Do Meal Kits Have Potential Beyond Grocery?

Recent pilot tests show that convenience stores have considerable opportunities in the meal kit space, but that there are also notable challenges, according to NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing.

Two separate pilot tests were developed by Alexandria, Va.-based NACS in conjunction with the Project on Nutrition and Wellness and the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. Both were intended to address downsides to existing popular meal-delivery kits, such as subscription requirements, cost, packaging waste and the need to plan a day or more in advance to order them.

The c-store channel served as a good retail testing ground for dinner meal kits due to its fueling offer, as 80 percent of fuel purchased in the United States is sold at a c-store, and consumers are most likely to fill up their gas tanks during the evening rush, according to NACS.

Read the full story from Convenience Store News, a sister brand of Progressive Grocer.