U.K. C-Stores Lose Lunch Opportunities

Value and quality are needed for convenience stores in the U.K. to build lunchtime foodservice sales.

April 23, 2013

CRAWLEY, ENGLAND – A new survey by British consulting firm him! reveals U.K. convenience stores are losing lunchtime business because of high prices and poor selection, The Grocer reports.

The survey found shoppers spent on average £8.14 ($12.41) per month on lunch-to-go opportunities in a convenience store, compared to £13.65 ($20.83) in a supermarket.

It also found consumer perception of the quality of lunch options in c-stores lagged behind those of carryout restaurants, with 31% citing improvements in convenience stores versus 46% expressing improvements in carryout restaurants.

Two reasons stood out as the main reasons shoppers avoided buying their lunch in a convenience store: high prices, followed by poor selection.

“Poor price perception is preventing people from choosing convenience for their lunch-to-go purchase,” Him! said in the report. “Both value and quality need to be focus areas for communication and building credibility for lunch-to-go.”

Respondents in the survey said they would visit a c-store more frequently if there were greater hot food options.

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