The convenience store sector continues to be a rapidly growing outlet for US pork and beef in international markets.
According to the US Meat Export Federation, convenience stores have made significant adjustments to accommodate changing consumer routines and preferences during the Covid-19 pandemic. Jesse Austin ? USMEF vice president for marketing ? explains that many countries have seen a dramatic increase in people working from home, so convenience stores in central business districts have seen a decline in sales while those in residential areas are flourishing.
?Japan certainly didn?t invent the concept of convenience stores, but they have perfected it,? Austin said. ?There are over 58,000 convenience stores across Japan, so this continues to be a dominant source for Japanese consumers to buy US meat. An interesting trend we?ve seen throughout the pandemic is when companies have gone remote, those employees are not commuting to the inner city every day. We have seen a drop in traffic in those inner city stores and we?ve seen traffic increase in the suburban stores.?
Austin notes that U.S. pork and beef are well-positioned to capitalize on consumers’ growing demand for convenient food items that are also high in quality.
?Overall, throughout the pandemic sales have dropped and traffic has dropped in the convenience store sector,? Austin said. ?Another interesting trend, though, is that the sales have dropped much less than the traffic has dropped, indicating that the consumers are spending more per visit. Another trend driving sales is the increase in premium US meat products being offered in convenience stores now. Japanese consumers can eat very well at a convenience store.?
Austin says that while Japan is definitely the global pacesetter in terms of convenience store offerings, new products have also been launched in key markets such as South Korea and Mexico.
