Is the shop more strategic than the pump at fuel stations?
- Amaury Marescaux
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
INSIGHT - The growth engine for filling station operators is no longer fuel, but everything else sold alongside it to prolong customer visits or even attract new ones.
The gas station is no longer just a place to fill up. With the decline in fossil fuel consumption and the rise of electric cars, which are mainly recharged at home or in the office, the real challenge for operators is now called non-fuel retail . In other words, trade other than fuel.
As seen in Gondola Foodservice's previous analysis, this potential remains largely underexploited . Less than 14% of Belgians buy food or drinks at a gas station each month. And when they do, they do so twice as often on the motorway (64%) as at a local gas station (36%), mainly for reasons of convenience and speed.
A regulatory change could have shaken up the market: the new Belgian tobacco legislation. Since April 1, stores larger than 400 m² can no longer sell cigarettes or tobacco products. As a result, some sales have shifted to gas stations, which have seen an increase in traffic. However, the impact on turnover appears to remain limited.
The typical shopping basket consists primarily of drinks (60%), sandwiches (55%), sweet snacks (51%), and coffee (41%). These are more like casual purchases than real gourmet breaks.
A more detailed analysis of product transactions, however, reveals some interesting trends. In the packaged food & drinks aisle, one champion stands out: Jupiler, whose 33cl and 50cl cans clearly dominate sales. Red Bull and Coca-Cola follow, confirming the importance of the Soft Drinks category, which alone represents 36% of purchases in value. Sweet snacks come in second (14%), driven by Kinder Bueno, Twix, and Leo. Savory snacks represent only 6.5% of sales, but Bifi manages to establish itself in the top 10 across all products. Finally, the ready-to-drink spirits segment is experiencing growing popularity, with J&B Cola leading the way.
These various elements demonstrate once again the need to transform the gas station shop into a true everyday destination.
