ROSEMONT, Ill. — Despite mounting regulation and new-product uncertainties, convenience stores continue to play an important role in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space and especially with tobacco products, said Larry Levin, executive vice president of Chicago-based IRI.
During the recent CSP Behind the Counter Forum on tobacco, held in August in Rosemont, Ill., Levin cited data covering the 52-week period ending in March 2019, showing how tobacco outpaces other categories and how the channel overall surpasses competitive retail formats.
Top 5 Categories for C-Store Sales
Category (annual sales)
- Cigarettes ($56.2 billion)
- Beverages/alcohol ($19.3 billion)
- Energy drinks ($9.1 billion)
- Carbonated beverages ($8.6 billion)
- Smokeless ($7.2 billion)
Highest Category Growth Rates
Category (percent change)
- Electronic smoking devices (168.8%)
- Cigars (8.6%)
- Other tobacco products (5.6%)
- Salty snacks (5.3%)
- Ready-to-drink tea, coffee (4.8%)
Top 5 Manufacturers
Company (revenue)
- Altria ($35.8 billion)
- British American Tobacco ($22.5 billion)
- PepsiCo ($11.2 billion)
- A-B InBev ($9.1 billion)
- Coca-Cola ($6.1 billion)
Customer Trip Growth
Channel (percent change)
- C-stores (6.2%)
- Dollar stores (4.6%)
- Walmart (3.3%)
- Club stores (2.1%)
- Mass merchants (-2.1%)
- Drugstores (-3.7%)
Dollar Sales Growth
Channel (percent change)
- C-stores (3.5%)
- All stores (2.0%)
Unit Growth
Channel (percent change)
- C-stores (1.6%)
- All stores (0.5%)
Source: IRI
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