C-stores are energy stores. That could be gasoline, ions, coffee, foodservice—or energy beverages. 

Energy drinks and energy shots both rely on convenience stores as their primary route to consumers. Both promise functionality in the form of a boost of energy and focus. And both innovate through ingredients and flavors to please a variety of palates. 

After a sluggish 2024, energy drink sales are picking up. Dollar sales grew 7.9% and unit sales 5.7% during the 52-week period ending May 18, according to Circana. More than 1.8 billion energy drink units passed through c-stores during the 52 weeks. In that same time period, 60 million shots did the same. 

Drink It Up

John Herbert, senior category manager for truenorth convenience stores, can vouch for the sentiment that energy drinks are booming. And for the top brands in the segment, he describes sales as “phenomenal.”

“The state of energy is great,” he said. “[This year has] been up and down weather-wise, which has impacted the overall volume coming out of pack bev. Energy has remained strong and continues to grow as the year goes on and the weather improves.”

True North Energy, Brecksville, Ohio, owns and operates nearly 200 truenorth c-stores in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

The strength of the category lies in innovation, promotions and partnership, Herbert said.

“Red Bull has laid out and acted on one of the best flavor and LTO lineups that they’ve had to date,” Herbert said. “The flavor profiles, the timing and the promotional structure has really accelerated the growth through the first half of this year.”

This year’s Summer Edition White Peach is performing well, he said, while previous LTO flavor Grapefruit & Blossom provided a boost in the spring.

“I think their growth is driven by their innovation,” he said. “All their innovation is adding up to what I would call a record year for Red Bull.”

Meanwhile, Herbert has been working with Monster on a fresh promotional structure that is driving volume. 

“We’re figuring out new ways to communicate the savings to the consumer,” he said. “We’re not relying solely on two-fors. We’re trying to institute a buy-more, save-more approach.” 

That’s manifested as a promotion the chain calls the “6-7-8” deal, that is two 16-ounce Monster drinks for $6, three for $7 and four for $8. 

“It has accelerated the growth phenomenally over the past six weeks on all 16-ounce Monster,” Herbert said. “It increased our overall volume in those six weeks. In May, we saw [dollar] sales up just over 19% year to date and units up 15.9%.”

He also gives a nod to larger-scale innovation in the form of new brands. The addition of Bang Energy and Ghost Energy drinks in recent years has been beneficial. He added that Keurig Dr Pepper’s acquisition of Ghost Energy in late 2024 has given that brand a welcome boost.

Embracing Innovation

Four energy drinks were included in the top 10 of Circana’s 2024 New Product Pacesetters list in the food and beverage category, suggesting innovation can overcome the challenges of inflation and economic uncertainty. The top 10 list, which recognizes best-performing newer products and brands based on sales and reach, includes C4 Energy, Red Bull Sea Blue Edition, Prime Energy and Celsius Essentials. 

That’s the kind of innovation that Herbert looks for when adding new brands. He cited one recent new addition—Bum Energy—that opens the door to a new customer and new occasions. With caffeine content of 112 mg vs. the standard 200 mg, “It’s a much lower caffeine content than what’s out there currently,” he said. “You have a lot of folks chasing the highest caffeine count or another functional ingredient. Bum Energy, I think, reflects some burnout on that high end.”

Creating more options within the energy portfolio is the path Celsius Holdings is taking as well. The manufacturer of Celsius has long marketed its energy drink as a product to help consumers reach their fitness goals. Its ready-to-drink beverages contain a variety of vitamins and other ingredients to benefit digestion and serve as “an ideal pre-workout drink.” In January, it debuted Celsius Hydration, a line of flavored, electrolyte-based powder sticks without caffeine, to add to water.

Such innovation is expected to continue, according to Kyle Watson, chief marketing officer at Celsius. “We’re continuing to see a shift in the energy-drink category toward functional products,” she said. “Today’s consumers—especially Gen Z and Millennials—are looking beyond just energy or hydration; they want products that support a more balanced lifestyle, with functional ingredients like vitamins, electrolytes and zero sugar.”

Shoot Your Shot

Functional benefits extend to the energy shot segment, as well. The best-selling energy shot brand in c-stores, 5-hour Energy, and other brands have long included B vitamins, amino acids and other functional ingredients in its products, in addition to 200-230 mg of caffeine.

“For many, 5-hour Energy is part of a snack haul—hydration, snacks and 5-hour Energy [is] the perfect combo, if you ask us,” said Leah Key, president of Living Essentials, LLC, the parent company of 5-hour Energy. 

The difference-maker is flavors and promotions, she said. “LTOs drive sales with both current customers and new customers. We currently are selling our Cotton Candy flavor as an exclusive with 7-Eleven and our Fruity Rainbow flavor as an exclusive with Casey’s General Stores,” Key said. “For us, it’s not about staying ahead of the pack; it’s about staying true to ourselves. We’re a functional product and marketing it as such remains successful because customers want straightforward solutions to their problems.”

C-store sales of energy shots were flat to down in 2024, according to Circana. “Removing seniors, all other generations are embracing energy drinks. The shots
are a little more concentrated in Mille-nnials, Gen X and a little bit of boomers,” Sally Lyons Wyatt, global EVP at Circana, said. 

Compared to energy drinks, the shots category hasn’t seen a similar explosion of new products. Still, new entrants see opportunity.

Nappy Boy Drinks and its founder and CEO—rapper, singer and actor T-Pain—introduced Good Game energy shots to the convenience industry during the 2024 NACS Show. However, they just launched the drinks to the public this June during T-Pain’s Wiscansin Fest. The brand, marketed through Acosta, will roll out to c-stores nationally in two flavors—Strawberry Surge and Orange Vanilla Vortex—later in the year.

“We’re looking to introduce this to an audience that has never tried a shot or currently consumes shots and has been looking for something a little different or a little cleaner,” said Jason Tucker, president of Nappy Boy Dranks.

The company says the “proprietary blend of well-researched ingredients” includes 200 mg of caffeine, plus nootropics to “support focus and mental performance without the crash.” The company will market the brand primarily through social media to reach audiences in gaming, music and the drift community, three of T-Pain’s passions.

“Our CEO’s social following brings a lot of clout,” Tucker said. “He brings the same vibe that he tries to bring to his shows, which is inclusivity. That’s the same thing that we’re looking to emote with these products.”

He added, “People are attempting to do things with different flavors or different ingredients, but we want to build communities. That’s our intention; we’ll see what our results are.”