C-stores find success with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Fresh Prepared Food.

Can’t cook, yet love a diverse menu? In a hurry, but want a balanced meal? Look no further than your favorite convenience store. Think I’m kidding.  If growth is a key to success the then everyone must look at the growth rate of the convenience store sector. The C-store sector is the only sector of retail food service to experience positive numbers for the past 5 years.

How have they done it? Partnering with fresh food suppliers, bundling, ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat meal components into options that consumer found attractive. 7 Eleven grew 14.4% last year alone with 50% of the new unit’s not selling gasoline.  7 Eleven is focusing on fresh ready-2-eat food.

Wade Hanson principal at Technomic says “gone are the day of trips to the grocery store designed to address a family’s needs for the next one or two weeks”. What is happing is consumer are migrating on two fronts they are leaving grocery visits behind but are ever increasing leaving quick service restaurants behind as well.

7 Eleven is not the only company in the C-store sector doing well. Wawa is expanding in Florida; Sheetz continues its growth outside Pennsylvania, and Casey General Store has continued expanding into new markets while driving solid same store sale growth.

Were your same-store sales up 7 % or better in 2012? Interested in learning how the 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization contact us via Email us at: grocerant@q.com or visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant