NRSInsights’ February 2025 Retail Same-Store Sales Report

Rhea-AI Summary

NRSInsights reports strong retail performance for February 2025, with same-store sales increasing 3.5% year-over-year across its network of approximately 34,800 active terminals nationwide. The network processed $1.7 billion in sales (+14% YoY) across 113 million transactions.

Key metrics show:

• Units sold increased 3.0% YoY
• Baskets decreased 0.9% YoY
• Average prices for top 500 items rose 2.3% YoY

Category performance highlights include strong growth in Smokeless Tobacco, Tequila, and Energy Beverages, while Gum experienced its first YoY decrease in over a year. The NRS network's three-month moving average same-store sales have outpaced the US Commerce Department's retail data by 1.0% on average over the past year.

Positive

• Same-store sales increased 3.5% YoY
• Total sales grew 14% YoY to $1.7 billion
• Transaction volume up 9% YoY
• Units sold increased 3.0% YoY
• Network expansion to 34,800 active terminals
• Strong performance in multiple product categories

Negative

• Baskets decreased 0.9% YoY
• Slower sales growth compared to January (3.5% vs 4.7%)
• Gum category showed first YoY decrease in over a year
• Declining performance in Confectionary and Sparkling Wine categories

Insights

Retail Industry Analyst

The February 2025 NRSInsights report reveals solid performance across IDT's National Retail Solutions network with 3.5% same-store sales growth year-over-year. This growth rate, while robust, shows some deceleration from January's 4.7% figure, indicating a moderating but still healthy growth trajectory. The 3.0% increase in units sold suggests sustained consumer demand despite economic pressures.

Particularly noteworthy is NRS's network expansion to 34,800 active terminals across approximately 30,300 independent retailers, representing substantial infrastructure growth. Monthly transaction volume reached $1.7 billion (+14% YoY) across 113 million transactions (+9% YoY), demonstrating that new terminal adoption is significantly outpacing same-store metrics.

The 2.3% price inflation metric shows moderation from January's 2.9%, potentially indicating easing inflation pressures in the small-format retail channel. The slight basket size decrease of 0.9% suggests consumers remain cautious about discretionary spending despite making more frequent purchases.

Product category performance reveals important consumer behavior shifts: continued strength in smokeless tobacco and tequila, energy beverages recovering, while gum sales declined for the first time in over a year. This mixed performance across categories indicates IDT's diversified retail network is capturing varying consumer preferences in predominantly urban markets.

NRS continues outperforming broader retail metrics, exceeding the Commerce Department's same-store benchmarks by an average of 1.0% over twelve months, though February slightly underperformed. IDT's strategic positioning in independent, urban retail provides valuable exposure to resilient consumer segments that typically remain steady during economic uncertainty.

Financial Analyst

The February 2025 NRSInsights report demonstrates that IDT's NRS division continues to be a significant growth driver for the company. The 14% year-over-year growth in total processed sales volume to $1.7 billion substantially outpaces the 3.5% same-store sales growth, indicating that network expansion remains a key value creation lever for IDT.

This expansion strategy appears highly effective as NRS has increased its terminal footprint while maintaining solid same-store metrics. The divergence between terminal count growth and same-store performance suggests IDT is successfully monetizing both its installed base and new merchant acquisitions.

For investors, the 9% transaction volume growth across the network provides insight into NRS's fee-based revenue potential, as transaction processing typically generates recurring revenue streams. The continued outperformance versus broader retail metrics by 1.0% on average over twelve months demonstrates the resilience of IDT's retail technology platform in the small-format independent retail segment.

The data also reveals important trends in NRS's market penetration, now operating in 203 of 210 U.S. designated market areas, creating a nearly nationwide footprint that enhances the platform's value to CPG suppliers and advertisers. This expanded coverage strengthens IDT's ability to monetize both transaction data and in-store digital advertising.

NRS appears to be maintaining its growth trajectory despite some moderation in year-over-year metrics. The consistent performance indicates the subsidiary continues to successfully execute its dual-revenue model: providing essential POS services to retailers while monetizing the resulting consumer data and advertising opportunities. This positions NRS as a sustainable growth engine for IDT with multiple avenues for revenue expansion.

February same-store sales increased 3.5% year-over-year^*

NEWARK, N.J., March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRSInsights, a provider of sales data and analytics drawn from retail transactions processed through the National Retail Solutions (NRS) point-of-sale (POS) platform, today announced comparative retail same-store sales results for February 2025.

As of February 28, 2025, the NRS retail network comprised approximately 34,800 active terminals nationwide, scanning purchases at approximately 30,300 independent retailers including convenience stores, bodegas, liquor stores, grocers, tobacco, and sundries sellers, predominantly serving urban consumers.

February Highlights^*

(^*Same-store sales, unit sales, transactions, and average price data refer to February 2025 and are compared to February 2024 unless otherwise noted. All comparisons are provided on a “per calendar day” basis to remove from consideration variability in the number of days per month or three month period.)

• SALES
  • Same-store sales increased 3.5% year-over-year. In the previous month (January 2025), same-store sales had increased 4.7% year-over-year.
  • Same-store sales increased 6.1% compared to the previous month (January 2025). Same-store sales in January 2025 had decreased (7.5)% compared to the previous month (December 2024).
  • For the three months ended February 28 2025, same-store sales increased 2.7% compared to the corresponding three months a year ago.

