OTP) category sales remained strong through the end of 2021. And as convenience store tobacco/nicotine category managers will attest, supply issues have existed since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cigar…
SNAP Decisions
When the novel coronavirus hit in spring 2020, record numbers of people signed up for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In 2018, 39.7 million Americans were enrolled, and by 2021, that jumped to 42 million. Because convenience stores account for 45% of the approximate 248,000 SNAP-qualified retailers, these developments equated to more electronic…
Tobacco Braces for 2022
Although 2021 may not have felt “normal” as COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc, key market indicators suggest the tobacco category settled back into more predictive patterns for convenience stores. C-store retailers are looking to tobacco’s Q4 performance and the regulatory landscape for clues on what to expect for tobacco in 2022. Cigarettes Whereas 2020 cigarette…
Should C-Stores Carry Makeup Products in Their HBA Section?
When over-the-counter medications and pain relievers sell more than eyeshadows and face creams, why should convenience store owners and operators incorporate makeup, skincare, and nail polishes into the limited space allocated for health and beauty aids (HBA)? While each business must make that determination, an overview of industry research might provide a convincing argument in…
How Can C-Stores Grow HBA Sales?
The health and beauty aids (HBA) category in convenience stores doesn’t fit neatly into traditional marketing and promotional packages like other c-store staples, despite heavy manufacturer advertising in print, on television and through social medial channels. It’s not like a loyalty program offering “buy 10 lip balms, get one free” will drive foot traffic. Sure,…
Why Is the Health & Beauty Category Important to C-Stores?
The health and beauty category is one of the most diverse groupings of products on convenience store shelves today. Other categories have some common denominator. Snacks have themes like salty, crunchy or sweet. Tobacco products contain some form of nicotine. But items that fall under the umbrella of health and beauty aids (HBA) range from…
The Vape Waiting Game Continues
All but one of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions on millions of premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs) for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and e-liquids thus far have resulted in marketing denial orders (MDOs). “The number of denial orders was anticipated back in 2014 when Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) and other…
What Trends Are Ahead for HBA in 2022?
For two years, COVID-19 dictated much of the direction for the health and beauty aids (HBA) category in the convenience store channel. Hygiene products dominated, with soap beating out all other product lines by a very healthy margin — cashing in nearly $2.8 million more in sales for 2020 than second place skin care, per…