A national consumer survey conducted on behalf of the US National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has indicated that consumers are more aware of the industry’s efforts to provide fresh, healthy food.
Six in 10 American survey respondents agreed that “convenience stores are responding to consumer demand and offering healthier, nutritious products and serving sizes”.
Even higher proportions of surveyed consumers aged 18-34 (71 per cent) and those with children (72 per cent) agreed that convenience stores were offering healthier choices.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents said they had bought more snacks considered “healthy choices” in the previous 12 months.
However, the difference between genders in what they thought about food at convenience stores was significant. Women were more likely than men to say they had bought more “healthy choices” during this time (39 per cent versus 31 per cent). Sixty-nine per cent of men interviewed agreed that convenience stores “offer food I feel comfortable eating”, compared with 58 per cent of the women.
The survey also found that around three-quarters of surveyed Americans believed convenience stores were a good fit with their community’s values and said they would be ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ favourable towards a new convenience store being opened in their area.
“Convenience stores are more closely tied to their local communities than any other retail channel and that’s something that consumers increasingly recognise and reward,” NACS Vice President of Strategic Industry Initiatives Jeff Lenard said.
