Methodology For Csnews' 37Th Annual Industry Report

The 37th annual Convenience Store News Industry Report features data from a variety of sources in order to provide a complete picture of the convenience store industry.

CSNews commissioned Preston/ Rogers Associates Inc., based in Medfield, Mass., to conduct a survey among a random sample of c-store retailers on a confidential basis and to coordinate the various data used in this report.

A total of 220 companies representing approximately 21,000 c-stores are included in the Industry Report results.

Store census data was provided by Nielsen TDLinx, which maintains a national count of both chain and single-store retail locations.

Dollar sales and unit volume data for a variety of categories was provided by Nielsen from its Convenience Track retail measurement service, which is based on UPC sales and other retail conditions that are measured through the use of point-of-sale scan data, as well as from data captured via electronic invoice and sales audits.

Data for competitive channels was also provided by Nielsen through its Strategic Planner retail measurement service.

Additional data for the tobacco categories was provided by Altria Client Services.

Government sources utilized include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Energy, and the Federal Tax Administration.

Purchase the 2012 Industry Report online at www.csnews.com/catalog.html