C-stores pull in celebratory shoppers in the heatwave

July’s heatwave provided a welcome boost to convenience retailers as shoppers splashed out on cold beer, wines and soft drinks, according the latest Grocer/Him! Shop Waves survey.

Our poll of 1,000 consumers found that the proportion of shoppers visiting a c-store in July rose to 81% compared with 77% in June. Frequency of c-store visits also increased from 9.2 times a month to 11.4. Discounters also attracted some of this impulse traffic with the percentage of people shopping in this channel up to 77% compared with 73% in June and visits up from 3.7 a month to 4.4.

“With the hot weather clearly having an impact on shopper behaviour, with impulse barbecues, and the need for cold beers, wines and soft drinks, the c-store has become the ideal destination for impromptu events,” says Him! research and insights manager Blake Gladman.

The poll also found a rise in the number of consumers who would support more intervention from government to tackle obesity and binge drinking. Despite the government ditching plans for minimum alcohol pricing, consumer support for the measure rose from 28% to 31% and the number of people prepared to pay a higher price for HFSS food and drink rose from 9% to 12%.