Number of Convenience Stores Rising
June 4th, 2013 by Fiedler Group
According to the 2013 NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store count, the number of convenience stores in the United States increased by 0.7 percent, to a record high of 149,220 stores at the end of 2012.
The number of convenience stores — which account for nearly 35 percent of all retail establishments in the United States — is notably higher than other retail channels, including drug stores (40,727), supermarkets (33,192), and dollar stores (24,075).
A major player in the growth of the channel is that of fuel — whether it’s a fuel retailer adding a convenience operation, or a traditional convenience retailer adding a fuel element. Overall almost 83 percent of all convenience stores sell gasoline.
The convenience store retail industry is dominated by single-store operators who represent almost 63 percent of all stores.
At the end of 1982, the nationwide store count was only 76,200 stores — so the recent findings are indicative of significant growth across the last thirty years.
