GROCERY
Remaining Relevant The grocery categories at c-stores benefited from consumers’ pandemic-influenced shopping shifts, but can the momentum last? By Renée M. Covino AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC,
many consumers who didn’t ordinarily shop at convenience stores got the brilliant idea that they could run in and out and get a few items they desperately needed — such as spray cleaner, a bottle of wine, toilet paper, etc. Fueled by accessibility, c-store grocery shopping became all the rage as customers caught on to the benefits of no lines, reduced human contact, speedy shopping, and in-stock shelves. It was a time when “convenience stores became less about energy drinks and bags of chips on the go and more about getting the day-to-day essentials,” said Anders McGillis, principal at Ontario, Canada-based Jackman Reinvents, a customer engagement firm that helps organizations reinvent their customer experiences.
recently worked with Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi (operator of supermarkets in 37 states) to launch the first Aldi Corner Store, a local, art-infused, urban-oriented small format developed in Sydney, Australia. “A local store not only feels safer, it is safer,” Landini said. Becoming “local grocers” during the pandemic, he observed that c-store operators learned to make “informed decisions and put themselves in their customers’ heads.” He offered up a personal example: “I recently bought individual sticks of celery from a local store. They understood I only needed three stalks, so they didn’t attempt to sell me more. By weight, I may have spent more, but it felt good, less wasteful. I’ll be back.”
A Look at the Numbers
It was also a time when consumers everywhere rallied around supporting local. “The early stages of the pandemic exposed weaknesses in supply chains, alerting people to the value of being able to access goods in their local communities,” McGillis told Convenience Store News. “Faced with empty shelves at big-box stores, people turned to alternatives, both in terms of products and stores, to find what they needed.”
According to research firm NCSolutions, in mid-May of this year (around when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted indoor mask guidelines) through mid-July, dollar sales for edible grocery collectively across channels were 3.4 percent higher compared to the same period in 2019, while sales for nonedible grocery across channels were 2.6 percent higher compared to 2019 levels.
In turn, c-stores relied on local suppliers to stay in stock. McGillis pointed to family-owned c-store chain Duchess, based in Heath, Ohio, which he said, “leaned heavily into local products when designing and stocking the shelves of its new flagship store.”
Produce sales during this period were also 3 percent higher than 2019 levels, and meat sales were 1 percent higher. “This demonstrates that increased at-home meal preparation is here to stay,” the research firm concluded.
During the pandemic, “community” also became more important than it’s ever been before, noted Mark Landini, creative director at Landini Associates, which
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NCSolutions also pointed out that the growth rate of health-driven categories, such as fruit (up 6 percent over 2019 levels) and vitamins and supplements (up 33 percent), demonstrates a heightened consumer focus on health.
