NRSInsights’ March 2025 Retail Same-Store Sales Report

Rhea-AI Summary

NRSInsights reported March 2025 retail same-store sales increased 2.3% year-over-year across its network of approximately 35,200 active terminals nationwide. The network processed $2.0 billion in sales (+16% YoY) across 134 million transactions.

Key metrics for March 2025:

• Units sold increased 2.4% YoY
• Baskets increased 0.2% YoY
• Average prices for top 500 items rose 2.1% YoY

Strong performance was seen in Energy Beverages, Soft Drinks, and Modern Oral Smokeless Tobacco. However, most BEVAL categories (Beer, FMB/Cider/Seltzer, Whiskey, Vodka, Still Wine) showed decreased sales, with Tequila being the exception. Salty Snacks recorded a double-digit sales decrease.

Insights

Retail Analytics Specialist

IDT's NRS division presents mixed signals in their March retail data. Same-store sales growth of 2.3% year-over-year shows clear deceleration from February's 3.5%, indicating a cooling trend in organic growth. However, the division's overall sales growth remains robust, with NRS processing $2.0 billion in March transactions, a substantial 16% year-over-year increase.

This divergence between metrics reveals that network expansion—not store-level performance—is driving IDT's growth in this segment. The terminal network has expanded to 35,200 active units serving 30,700 retailers, representing significant scale growth. The modest 0.2% increase in transaction count coupled with 2.4% unit sales growth suggests consumers are making nearly the same number of store visits but purchasing slightly more items per trip.

Category performance indicators show shifting consumer behavior in the urban independent retail sector: energy beverages, soft drinks, and oral tobacco products showing strength while alcoholic beverages (except tequila) and salty snacks declined. This indicates potential realignment of discretionary spending among the predominantly urban consumer base served by NRS retailers.

Worth noting is the network's historical outperformance versus broader retail metrics (0.8% average advantage over 12 months), but March data shows this advantage has temporarily reversed, with Department of Commerce metrics exceeding NRS by 0.8%. This potential convergence with broader retail trends requires monitoring to determine if it's an anomaly or the beginning of normalized performance.

Financial Data Analyst

The NRS platform data provides a valuable window into IDT's retail technology division, revealing strategic execution with nuanced performance. While headline same-store sales growth of 2.3% shows positive momentum, the sequential decline from February's 3.5% suggests a moderation in organic growth that bears watching.

Most compelling is the scale acceleration in NRS's network, which has expanded to approximately 35,200 terminals scanning 16% more sales year-over-year. This terminal deployment strategy is clearly working, with transaction volumes reaching 134 million in March. The platform's geographic penetration—now active in 204 of 210 DMAs nationwide—approaches saturation in terms of market coverage.

The widening gap between same-store performance (2.3%) and total network growth (16%) creates a dual narrative. While IDT continues to successfully deploy terminals and grow its network footprint, the modest transaction growth of just 0.2% at existing locations suggests organic traffic improvement at the store level.

This retail data should be viewed through the lens of NRS's dual revenue model: (1) transaction processing fees from retailers and (2) advertising/data services targeting CPG suppliers. The expanding terminal base enhances the latter opportunity, as evidenced by the increasingly granular category insights provided in this report. The price increase moderation to 2.1% (vs. 2.3% in February) aligns with broader inflation cooling and suggests revenue growth increasingly reflects real demand rather than price effects.

March same-store sales increased 2.3% year-over-year^*

NEWARK, N.J., April 07, 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 March 2025.

As of March 31, 2025, the NRS retail network comprised approximately 35,200 active terminals nationwide, scanning purchases at approximately 30,700 independent retailers including convenience stores, bodegas, liquor stores, grocers, and tobacco and sundries sellers, predominantly serving urban consumers.

March Highlights^*

(^*Same-store sales, unit sales, transactions, and average price data refer to March 2025 and are compared to March 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 2.3% year-over-year. In the previous month (February 2025), same-store sales had increased 3.5% year-over-year.
    

• • Same-store sales increased 5.3% compared to the previous month (February 2025). Same-store sales in February 2025 had increased 6.1% compared to the previous month (January 2025).
  • For the three months ended March 31, 2025, same-store sales increased 2.9% compared to the corresponding three months a year ago.

• UNITS SOLD
  • Units sold increased 2.4% year-over-year. In the previous month (February 2025), units sold had increased 3.0% year-over-year.
  • Units sold increased 4.9% compared to the previous month (February 2025). Units sold in February 2025 had increased 5.0% compared to the previous month (January 2025).
• BASKETS (TRANSACTIONS) PER STORE
  • Baskets increased 0.2% year-over-year. In the previous month (February 2025), baskets had decreased (0.9)% year-over-year.
  • Baskets increased 6.2% compared to the previous month (February 2025). Baskets in February 2025 had increased 4.6% compared to the previous month (January 2025).
• AVERAGE PRICES
  • A dollar-weighted average of prices for the top 500 items purchased increased 2.1% year-over-year, a lower rate of increase than the 2.3% increase recorded in February 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 0.8% on average. In March, the Department’s three month rolling average increase exceeded the NRS network’s by 0.8%.

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)

“The NRS network delivered a solid year-over-year increase in dollar sales for same-store scanning in March 2025. The increase was geographically widespread, with most DMAs, including twelve of the top fifteen, attaining sales increases. Inflationary pressures, meanwhile, continued to cool.

“Categories showing dollar sales strength in March included Energy Beverages, which maintained its recent momentum, and Soft Drinks. The Modern Oral Smokeless Tobacco segment also had a notably strong month while still enjoying potential upside through expanded distribution.

“Chocolates also had another good month after an impressive February (including Valentine’s Day). Gum, which last month suffered its first year-over-year decrease in over a year, rebounded in March with strong year-over-year growth.

“Categories with decreased sales included most of the leaders within the BEVAL super-category -- including Beer, FMB/Cider/Seltzer, Whiskey, Vodka, and Still Wine. Tequila was the notable exception, achieving both dollar and unit sales gains.

“The Salty Snack super category, led by Tortilla Chips, Potato Chips and Corn Chips, recorded a double-digit year-over-year sales decrease in March after a more moderate decline in February. Confections sales also continued to decrease compared to the year ago.”

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 March 2025 with March 2024 are derived from approximately 207 million transactions processed through the approximately 21,500 stores on the NRS network that scanned transactions in both months. Same-store data comparisons of March 2025 with February 2025 are derived from approximately 241 million transactions processed through approximately 29,600 stores.

Same-store data comparisons for the three months ended March 31, 2025 with the year-ago three months are derived from approximately 551 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, and tobacco and sundries sellers. These independent retailers operate in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, and in 204 of the 210 designated market areas (DMAs) in the United States. During March 2025, NRS’ POS terminals processed $2.0 billion in sales (+16% year-over-year) across 134 million transactions (+% 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 March 2025?

NRSInsights reported a 2.3% year-over-year increase in same-store sales for March 2025.

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

The NRS retail network comprised approximately 35,200 active terminals nationwide as of March 31, 2025.

Which product categories showed strong performance in NRSInsights' March 2025 report?

Energy Beverages, Soft Drinks, and Modern Oral Smokeless Tobacco showed strong performance, with Tequila also achieving gains in both dollar and unit sales.

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

NRS POS terminals processed $2.0 billion in sales during March 2025, representing a 16% increase year-over-year.

Which product categories showed declining sales in NRSInsights' March 2025 report?

Most BEVAL categories (Beer, FMB/Cider/Seltzer, Whiskey, Vodka, Still Wine) and Salty Snacks showed decreased sales, with the latter recording a double-digit decline.