Sales at convenience stores in Wales have rocketed by £300m this year, according to the latest findings from the ACS.
The sharp rise came as shoppers turned to local stores during the coronavirus crisis.
The findings are from the ACS Welsh Local Shops report 2021, which calculated the total sales for the c-store sector in the principality this year were £2.8bn.
The average customer in Wales visited a c-store 4.20 times per week, up from 4.06 last year.
The report also found that 20% of Welsh convenience stores now offered a home grocery delivery service to their customers, an increase from just 12% in 2019.
“Local shops have acted as lifelines for communities in Wales,” said ACS CEO James Lowman.
“This has been particularly evident during the coronavirus pandemic as retailers have adapted and expanded their services to ensure that they can continue to feed their communities, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.”
Other key findings from the report also showed that over the past year, convenience stores in Wales have invested more than £30m in their businesses.
ACS said this was to ensure that they could provide essential products and services to their communities, including cash machines (73%), bill payment services (77%) and a post office (29%).
No comments yet