Looking to the summer, retailers project a 4%-5% increase in customer traffic, the report said, which should drive increased in-store sales.
"In general, our retailers believe that low gas prices and more cars on the road bode well for customer traffic, miles driven and in-store sales this summer," Herzog said. "Gas prices have declined nationally, every day, over the past three weeks, with the current average at $2.27. ... Notably, gas prices are at their lowest in the last 10 years.
"Bottom line, we believe this bodes well for c-stores as increased foot traffic and additional dollars in consumers’ back pockets ... will likely translate to more dollars spent inside c-stores."