Center store experiences slow sales due to wallet-watching consumers

Dollar sales are up in the center store at convenience stores, but the numbers don’t tell the entire story. 

These sales “aren’t so hot when it comes to unit sales,” Don Burke, senior vice president at Management Science Associates Inc., Pittsburgh, said in September at CSP’s inaugural Center Store Forum in Schaumburg, Illinois. CSP is the sister publication of Supermarket News and covers convenience. 

Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are “stealing a lot from convenience in terms of value meals,” Burke said. “Consumers are really dollar conscious and looking for an added benefit in what they buy.” 

Overall, center store unit volume was down 7% from June 2023 to June 2024. In the last 14 months, the volume was at its worst in January and February of this year, when it was down 9%, Burke said. 

Burke noted that 71% of center store volume at c-stores occur at chains, with the rest at independents. In the 52 weeks ending June 30, 2024, total center store unit sales are down 5.3%—and down 5.1% at chains and 5.7% at independents. Item count sales, meanwhile, are down 4.2% overall—and down 4.1% at chains and 4.4% at independents. 

Confectionery, down 5.8% in the 52 weeks ending June 30, 2024, dominates center-store consumer unit sales at c-stores, Burke said, at 42.9% share at the end of 2024’s second quarter, down 0.4% from a year earlier. Elsewhere at the end of this year’s second quarter: 

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“Confectionery really drives center store sales,” Burke said. “Salty snacks and alternative snacks are also very important.” 

Diving deeper into confectionery, Burke noted: 

Burke said business is down quite a bit in terms of units but not dollars. “There have been significant increases in price,” he said. 

Elaborating on confectionery by subcategory, Burke said chocolate is driving a lot of the decline, dropping 7.6% in units from second-quarter 2023 to second-quarter 2024.  

He said chocolate might be down because “many might be looking for a lower calorie alternative today.” 

If a c-store is going to emphasize its confection category, he said to focus on milk chocolate, which is by far the leader in unit sales at more than 1 billion. White chocolate and dark chocolate, meanwhile, are a small fraction of that.  

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Worry over price hikes 

Chris Long always has looked at the center store as incredibly important. 

Long, the director of category management at the Greater Houston Retailers Cooperative Association, spoke in a Retailer Talks session at the forum. 

“‘I want that Snickers because it’s right there.’ It’s all about impulse, and it also gives us the competitive advantage through increased consumer choice and pairing options,” said Long, whose cooperative, which has 2,200 stores and 1,000 members, was founded as a buying group. It celebrates 25 years in 2025. 

The snacking occasion has gotten huge, Long said. “I love that there’s something for everybody, no matter the diet or mood, center store is doing a great job of providing whatever you’re in the mood for,” including healthy options. 

Regarding challenges, Long said, “I’m really worried about price increases. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that I see Tostitos for $7.99. They’ve gone from ‘need to haves’ to ‘nice to haves.’ My house, we don’t even purchase chips unless they’re on sale.” 

Some customers can no longer afford products such as this, he said, adding, “This is one of the things killing center store.” 

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Another challenge, and one of the most consistent complaints he has heard in his 10 years in retail, is inconsistent service levels in the center store. “It’s beyond frustrating. ‘This guy didn’t show up’ or whatever. It really hurts the small guys who don’t do a lot of volume.” 

Elsewhere, he said, c-stores must continue to innovate. 

“I believe center store is the most ripe for disruption,” he added, noting the array of products, such as a “silly little toy” to put on a finger. “Someone ordered 30,000 and they sold out in two weeks. That’s center store to a T.” 

Being nimble is necessary 

When it comes to remodels and new-to-industry stores, convenience-store retailers must be nimble and prepared to help things go as smoothly as possible. 

That’s the advice from MJ Simons, lead retail category manager at Brentwood, Tennessee-based Delek convenience stores. 

“Plan, plan, plan—yourself and your team,” Simons said. Delek’s retail operations are being sold to Monterrey, Mexico-based Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA). “Think about what you want to get out of it before meeting with others. Brainstorm. I knew exactly what I wanted. You’ll go back and forth, meet with others, share notes.” 

After a first round, plan again, Simons said. “What’s in the budget, what can we ask for? If I do my a, b, c, who doesn’t get to do their a, b, c? 

“After the first round, we went to the store and reviewed what we did right and wrong. No matter what, when you make plans, be ready to make changes,” he said. 

“Completed” is not the goal, Simons said. “We completed the first part, but what now? Get feedback from customers. If customers say they don’t like what you did, why did you do that—do we have answers for them, such as why we picked certain colors, etc.—and can we go back and fix what customers said we did wrong?” 

In their project, Simons said, “One of our main goals was flexibility. We wanted a very clean and neutral look—and let’s adjust after the fact.” 

He said they included uranium blue in their color scheme “because we wanted to stand out.” 

“Be flexible in your life, be flexible in your professional life, and carry that over in how you work with your teams because you don’t know who you’re working with,” Simons said.