By Steve Holtz
Convenience stores excelled in alcohol sales in 2024, particularly with wine and spirits, taking share from drug stores, liquor stores, grocery and other channels, reported NIQ in its 2024 Beverage Alcohol Insights report, recapping off-premise sales trends for the 52 weeks ending December 28, 2024.
The convenience channel gained share of the alcohol market over leading challengers liquor stores (down 2.0% in full-year 2024), grocery and mass merchandisers (-0.7%), dollar and club stores (-0.5%), NIQ said. The convenience channel saw alcohol sales up 0.3% in 2024, NIQ reported. That boosts c-stores’ share of spirits dollar sales to 10%, compared to liquor stores’ 64%, grocery’s 17% and drug stores’ 2% share.
“Total spirits dollar sales are up 0.2%,” NIQ said. “Convenience and food channels are the largest drivers [of that].”
In wine, convenience grew its share of dollar sales 7.8% to account for 8% of the market. All other channels saw sales declines. Grocery (down 2.6%) now owns the largest share of wine sales at 42%, liquor stores (-4.8%) own 37% share, and drug stores (-8.5%) own 2% share.
“Total wine dollar sales are down 2.8%,” NIQ said, “with convenience bucking the trend.”
Overall, NIQ reported, “2024 was a year plagued by high inflation, driving unit growth down” by -5%. The total U.S. convenience market saw a total decrease in sales of 1.3% in calendar year 2024, ending a three-year consecutive increase in sales. “Though most convenience categories were affected, some categories showed greater resilience to the rising prices.” Top growers include frozen foods, perishable grocery and wine.
In 2024, the top performing categories in dollar sales and percent growth compared to a year ago are:
- Frozen foods: $556.4 million; 11.7%
- Perishable grocery: $4,548.7 million; 10.4%
- Wine: $1,692.3 million; 7.7%
- Other dairy deli products: $2,069.6 million; 6.9%
- Frozen dispensed beverages: $612.6 million; 6.4%
- Liquor: $3,429.8 million; 6.2%
- Ice: $1,108.6 million; 4.2%
- Health beauty care: $2,959.9 million; 3.0%
- Other tobacco products: $18,925.8 million; 2.8%
- Cold dispensed beverages: $2,264.0 million; 2.0%
- Packaged beverages: $37,248.0 million; 0.4%
NIQ provided data on c-store sales for the week ending December 28, 2024, showing boosts in categories associated with last-minute holiday gatherings.
Beer, led by Modelo Especial, saw U.S. c-store sales of $512.0 million in the final full week of 2024, up 13% compared to the previous week, while liquor sales, driven by Fireball Whiskey, grew 16% week over week to $82.4 million. Wine sales, led by Lamarca Prosecco, rose 23% to $42.2 million in c-store sales.
The top “last-minute” purchase categories for the week ending December 28, 2024, in dollars sales and percent increase over previous week include:
- Beer: $512.0 million; 13%
- Liquor: $82.4 million; 16%
- Wine: $42.2 million; 23%
- Edible grocery: $36.9 million; 18%
- General merchandise: $33.7 million; 19%
- Ice: $15.0 million; 53%
- Fluid milk products: $27.9 million; 17%
- Packaged ice cream novelties: $25.1 million; 16%
- Non-edible grocery: $15.8 million; 20%
Curious about c-stores performed in other categories in 2024? Join your peers at the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit April 8-10 in Dallas to learn what was popular last year.