HBC Grows On Energy Shot Surge

Fig. 45

Category Analysis — Health & Beauty Care

(0.84 percent of total in-store sales; 1.4 percent of in-store gross margin dollar contribution)

While it makes up a small percentage of in-store sales — 0.84 percent — the health and beauty care (HBC) category rang up more than $10,000 in sales per store in 2009, representing a 17.8-percent jump over the category's 2008 sales.

The success of this category can be attributed to the booming popularity of energy shots, liquid vitamins and supplements, all within its range of products. This segment is the second-best seller in the category, behind analgesics, and saw a massive 92-percent lift in its per-store sales for 2009. Energy shots, liquid vitamins and supplements generated $1,863 in sales for the average convenience store last year.

Another segment of the HBC category that showed an increase in 2009 sales when compared to 2008 was vitamin supplements.