Although the top-up mission is in strong growth in the convenience sector, c-stores need to ensure they have the right ranges to suit local demand in order to capitalise, argued HIM at the official launch of its Convenience Tracking Programme 2015 last week.

The number of shoppers on a top-up mission has grown from 31% last year to 40% this year (C-Store, 8 May), but it is also one of the most competitive arenas in the marketplace, pointed out HIM client director Ed Sibley. Top-up is now the biggest mission in supermarkets, and is growing rapidly in supermarket c-stores as well as symbols and independents.

“As many as 65% of planned top-up shoppers have a particular meal occasion in mind,” Sibley continued, “yet 53% of shoppers don’t believe they can get all the ingredients for a roast dinner in a c-store. For those stores where top-up shopping is possible, there is no excuse not to stock ingredients for the most popular meals.”

The average c-store shopper wants to spend no more than 31 minutes making their evening meal, and expects to be ‘spoon fed’ with ideas in store, such as via recipe cards, to stimulate them to make purchases, according to HIM.