Traditionally, unit sales within the health and beauty aid (HBA) category, which covers a variety of products from toothpaste to pain relief, from contraceptives to cosmetics, pale in comparison with alcohol, beverages, tobacco or snacks, but COVID-19 lifted those statistics for certain elements. As the reality of the global pandemic set in, people became much…
Cigar Sales Surge
Longtime residents on the tobacco back bar, premium and domestic cigars, along with flavored cigarillos, have always fared well for convenience stores. But no one could have predicted just how much this other tobacco product (OTP) segment would prosper under COVID-19 restrictions. For nearly two years, cigars have produced notable profits, and it’s a trend…
What Are the Most Popular Frozen Dispensed Milkshake Flavors?
Milkshakes consist of milk and ice cream. That basic recipe makes shakes an easy choice to include in a convenience store’s frozen dispensed beverage (FDB) menu because they’re not complicated with a plethora of ingredients that require a lot of staff intervention. However, the number of flavor possibilities is only limited by the selection of…
Should I Sell Frozen Dispensed Milkshakes at My C-Store?
In 1885, long before homes boasted freezers or blenders and several decades before the advent of frozen dispensed beverage (FDB) machines, someone had the idea that an eggnog-like drink would mix well with whiskey. And for whatever reason, that person named the concoction a “milkshake,” resembling nothing like what constitutes today’s commonly held definition of…
FDA Reshapes Vape Category
On Aug. 26, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lowered the hammer on approximately 35,000 flavored e-cigarette items by issuing marketing denial orders (MDOs). The ruling prohibits interstate commerce for these products, resulting in convenience stores, vape shops and tobacco retailers immediately pulling them from store shelves. One week later, the FDA released approximately 300,000…
What Are the Biggest Frozen Dispensed Equipment Considerations?
When potential profit margins for frozen dispensed beverages (FDBs) exceed 20% on top of what fountain drinks produce, it’s no wonder more than 80% of convenience stores worldwide have installed equipment to pour out slushies, shakes and blended iced coffees. A favorable return on investment, however, depends on taking all equipment choices and decisions into…
What’s the Best Equipment for Frozen Dispensed Beverages at C-Stores?
From slushies to smoothies and shakes to blended iced coffees, there’s a favorite frozen dispensed beverage (FDB) for everyone. But not everyone wants to deal with the hassle and mess of making them at home. That’s where convenience stores have an advantage. Customers pop in to indulge without ever breaking out a blender. However, c-stores…
How Big Should My C-Store’s Frozen Dispensed Beverage Section Be?
Be it summer or winter, people like to indulge in frozen blended drinks all year long. Indeed, research reveals that, prior to the pandemic, nearly one-third of consumers surveyed said they were buying more slushies, shakes and blended iced coffees than in previous years. That’s very encouraging data for convenience stores, especially considering additional research…
Smokeless Stands Firm
There’s a new type of tobacco customer shopping at convenience stores — one who is more willing to cross over between product families. For example, category managers report smokeless tobacco users now like to mix in oral nicotine products, especially pouches. “The growth in oral tobacco-derived nicotine appears to be coming from multiple categories, which…
What are Peak Traffic Periods at C-Stores for Adult Beverage Sales?
Happy hour has always rolled around at the end of the work day, ranging from 4 p.m. to early evening. It’s when bars and pubs catch people as they transition from professional to personal time. The question is, are these the happiest hours for convenience stores to sell adult beverages, too? Each state, and in…