From small rural towns to large metropolis, consumers are walking, biking or driving to a common destination: the corner convenience store. In fact, independently owned convenience stores have grown 10.6% during the past 52 weeks versus 8.2% year to date (YTD). July was up 4.6%, according to findings from Newark, N.J.-based National Retail Solutions (NRS), which operates a point-of-sale (POS) terminal-based platform for independent retailers and bodega owners nationwide.
In almost 12,000 individual outlets, beverage sales are booming, with beer, flavored malt beverages (FMBs) and hard cider up 10.7% versus 7.5% YTD. Although non-alcohol beverages were up 14.7% for the same time period, they experienced a slight decrease from the 17.8% posted a year ago. Yet, July saw brisk sales for non-alcohol beverages, with sales up 9.8% vs. 5% for alcohol drink, NRS states.