Prepared Food & Fountain Stand Out In Foodservice

However, hot beverages cool off in 2011

The foodservice category in convenience stores last year generated a solid 6.2-percent increase in average sales per store, as foodservice continued to gain importance across the industry. The average c-store operator brought in $10,403 in additional foodservice sales in 2011 vs. 2010.

The year's category standouts were prepared food, which posted a 10.6-percent sales increase per store, and cold dispensed beverages, which saw sales rise 8.3 percent per store. These numbers represent relatively impressive gains over 2010, when per-store sales of prepared food rose 4.7 percent and per-store sales of cold dispensed beverages grew by 5.2 percent.

On the other end of the spectrum, though, the hot and frozen dispensed beverage segments did not fare as well in 2011 — both posting declines in per-store sales. The average c-store saw its hot beverage sales drop by 2.6 percent or $1,156, and frozen beverage sales decline by 2.9 percent or $224. Both of these segments had posted sales gains the year before.