Total Industry Sales
Total c-store industry sales rose 4.6% in 2014 to hit $213.5 billion, while fuel dollar sales slipped 1.8%.
Source: NACS; preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
In-Store Sales and Gross-Profit Breakdown
Growth of in-store sales picked up in 2014, according to NACS’ same-firm sample, rising more than 4% (vs. a
2.5% growth rate in 2013). Foodservice sales leapt almost 10% in 2014 after weak growth the previous year.
| In-store category | 2014 sales* | PCYA** | 2014 gross-margin dollars* | PCYA** |
| Foodservice | $28,170 | 9.7% | $15,892 | 9.8% |
| Merchandise (including cigarettes) | $118,403 | 3.4% | $31,786 | 4.3% |
| Merchandise (less cigarettes) | $70,936 | 5.5% | $25,514 | 6.4% |
| Cigarettes | $48,479 | 0.1% | $6,562 | -2.6% |
| Total in-store sales | $146,049 | 4.6% | $47,382 | 6.2% |
* Preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
** Percent change from a year ago
Source: NACS
CONTINUED: Fuel Data
Fuel: Sales and Gross-Profıt Dollars
Gross-profıt dollars from fuel within the same-fırm sample jumped more than 22% in 2014.
| Metric | Per store per month | PCYA** |
| Sales | $477,390 | -1.8% |
| Gallons | 143,780 | 2.3% |
| Average selling price | $3.32 | -4.0% |
| Gross-profit dollars | $32,314 | 22.8% |
| Fuel pool margin CPG | 22.4 CPG | 20.1% |
| Fual margin net credit-card fees | 17.2 CPG | 28.2% |
* Percent change from a year ago
Source: NACS; preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
Source: NACS; preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
CONTINUED: Expenses & Productivity
Expenses
Direct store operating expenses rose more than 5% in 2014, with repairs and maintenance seeing the biggest percentage increase.
Direct store operating expenses
| Item | 2014 Expenses* | PCYA** |
| Wages and benefits | $23,899 | 6.7% |
| Credit-card charges | $7,189 | 2.0% |
| Utilities | $3,262 | 6.9% |
| Repairs and maintenance | $3,203 | 6.2% |
| Supplies | $1,542 | 10.4% |
| Total DSOE | $45,693 | 5.2% |
| Facility expense | $9,981 | 4.7% |
| Total DSOE and facility expense | $55,673 | 5.1% |
* Per store per month
** Percent change from a year ago
Source: NACS; preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
Wages and Benefits Breakdown
| Item | 2014 expense* | PCYA** |
| Wages | $19,278 | 6.6% |
| Payroll taxes | $1,820 | 3.5% |
| Health insurance | $1,750 | 11.7% |
| Other benefits | $1,221 | 11.1% |
| Workers’ compensation | $577 | -0.8% |
| Total | $23,899 | 6.7% |
* Per store per month
** Percent change from a year ago
Source: NACS; preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
Same-Firm Productivity*
Top-quartile operators saw lower turnover while generating significantly greater in-store sales and gross-profit dollars per labor hour in 2014.
Return on capital employed (ROCE) was more than three times greater for top-quartile retailers compared to those in the bottom quartile.
| Top quartile | Second quartile | Third quartile | Bottom quartile | |
| LABOR PRODUCTIVITY | ||||
| In-store sales per labor hour | $98.53 | $76.80 | $75.07 | $72.00 |
| In-store gross-profit dollars per labor hour | $31.91 | $26.64 | $22.12 | $20.67 |
| Labor cost per hour | $14.57 | $13.93 | $12.31 | $12.21 |
| Nonmanagers’ annual turnover | 82.3% | 88.1% | 86.7% | 102.1% |
| Managers’ annual turnover | 18.2% | 28.0% | 23.5% | 18.0% |
| FACILITY PRODUCTIVITY | ||||
| Gallons sold | 199,307 | 115,125 | 96,652 | 99,647 |
| Merchandise sales | $147,995 | $107,212 | $86,299 | $81,647 |
| Foodservice sales | $40,150 | $22,618 | $11,887 | $14,105 |
| In-store gross-margin % | 32.6% | 32.5% | 29.7% | 29.2% |
| Cigarette gross-margin % | 12.5% | 15.0% | 14.7% | 13.1% |
| Average square feet | 2,568 | 2,901 | 2,488 | 2,749 |
| In-store sales per square foot | $73.00 | $44.74 | $39.29 | $34.44 |
| CAPITAL PRODUCTIVITY | ||||
| Store operating profit | $39,605 | $18,402 | $10,425 | $5,660 |
| Store operating profit per square foot | $15.42 | $6.34 | $4.19 | $2.06 |
| Break-even CPG | 8.71 | 10.45 | 12.40 | 17.15 |
| EBITDA** | $37,565 | $17,479 | $8,687 | $6,116 |
| EBITDARL*** | $41,611 | $22,190 | $11,792 | $11,730 |
| Net profit margin (pretax/sales) | 3.6% | 2.4% | 1.4% | 0.4% |
| ROCE**** | 19.8% | 15.2% | 7.0% | 5.9% |
* Per store per month
** Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
*** Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization with rents and leases added back in
**** Return on capital employed
Source: NACS; preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS® State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data.
CONTINUED: In-Store Sales Trends
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