• UNITS SOLD
  • Units sold increased 3.0% year-over-year. In the previous month (January 2025), units sold had increased 2.3% year-over-year.
  • Units sold increased 5.0% compared to the previous month (January 2025). Units sold in January 2025 had decreased (3.1)% compared to the previous month (December 2024).
    
    
• BASKETS (TRANSACTIONS) PER STORE
  
  
  • Baskets decreased (0.9)% year-over-year. In the previous month (January 2025), baskets had increased 1.1% year-over-year.
  • Baskets increased 4.6% compared to the previous month (January 2025). Baskets in January 2025 had decreased (5.3)% compared to the previous month (December 2024).
    
    
• AVERAGE PRICES
  
  
  • A dollar-weighted average of prices for the top 500 items purchased increased 2.3% year-over-year, a lower rate of increase than the 2.9% year-over-year increase recorded in January 2025.

Retail Trade Comparative Data

The table below provides historical comparative data with the U.S. Commerce Department’s Advance Monthly Retail Trade same-store sales data excluding food service:

Over the past twelve months, the NRS network’s three-month moving average same-store sales have outpaced the US Commerce Department’s Advance Monthly Retail Trade data, excluding food services, by 1.0%, on average. However, in February, the Department’s three month rolling average increase exceeded the NRS network’s by 0.5%.

The NRSInsights data in the chart above have not been adjusted to reflect inflation, demographic distributions, seasonal buying patterns, item substitution, days per month, or other factors that may facilitate comparisons to other periods, to other same-store retail sales data, or to the U.S. Commerce Department’s retail data.

Commentary from Suzy Silliman (SVP, Data Strategy and Sales at NRS)

“Adjusting for leap year 2024, February 2025 dollar sales in same stores proved remarkably resilient, increasing meaningfully across the NRS network. Most DMAs (designated market areas) demonstrated overall sales growth including 23 of the top 25 markets.

“Smokeless Tobacco and Tequlia continue to enjoy strong year-over-year growth. Energy Beverages continues its multi-month recovery trend and Soft Drinks, Cigars, Rolling Papers, Prepared Cocktails and Vitamins & Supplements all had solid performance versus February 2024.

“The Gum category had its first year-over-year decrease in over a year, perhaps a sign that the category’s comeback has reached its plateau.

“Chocolate and Still Wine, two categories that typically show a seasonal spike for Valentine’s Day, both outperformed February 2024 on a leap-year adjusted basis, while their sister categories, Confectionary and Sparkling Wine/Champagne, suffered year-over-year declines.”

NRSInsights Reports

The NRSInsights monthly Same-Store Retail Sales Reports are intended to provide timely topline data reflective of sales at NRS’ network of independent, predominantly urban, retail stores.

Same-store data comparisons of February 2025 with February 2024 are derived from approximately 179 million transactions processed through the approximately 21,100 stores on the NRS network that scanned transactions in both months. Same-store data comparisons of February 2025 with January 2025 are derived from approximately 227 million transactions processed through approximately 29,300 stores.

Same-store data comparisons for the three months ended February 28, 2025 with the year-ago three months are derived from approximately 538 million scanned transactions processed through those stores that scanned transactions in both three-month periods.

NRS POS Platform

The NRS platform predominantly serves small-format, independent, retail stores nationwide including convenience stores, bodegas, liquor stores, grocers, tobacco, and sundries sellers. These independent retailers operate in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, and in 203 of the 210 designated market areas (DMAs) in the United States. During February 2025, NRS’ POS terminals processed $1.7 billion in sales (+14% year-over-year) across 113 million transactions (+9% year-over-year).

About National Retail Solutions (NRS):

National Retail Solutions operates the largest point-of-sale (POS) terminal-based platform and digital payment processing service for independent retailers nationwide. Retailers utilize NRS offerings to process transactions and effectively manage their businesses. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) suppliers, brokers, analytics firms, and advertisers access the terminal’s digital display network to reach these retailers’ predominantly urban, multi-cultural shopper base, and to harness transaction data-based learnings to identify growth opportunities and measure execution and returns on marketing investment. NRS is a subsidiary of IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT).

All statements above that are not purely about historical facts, including, but not limited to, those in which we use the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “target” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment of what may happen in the future, actual results may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these statements due to numerous important factors. Our filings with the SEC provide detailed information on such statements and risks, and should be consulted along with this release. To the extent permitted under applicable law, IDT assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

NRSInsights Contact:
Suzy Silliman
SVP, Data Strategy and Sales at NRS
National Retail Solutions
suzy.silliman@nrsplus.com

IDT Corporation Contact:
Bill Ulrey
william.ulrey@idt.net

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FAQ

What was NRSInsights' same-store sales growth in February 2025?

NRSInsights reported a 3.5% year-over-year increase in same-store sales for February 2025.

How many active terminals does NRSInsights' network include as of February 2025?

The NRS retail network comprised approximately 34,800 active terminals nationwide, serving about 30,300 independent retailers.

What was the total transaction value processed through NRS terminals in February 2025?

NRS POS terminals processed $1.7 billion in sales across 113 million transactions, representing a 14% increase year-over-year.

Which product categories showed strong performance in February 2025?

Smokeless Tobacco, Tequila, Energy Beverages, Soft Drinks, Cigars, Rolling Papers, Prepared Cocktails, and Vitamins & Supplements showed strong year-over-year performance.

How did NRSInsights' performance compare to the US Commerce Department's retail data?

Over the past twelve months, NRS network's three-month moving average same-store sales outpaced the US Commerce Department's data by 1.0% on average.