CHICAGO - A new Technomic report reveals convenience store operators have been successfully honing their foodservice efforts.

Technomic??s "Outlook and Opportunities in Convenience Store Foodservice" reports that average unit volumes for convenience stores offering prepared food and dispensed beverages increased to more than $136,000 last year, up from $123,000 in 2007.

Overall, foodservice grew to $11.5 billion last year for convenience stores, up from $10.2 billion in 2007, an increase that Technomic attributed to the expansion of foodservice items, additional stores adding foodservice, and refined foodservice experience.

Additionally, the number of stores with dedicated foodservice personnel rose sharply over the same period, from 17% to 33%.

"Convenience store foodservice has made tremendous inroads in terms of experience, consumer choices and execution," said Tim Powell, director of c-store programs at Technomic. "We expect several key trends, such as snacking and demand for various beverages and breakfast to be pivotal components of future growth."

Powell predicted annual convenience store foodservice growth to reach 3.4% nominally through 2014, which exceeds the expected growth for the entire foodservice industry (2.5%).