烟草在线据《便利店决策》报道编译　　卷烟一直是美国便利店的一个主打产品，卷烟盒装和条装销量达数十亿包，提高了烟民购物篮的平均利润水平。

　　2012，在便利店，卷烟总销售额总计超过了520亿美元，略降低了1.68%。销量下滑了2.05%，至87.5亿支。

　　虽然销售在下降，但是卷烟客户对便利店行业的价值不能被夸大。根据大和解协议和消费者观察小组样本显示，大约50%的卷烟顾客反映，他们每周至少两次去便利店购买卷烟。另外三分之一的每周至少2-3次去便利店。所以尽管卷烟销量可能下滑，但是去便利店的烟草客户依然如故，这提供了提高市场购物篮的一个稳定的机会。

　　为了了解不同价位的吸烟者青睐的卷烟品牌，消费者观察小组的参与者被询问：“对你最常买的卷烟，你认为属于哪一类？”

　　在卷烟买家中，四分之三的表示，他们最常购买的卷烟为高端价格品牌。考虑到绝大多数的卷烟是有计划购买，了解品牌的偏好便于烟草零售商管理单品库存分类，并库存消费者青睐的品牌来满足他们的客户需求。

　　管理问题

　　目前有两起联邦诉讼挑战美国食品和药物管理局(FDA)的图片健康警语标签。两起案件都向不同的美国上诉巡回法院起诉六个支持图片警语标签的巡回法庭，因为根据宪法和哥伦比亚特区的巡回法院的裁定图片警语是违宪的。

　　“简而言之，我们遇到所谓的‘巡回法院之间的冲突’，两个不同的美国上诉巡回法庭，对相同的问题做出看似矛盾的裁决，”全国烟店协会的执行董事托马斯·布赖恩特说。

　　当谈到制定烟草策略，零售商应该继续为消费者提供卷烟。“价格是最大的挑战，等待购买量下降的情况随着时间和直接库存的消耗而好转，”经营东海岸到西海岸的圣乔治石油公司的总裁兼首席执行官阿梅尔·哈瓦特迈赫说。

　　便利店

　　哈瓦特迈赫坚信，这些限制对消费者的影响将减缓。“我们绝对没有控制它。最终，消费者将不得不适应它。”

US: Cigarettes Remain Dominant in C-Stores

　　Cigarettes have long been a staple at U.S. convenience stores, accounting for billions in pack and carton sales and boosting the profits from the average smoker's market basket.

　　For 2012, total cigarette sales in convenience stores totaled more than $52 billion, down a slight 1.68%. Units sold slipped 2.05% to 8.75 billion.

　　While sales may be down, the value of cigarette customers to the convenience store industry cannot be overstated. According to MSA and Paradigm Sample's Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cciPanel), approximately 50% of cigarette customers reported that they visit a convenience store at least two times a week to purchase cigarettes. An additional one-third visits at least 2-3 times a week. So while cigarette sales may be slipping, visits to the c-store by tobacco customers remains strong, and that provides a steady opportunity to boost the market basket.

　　In an effort to learn the price tier of smokers' preferred cigarette brands, cciPanel participants were asked: "How would you classify the type of cigarettes you buy most often?"

　　Among cigarette buyers, three-quarters described the cigarettes that they most often purchase as premium-priced brands. Given the vast majority of cigarettes are planned purchases, an understanding of brand preferences is beneficial to tobacco retailers in terms of managing SKU assortment and stocking preferred brands to satisfy their customers.

　　Regulation Concerns

　　There are currently two federal lawsuits challenging the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) graphic cigarette health warning labels. Both lawsuits were appealed to different U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal with the Six Circuit Court upholding the graphic warning labels as being constitutional and the District of Columbia Circuit Court ruling that the graphic warnings are unconstitutional.

　　"In short, we have what is known as a 'conflict between the circuits' with two different U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal making seemingly contradictory rulings on the same issue," said Thomas Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO).

　　When it comes to formulating a tobacco strategy, retailers should continue engaging consumers about cigarettes. "Price is the biggest challenge, and waiting on buy downs that are getting better due to time and direct deposit," said Amer Hawatmeh, president and CEO of St. George Oil, which operates Coast to Coast convenience stores.

　　Hawatmeh firmly believes that the restrictions will actually help ameliorate the effects among consumers. "We have absolutely no control over it. Ultimately, the consumer is going to have to get used to it." Enditem