Midyear Report Card Shows Slow Start for 2019 C-store Sales

For the first half of 2019, convenience store retail sales mostly underperformed last year’s sales pace, although business appears to be picking up now that the peak summer season is here.

Of the major product categories tracked by Nielsen, other tobacco products (OTP) exhibited the greatest dollar sales growth through the first six months of this year, according to the 2019 Convenience Store News Midyear Report Card. Salty snacks also saw solid dollar sales growth.

On the other end of the spectrum, cigarettes and general merchandise could not keep pace with last year’s first-half sales. And other important c-store categories such as beer, packaged beverages and edible grocery saw flat sales year over year.

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