![]() In an effort to boost beverage sales, c-stores are doing a number of inventive things to reinvigorate the market, including introducing mixology, creating loyalty sip and save programs, partnering with brands to create store-specific beverages and using social media to promote this category. Rapanick, who moderated Monday’s education session, “Gulp! Reinvigorating Dispensed Beverages,” said things in this market segment are in the beginning stages of recovery mainly because of increased prices (partly due to inflation) but still lag in unit sales. There were mandates that prevented running dispensed beverages. ![]() “I’m not going to say the C-O-V-I-D word … but obviously business fell off in 2020. “Things have happened that have made things a little bumpy,” said Chris Rapanick, NACS director of business development. TEMPE, Ariz.-Circle K is trialing a beverage subscription program that allows U.S.LAS VEGAS-Historically, c-stores have excelled in the dispensed beverage category, so why are they struggling to recapture the market share they had in 2019? customers to pay $5.99 a month and receive one Froster slushy, tea, coffee or Polar Pop fountain drink of their choosing every day.Īccording to CNBC, the chain’s “Sip & Save” program aims to build loyalty and bring people back into stores on a regular basis. Last year was a challenging one for the foodservice category in convenience stores, especially for dispensed beverages.Īs the May cover story of NACS Magazine reports, cold dispensed beverage sales finished 2020 down 7.9% in terms of average sales per store compared with 2019’s performance, NACS State of the Industry data for 2020 indicate. Hot dispensed beverages saw average sales per store tumble 33.4% last year compared with 2019. “We really see this an opportunity to drive traffic at a time that people are just starting to come out of the understandable cocoons that they’ve been in for the last 12-plus months,” said Kevin Lewis, chief marketing officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Circle K’s parent company.Ĭircle K planned to launch the program last year, but when the pandemic hit, public health officials urged consumers to stay at home, and the retailer shelved the program.įrozen dispensed beverages notched an increase of 2.3% over 2019, according to NACS SOI data. Now, in-store consumer activity is picking up as Americans are vaccinated and states ease restrictions, Lewis said. ![]() In the past 90 days, Circle K has tested Sip & Save in more than 100 stores near Augusta, Ga., and Columbia, S.C. According to Lewis, test data indicate that customers are visiting more frequently and in numbers surpassing Circle K’s expectations.Ĭircle K has been upgrading its hot food options, and as a bonus, trial customers are buying food with their drinks. ![]() Over the past year, the chain introduced new items in about 1,500 locations, and soon, it will expand them to an additional 3,000 stores. The chain is tailoring menus by locality, such as offering tacos in Texas. Other retailers, including Sheetz, Wawa and 7-Eleven have been revamping their fresh-food offerings to snag some of the foodservice market share. The hope is to increase sales among c-store customers who are already buying beverages, snacks, pantry staples or fuel. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |