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The operator of a petrol station achieves around two thirds of the profit from sales in the petrol station shop.

From the point of view of the often self-employed tenant, the shop is the most important part of his company.

But even if the around 14,000 stations in Germany were allowed to remain open during the months of the lockdown during the corona pandemic, business in the mini supermarkets next to the petrol pump has changed significantly.

The goods that are particularly in demand reflect the state of mind of society.

“Sales are particularly high for goods that people want to reward themselves with.

This applies above all to alcohol and cigarettes, ”says Mechthild Menke.

The manager runs the shop at Aral, the largest chain of petrol stations in the country.

While in the first lockdown the cigarettes were for the petrol station shop what the toilet paper was for the retail trade, namely the most popular product, this picture expanded in the winter.

"Obviously, the customers at the gas station stock up on what they want for a game night or movie night at home," says Torsten Eichinger, managing director of the wholesaler MCS from Offenburg.

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In detail, there are energy drinks, mixed alcohol drinks, chips and tobacco products also for the shisha pipe.

The bag of chips is bought much more often than a single candy bar because it is probably intended to be used at home in front of the screen.

Another hit from the shelves fits in with this: The demand for voucher cards for online games or streaming services has been increasing for months.

MCS stands for Marketing and Convenience Shop System, was created as a supplier for the corner shop and is now an amalgamation of ten regional wholesalers spread across Germany with a turnover of 640 million euros last year.

After the Rewe subsidiary Lekkerland, MCS is the second largest company in the industry.

Among around 15,000 retail customers, the wholesaler also supplies 3,500 petrol stations with beverages, groceries, tobacco products and everyday goods - that's after all every fourth petrol station.

This gives MCS an insight into the day-to-day business in the petrol station shop like hardly any other retailer.

Nine percent sales growth

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Surprisingly for the industry, Germany's gas stations in their shops did not suffer economically from the corona pandemic last year.

Because of the work in the home office and the low number of commuters, there had previously been a different expectation.

After all, sales of gasoline and diesel fell by a high ten percent in 2020.

According to the latest figures from the market research institute Nielsen, on the other hand, sales of food and tobacco products in the petrol station shops rose by nine percent to 8.9 billion euros.

“2020 was a good year for us,” says Aral manager Menke.

Shop sales increased in the high single-digit percentage range.

In the total market of all petrol station shops, tobacco products make up the lion's share of sales in the industry at seven billion euros - measured by sales prices, which for cigarettes, for example, contain a high tax share of 75 percent.

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In terms of products, sales of e-cigarettes and the liquids required for them have almost doubled.

After tobacco, soft drinks, beer, confectionery and spirits are the goods with the highest sales in that order.

Even last December, the shop business was again eight percent up on the same month last year.

"Confectionery was in the double-digit percentage range in the red, spirits for the same amount in the plus," says MCS boss Eichinger.

Buying behavior at the petrol station has changed in other ways as well.

The acrylic panes at the checkouts not only ensure that customers keep their distance.

"The quick purchase of the chocolate bar at the cash register or other so-called impulse purchases are much less common," says Eichinger.

Chewing gum is also sold significantly less.

This trend is confirmed by the Aral petrol station chain.

“People don't want to spend more time in the shop with their masks than they need to and buy fewer products from the checkout,” says manager Aral.

The structure in the shop according to the Corona rules also changes shopping.

Due to the walkways marked on the floor, the customer can no longer get past certain shelves - and the goods usually remain lying there.

But once they arrive at the petrol station shop, customers are more generous and buy more expensive.

“The frequency in our petrol station shops was and is lower than before the corona pandemic.

On average, customers spent more money in the shops on this, ”says Aral manager Menke.

MCS boss Eichinger also speaks of a significant decline in frequency.

“It is very noticeable that there are no commuters,” he says.

MCS supplies medium-sized petrol station chains, but also branded petrol stations if they are owned by the petrol station leaseholder and not by the oil company.

At home as a replacement for the pub

Especially the area with which the tenant achieves the highest profit margins, namely snacks and sandwiches, suffered during the Corona period.

There are no commuters or other fuel customers to buy a quick meal on the go.

“The bistros built with a lot of money suffer particularly from the sales restrictions,” says Eichinger.

Baked goods are the losers in the petrol station shop.

Instead, mixed alcoholic beverages such as gin and tonic or whiskey-cola are booming with sales growth in the double-digit percentage range.

Obviously, the gas station supplies many people with the drinks that should turn the home into a pub replacement.

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Other abnormalities affect other drinks.

For example, mineral water is bought significantly less because people have their supplies at home and hardly need any water for when they are out and about.

When it comes to tobacco products, a new range is opening up with shisha tobacco.

Even the number of visitors allowed at private meetings is reflected in the gas station.

As soon as the number of visitors in the federal states has been or is increased from one to five or ten people, souvenirs such as packs of chocolates or food for a common breakfast are in great demand.

From the tenant's point of view, however, the cup of coffee is by far the most worthwhile.

According to figures from the industry magazine “Tankstellen-Welt”, coffee drinks only make up three percent of total sales in the shop, but they provide twelve percent of earnings.

This is thanks to "an outstanding margin averaging 80 percent," says the journal.

It fits in with the fact that Aral is the largest coffee-to-go seller in the country and that is way ahead of Starbucks & Co. But in the Corona months, the numbers in coffee sales are declining, but the gas station group has maintained its market position according to its own statement.

This, too, is a special feature from the time: For the first time, Aral is offering toilet paper across the board in the so-called supply shelf.

Nothing about that should change anytime soon.

Petrol stations earned a lot in the crisis

Because of the low oil price, petrol stations achieved particularly high margins during the Corona crisis.

This is the conclusion reached by British oil market experts.

The oil companies criticize the calculation, however.

Source: WORLD