Gen Z preferences are influencing alcoholic beverage trends in 2024. Gen Z is gravitating toward the flavored alternative “beyond beer” category, and subsequently, hard teas and convergence brands — i.e. Monster Beast Unleashed, Arizona Hard, etc. — are seeing growth, noted Michelle Abdollah, category manager of alcoholic beverages for Extra Mile convenience stores, which operates…
New Tech, Variety Propels Pizza Demand
Pizza sales dropped a little last year, with total servings from commercial foodservice decreasing 2.8%, stated David Portalatin, senior vice president and food industry advisor at Circana. However, in convenience stores, he pointed out, serving sales increased 1.5% during that same time period. “Before the pandemic, more than half of all food deliveries would have…
Doughnuts, Cookies Offer Opportunity for Bakery
2023 was a “mixed bag” for the bakery category, with dollar sales up 6.3% and unit sales down 2.1%, stated Jack Ince, education coordinator for the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA), quoting data from the company’s Integrated Fresh Data dashboard. He attributed much of the unit sales drop to inflation. “Bakery has often been…
Flavors Appeal to Young Coffee Consumers
Coffee sales have begun to slow after years of growth, with rising sales in 2023 stemming from price increases rather than organic growth, revealed Mintel in its “2023 Coffee and RTD Coffee — US” report. The future of the category depends on positive factors, such as improved economic conditions and young consumers entering the market,…
Hispanic Foods Expand at C-Stores
Many convenience stores are finding menu success with Hispanic foods, and the trend is expected to continue to grow in 2024. Especially if Hispanic foods are a staple for a chain, offering variety and customization is key to attracting customer attention. “Everyone loves tacos,” whether they’re filled with beef, chicken or even pepperoni and cheese,…
Tenders Top Chicken Trends
While overall per capita chicken consumption was essentially flat over the last year, according to a forecast from the National Chicken Council, c-store operators are still experiencing growth in the category and expect to continue that trend. At Kwik Stop convenience stores, with 27 (soon to be 28) locations in Nebraska and Colorado, tenders are…
Vape Fights for Footing
The regulatory saga for vape and e-cigarettes just keeps rolling along, leaving convenience stores waiting to operate under clear, concise and consistent rules once and for all. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved fewer than 25 tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes and vaping devices for legal retail sales. By the end of 2023, FDA still hadn’t…
Sizing Up Smokeless
Smokeless continues to shine in the tobacco category, outpacing other segments in dollar sales growth and unit sales increases. Nearly two-thirds of the 67,000 retailers, including convenience stores, responding to the Goldman Sachs 2023 Q4 “Nicotine Nuggets” survey noticed an uptick in promotional efforts from nicotine pouch manufacturers late last year. That marketing investment plus…
Refreshing the Roller Grill
As roller grills beef up offerings with innovative flavors and trendy toppings, they have the opportunity to be an integral part of c-store foodservice programs in 2024. York, Pa.-based Rutter’s has a roller grill in every one of its 85 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia, featuring a wide array of products, said Philip…
Rolling With a Changing Environment
There is an interesting dynamic affecting the roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco segment for convenience stores. On the one hand, the smoking population continues to shrink, so the customer base that likes to roll their own cigarettes, which is already a niche group, keeps dwindling, too. At the same time, an expanding market for legalized cannabis offers…