U.S. convenience-store count continues to grow | Supermarket News
The U.S. convenience-store industry is on the rise once again, marking its second consecutive year of growth. According to the 2024 NACS/NIQ Convenience Industry Store Count, there are now 152,396 convenience stores operating in the United States. This represents a 1.5% increase from the previous year’s count of 150,174 locations. To put this into perspective, with the U.S. population estimated at 336 million, there is approximately one convenience store for every 2,204 people.
Over the past decade, the convenience retail channel has seen its fair share of fluctuations. Still, six out of those ten years experienced growth, with 2024 being the latest year of expansion. The majority of these stores fall under “A-sized” operators (1-10 stores), accounting for 63.1% of the total c-store count, with single-store operators making up a significant portion of this category.
In terms of geographical distribution, Texas remains the leader with the most convenience stores, boasting 16,304 stores, which is more than 1 in 10 convenience stores in the entire country. Other states have also seen an increase in store counts, with California notably adding 177 stores. However, only seven states experienced a reduction in their store counts.
Furthermore, the census reveals that 1.2% more convenience stores are now selling fuels, with 120,061 stores offering this service in 2023. This data reflects the state of the industry as of December 31, 2023, and highlights the ongoing growth in this sector…….
[read more]
Rising Dough
Considering the growth in the U.S. convenience store industry, here’s a question: How do changing trends in convenience store numbers and distribution across states impact the broader business landscape, from marketing strategies to the economy?
*Click on the “Full Loaf” icon to read the full article! After you read the full article, let us know your thoughts.
Share this content:
With the rising fluctuation of convenience stores, this will cause a mass competitions between the companies in order to win over more customers. They might start to use new tactics such as online stores, competing for product pricing, and advertising.