Last updated on July 1st, 2015 at 02:56 pm
Expanded fresh food offerings and continued lower gas prices drove strong convenience store sales in the second quarter of 2015 and these factors, along with the warm weather, are expected to continue to grow sales in the upcoming quarter, according to the results of a retailer sentiment survey released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).
More than eight in 10 convenience store retailers (83 percent) say that they are optimistic about their business for the third quarter of 2015, a slight decrease from the 86 percent who were optimistic three months earlier. By comparison, less than 8 percent expressed pessimism about their prospects for the upcoming quarter.
Strong sales both at the pump and inside the store continue to drive retailer optimism. More than four in five retailers (82 percent) say that in-store sales are higher in the first half of 2015 compared to the first half of 2014. A majority of retailers (55 percent) also say that fuels sales so far in 2015 are stronger than the same period in 2014.
Seven in 10 retailers (70 percent) say that they are optimistic about food sales in the upcoming quarter. Nearly as many (69 percent) also are confident about their ability to compete with quick-service restaurants, an increase from 63 percent the previous quarter.
