CHICAGO — Packaged beverages was the next biggest in-store category, with sales of $26,413 per store per month, up 4.4% from 2017, according to CSX and Nielsen. Carbonated soft drinks were the top subcategory in 2018 sales at $7,171 per store per month, followed by energy drinks at $6,993.
While the energy space is getting crowded, suppliers are innovating, said summit speaker Charlie McIlvaine, chairman and CEO of Coen Oil Co. He pointed to new products such as craft-brewed and organic energy drinks, cannabidiol (CBD)-infused beverages and even matcha and green tea-based options.
Packaged beverages also garnered the highest gross-profit dollar average among the in-store categories at $11,614 per store per month, up 4.9% from the year prior.
Packaged Beverages Sales by Subcategory
Monthly sales of packaged beverages rose 4.4% in 2018 to reach $26,413 per store, according to NACS.
Source: NACS preliminary data. Final data to appear in the NACS State of the Industry Report of 2018 Data.
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