Candy, gum and mints are experiencing upswings in sales at convenience stores after two years of pandemic challenges. Candy, gum and mint sales at convenience stores rose 13.2% to close to $6.4 billion over the past year, according to NielsenIQ Total U.S. Convenience data for the latest 52 weeks ending Feb. 26, 2022. Chocolate sales…

Technology is playing a larger role in convenience store foodservice today with online and app-based menus, order-ahead capabilities and delivery continuing to accelerate. Largely due to COVID-19, the entire limited-service segment is increasingly moving towards order-ahead technology, stated Mike Kostyo, trendologist with Datassential research firm. According to Datassential’s 2021 “C-Store Foodservice Keynote Report,” 41% of…

The latest pandemic surge may have faded, but many of the habits Americans developed over the past two years remain, including how they snack. Not only are customers snacking more, but they show an increased desire for larger packs of jerky and more individually packaged snack items.  Meat snacks fit well within the way consumers want…

The Kent Cos., based in Midland, Texas, is aggressively growing through acquisitions and new-to-industry stores, venturing out from its home base in the Southwest to expand in Tennessee and the Carolinas. It’s also moving into new industries, including the urgent care business, as it targets $1 billion in revenue. Today, The Kent Cos. operates 72…

More convenience store operators are prioritizing measures to lower energy costs. One of the first steps for many retailers is to evaluate the energy savings they could obtain by switching to LED lighting. LEDs are much more energy efficient than incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. Efficiencies will vary between models, but on average only about 10%…

I recently attended a panel discussion on allyship: what it is (relationships based on trust, consistency and accountability) and how it shows up in the workplace. The hosts and panelists openly shared their experiences with racism and allyship — their vulnerability caused me to reflect on my own DEI journey. I think the best definition…

The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a two-year spike in the already growing demand for portable, deliverable food. As local lockdowns occurred across the U.S. (and globally), national and multinational convenience store chains developed systems and approaches to provide safe, portable food to customers regardless of the pandemic’s status. A major component of this adjustment was packaging. Foodservice…

Technology is changing the way retailers address labor management, from application tracking to shift scheduling. As labor issues intensify across the industry, more retailers are turning to technology to offer efficiencies. “Though many tech offerings have existed to assist retailers with labor management, they’ve certainly become more apparent and necessary to me over the past…

Loyal moist tobacco dippers overwhelmingly command the smokeless segment, but consumers are eagerly trying non-tobacco spitless pouches, which are driving sales with impressive double-digit growth as retailers consider expanding their offerings. While moist smokeless tobacco (MST) like loose snuff and pouches dominate in convenience stores with more than 80% of the segment, according to data…

Restroom cleanliness and sanitation have long been key components of growing c-store sales, but the COVID-19 pandemic made these aspects of operations more important than ever before. The mission for c-store retailers now when it comes to their restrooms is to continue to create positive impressions in consumers’ minds — something many are doing via…