Spanish-Dominant Hispanics Most Likely to Purchase Groceries at C-stores

HOUSTON -- A new study by The NPD Group points to a growing opportunity for convenience stores: U.S. Hispanic consumers who are more likely to buy grocery foods, dairy and bread from c-stores than non-Hispanics.

Spanish-dominant U.S. Hispanics are more likely to make grocery item purchases at c-stores than other Hispanics, according to "The C-Store Hispanic Shopper" study. The report examines the typical convenience store shopping behavior of Hispanics by level of acculturation and how that compares to non-Hispanics.

On average, U.S. Hispanics make almost two visits a month more than non-Hispanics to major oil chain convenience stores, and nearly one visit more over a 30-day period to traditional c-stores than non-Hispanics, NPD's research found. For some Hispanics, c-stores supplement or substitute grocery stores.

Aside from groceries, more than two-thirds of Hispanics consider having fresh food available at c-stores to be very/somewhat important. Fresh foods are more likely to be purchased by Hispanics for lunch or breakfast, with hot foods preferred, according to NPD. Sandwiches and wraps are least likely to be purchased by Hispanics.

"As one of the fastest growing U.S. population groups, Hispanics are an important segment for the c-store channel," said David Portalatin, NPD's c-store industry analyst. "As this report reveals, having a good range of grocery-like items and other staples may increase Hispanic traffic, and promoting fresh foods considered to be more homemade or cooked should resonate well among Hispanics."