There are 3x as many convenience stores as supermarkets in the United States, and with over 160 million visitors daily, consumers are looking to c-stores to fulfill their meal needs.
As c-stores upgrade their foodservice offerings, they’re being seen as viable foodservice options. According to the Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing (NACS), foodservice accounted for 25.6% of in-store sales, significantly higher than the 16.8% reported a decade ago. Among foodservice, prepared food accounted for 67.3% of all foodservice sales.
Speed is another key advantage in c-stores being competitive with QSRs and supermarkets. On average, customers spend only 3 minutes, 33 seconds from the time they leave their cars until the time they get back in their cars with their purchase (NACS Speed Metrics Survey).
Structural Concepts enhances convenience and speed of service to time-starved and health-conscience shoppers with a multitude of merchandisers that can be optimized across all store formats, including in key locations such as high-traffic areas and at checkout.
Structural Concepts’ self-contained refrigerated multi-purpose islands easily create impulse-buy sites, provide daypart merchandising flexibility, and offer the ability to cross merchandise through departments. The island merchandisers are designed to accommodate a variety of finishes, and provide additional impact resistance to stand up to the rigors of daily commercial use. The plug-and-play multi-purpose island display, designed with temperature convertibility, improves the operator’s flexibility to accommodate a variety of food items and conduct temporary product promotions.
Meeting customers on the way in and out – where 20% of shoppers decide to purchase their products onsite vs. 9.3% a decade ago – Structural Concepts provides a unique solution in under counter merchandisers. The shape and configuration of these display cases makes them ideal for seamlessly integrating into counter spaces so all consumers immediately see fresh food/beverages.
Creating a destination for fresh food by utilizing space-saving innovative display options, Structural Concepts’ combination merchandisers optimize floor space with multiple display areas in a single piece of equipment, providing flexibility to offer a variety of fresh foods within different methods for serving the customer.
Building opportunities for add-ons, end cap displays from Structural Concepts blend into high trafficked areas to generate incrementality. These merchandisers capture shoppers’ attention by increasing the visibility of popular or on-sale items. They are a perfect fit for the end of aisle, double the capacity of a standard merchandiser, and allow customers to choose drinks, sandwiches, salads, and snacks from multiple angles.
Structural Concepts checks all three boxes in response to the desires of both c-store shoppers and shoppers. (1) Relevance: Solutions aligned with the needs and interests of shoppers, (2) Reliability: Ensuring consistency in the fresh food product experience, and (3) Responsiveness: Delivering an enhanced experience through complimentary products and service.
Whether it’s identifying more ways to be the most reliable and innovative fresh food display resource designing and building merchandisers that last longer, save energy, and minimize operating costs, or an unparalleled commitment to providing backend technical support, Structural Concepts is committed to making it easier to better display and sell more fresh food today – and tomorrow – within the c-store market.
