How Convenience Stores Make Money: Fuel, Inside Sales and Food
Fuel brings the traffic, the store makes the money. Here is how the profit splits, using NACS's 2025 industry data, and what it means for design.
Updated October 25, 2026
Quick answer
In 2025, NACS reports fuel was 65% of convenience store sales dollars but only 38.8% of gross profit dollars. Inside the store, foodservice was 28.5% of in-store sales but 38.9% of in-store gross profit. So the store inside, and food in particular, earns more than its share of the money, which is why store layout, the cooler wall and the food program matter so much.
Ask most people how a gas station makes money and they'll say fuel. The industry data says something more interesting: fuel brings the customer onto the lot, and the store converts that visit into profit.
The split in 2025
NACS's 2025 State of the Industry data:
| Measure | Fuel | Inside the store |
|---|---|---|
| Share of total sales dollars | 65.0% | 35.0% |
| Share of gross profit dollars | 38.8% | 61.2% |
Inside the store:
| Measure | Foodservice | Rest of the store |
|---|---|---|
| Share of in-store sales | 28.5% | 71.5% |
| Share of in-store gross profit | 38.9% | 61.1% |
In-store sales reached $341.2 billion in 2025, the 23rd consecutive year of inside sales growth. Packaged beverages were the No. 2 in-store category at 18.7% of sales, behind foodservice.
What this means for the store you build
- Design the store as the profit center. A fast, clear path from the pumps to the door, the cooler wall and checkout matters more than the canopy.
- Give beverages their wall. As the No. 2 in-store category, packaged beverages deserve a cooler wall sized to sell. Try the cooler wall planner.
- Plan food in from the start. Food earns more than its share of profit, and it is the hardest thing to add later. See floor plans with food service.
- Grow the basket. Layout that puts one more item in front of a customer on the way to checkout, such as grab-and-go and impulse displays, raises the value of every visit.
Transactions and staffing
NACS reports the average store recorded 45,160 transactions a month in 2025, about 1,484 a day, and has 19.9 employees. Those numbers drive checkout design: enough registers for peaks, and sightlines that let a small team run the floor.
Sources
- NACS, "U.S. Convenience In-Store Sales Top $340 Billion" (April 2026), 2025 State of the Industry data.
Frequently asked questions
What is the profit margin of a convenience store?
What sells the most in a convenience store?
Is food service worth adding?
Keep planning
- Industry statisticsThe numbers behind the industry in one place: store count, ownership, sales, fuel, food and store formats, each with its source.
- How to start a gas stationWhat makes a gas station different from any other retail start-up: fuel supply, tank regulation, the forecourt budget, and the store that carries the profit.
- 4,000 sq ft with seatingWhere food becomes a reason to visit: a full kitchen, a serving line, a few tables and restrooms planned around diners.
- Business planThe sections lenders and partners expect, what goes in each one, and where a floor plan makes the numbers credible.
Ready for real numbers?
Turn a planning range into a quote for your store
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