CHICAGO — Tobacco sales rose in convenience stores by more than 2.7% in 2019 to hit $72.2 billion, but units declined 2%, according to IRI. Unit sales for cigarettes, the largest segment with $55.8 billion in sales, fell more than 4%.
The fastest-growing subcategory for another year in a row was electronic cigarettes, jumping 59.1% in units sold and up 70.9% in dollar sales vs. 2018, according to IRI. San Francisco-based Juul Labs led the growth, continuing a market domination that began in 2017, according to shipment data from Temple, Texas-based McLane Co.
Spitless tobacco was the other bright spot in the tobacco category, with unit sales growing more than 44% and dollar sales up more than 49%, according to IRI.
Nielsen data showed a 5.1% decline in cigarette volume in 2019 vs. 2018, with an increase in vapor volume of 48.2%. The overall tobacco category in 2019, excluding tobacco alternatives such as e-cigarettes, took in $60 billion in sales, down 1.2%. E-cigarettes brought in $4.6 billion last year, up 46.1%, according to Nielsen.
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2019
| Category | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes | $55,763.3 | (1.0%) | 7,694.4 | (4.3%) |
| Chewing tobacco/snuff | $7,128.7 | 3.9% | 1,297.3 | (1.6%) |
| Spitless tobacco | $627.7 | 49.4% | 120.4 | 44.0% |
| Total smokeless tobacco | $7,756.4 | 6.5% | 1,417.7 | 1.1% |
| Cigars | $3,472.4 | (0.2%) | 2,311.5 | (1.3%) |
| Electronic smoking devices | $4,831.5 | 70.9% | 335.6 | 59.1% |
| Lighters | $592.2 | (5.0%) | 346.7 | (7.6%) |
| Smoking accessories | $281.3 | (0.3%) | 154.9 | (2.0%) |
| Pipe tobacco | $78.9 | (1.5%) | 10.1 | (1.3%) |
| Roll-you-own tobacco | $42.0 | (6.0%) | 5.8 | (10.7%) |
| Total all other tobacco products | $120.9 | (3.1%) | 15.9 | (4.9%) |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Click here to review complete category sales data.
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