Vapor and E-Cigarette Sales Surging at C-Stores, Up 6.8%

While the e-cigarette and vaping product industry overall is struggling everywhere from regulatory challenges to competition from nicotine replacement products to disruption amid Covid-19, the C-store market continues to grow.

C-store dollar sales of electronic cigarettes have risen a hefty 6.8 percent for the 52 weeks ending Aug. 9, according to IRI, and unit sales are surging, seeing a 15.6 percent rise for the same period. And that’s with an average price drop of $1.13 per unit, according to Convenience Store Decisions.

But the regulatory heat is rising. Most recently, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., signed into law Senate Bill 793, a flavored vaping ban, on Aug. 28. Chicago passed a flavored vape ban on Sept. 9, and backers of an Illinois state initiative that stalled last year said they plan to try again in 2021.

Municipal and state bans are nothing new to vape manufacturers and retailers. And until federal guidelines, in the form of policy and/or legislation, set a standard for all jurisdictions those local restrictions will continue to trouble more convenience operators.