Convenience Store Visits Surpass Pre-COVID Numbers
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The convenience store channel has undergone a transformation in recent years as retailers evolved and elevated their food, beverage and experiential offerings to become destinations.
Analyzing visitation trends to c-stores highlights just how successful this reinvention has been for the category. Monthly c-store visits have surged past the channel's pre-pandemic baseline, with November 2024 c-store traffic 16.1% higher than in November 2019, according to a new report from Placer.ai entitled "C-Store Visits Well-Positioned For a Strong 2025."
Still, the data also indicates that growth has plateaued — year-over-year (YOY) traffic for the c-store segment has remained relatively flat in 2024, with November 2024 visits down 0.9% YOY.
Positioned for Growth
Here is some of the latest expansion news on the large c-store chains analyzed by Placer.ai:
- Circle K: Alimentation Couche-Tard Sets the Table for Growth in 2025
- Kwik Trip: Kwik Trip Begins Construction on Second Distribution Center
- Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop: Maverik Makes First Moves in Kansas
- Buc-ee's: Buc-ee's First Ohio Store Faces Delay
[Read more: Charting an Innovation Roadmap]
Diving into individual chains' visitation patterns reveals that many category leaders — including Circle K, Kwik Trip Inc., Maverik — Adventure's First Stop and Buc-ee's — are outperforming the wider segment and continuing to see impressive YoY growth, largely due to aggressive expansions. Maverik's particular stand-out visit growth is likely due to its acquisition and rebranding of the Kum & Go brand, according to Placer.ai.
The market research firm analyzed how each chain is growing in different parts of the country:
- Maverik is seeing the most growth in the Southwest, while Kwik Trip's visits are rising mostly in the Midwest.
- Wawa Inc. traffic is rising in Florida and in the Mid-Atlantic region.
This suggests that demand for c-store offerings is growing nationwide — despite the plateauing of category-wide visits — and that c-store brands that can offer consumers innovative products and experiences are well-positioned to continue thriving in 2025 and beyond, Placer.ai said.
Headquartered in Santa Cruz, Placer.ai’s platform offers location analytics including visit trends, trade areas and demographics to empower professionals in retail, commercial real estate, hospitality, economic development and more to truly understand and maximize their offline activities.