Hispanics Visit C-stores More Often Than Other Ethnicities

HOUSTON -- Hispanics visit convenience stores nearly two more times per month than non-Hispanics, a report by The NPD Group revealed.

According to the study called "The Hispanic Convenience Store Shopper," Hispanics visit c-stores 7.3 times per month vs. 5.7 times for non-Hispanics. The NPD Group conducted its study during a recent 30-day period.

Also of interest was the study concluded that bilingual and Spanish-dominant Hispanic speakers visited c-stores the most. Bilingual Hispanics visit c-stores 9.2 times per month and Spanish-dominant speakers go 6.7 times per month.

Conversely, English-dominant Hispanic speakers visit c-stores slightly fewer times (5.4), than non-Hispanics (5.7).

According to the survey, Hispanics spend on average more money at c-stores than non-Hispanics.

As for reasons Hispanic visit c-stores, three out of four of those surveyed said convenience was a primary reason. Ten percent of Hispanics said they select a c-store because a Spanish-speaking employee is available to them.

Also, the study revealed that motor fuel is of more importance to Spanish-dominant Hispanics than English-dominant Hispanics when it comes to store choice.

"Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and an important segment for the c-store channel," said David Portalatin, NPD's c-store industry analyst. "As this report reveals, Hispanics share a common language but they are not homogenous. The key to attracting Hispanics is to understand their shopping behaviors, product purchase, brand preference and reasons for selecting retailers as a population segment and by level of acculturation."