Convenience Store Foodservice Success: The proof is in the numbers...
In 2009, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) projected that retail-host restaurants (Convenience Stores, grocery, drug and general merchandise stores) would bring in over $31 billion in food and drink sales for 2010. In January, the NRA released their projections for 2011. This time they forecast a 4.2% growth change or a whopping $32 billion in sales.
Technomic’s assessment is favorable for C-Stores as well, reporting that the segment captured $10.4 billion in sales in 2010 and projected a nominal growth of 2% for 2011. Technomic predicts that the hand-held-entrée category, which includes sandwiches, burritos and wraps, will drive most of that growth. Another big opportunity for C-Stores is in the breakfast category. The breakfast day-part accounted for 60% of the growth for the foodservice industry overall. It’s a natural category for C-Store operators to capture more sales since many already enjoy great in-store traffic throughout the morning with their coffee and beverage program. The addition of fresh baked goods and breakfast sandwiches and wraps therefore translates into a substantial increase in sales per customer. |
