NACS Magazine

1 week ago | nacsmagazine.com | Chrissy Blasinsky

Keeping an eye on the competition, marketing to different demographics, providing an assortment of limited time offers and better-for-you options, incorporating online ordering and delivery, navigating fads and trends … these ingredients can advance a successful food program in convenience retail.

1 week ago | nacsmagazine.com | Ben Nussbaum |Chrissy Blasinsky

The annual NACS Leadership Forum was held on Amelia Island, Florida, in February. Industry executives gathered for networking and dynamic sessions on a range of pressing topics for the industry. Henry Armour has led NACS as president and CEO for two decades and was a highly engaged NACS member and an accomplished retailer before that, while Brian Hannasch was president and CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard before recently becoming a special advisor to the company.

2 weeks ago | nacsmagazine.com | Sarah Hamaker

Greg Cassis has been in the grocery store business since he was 14 and started as a bagger. “I worked my way up to temporary manager through college,” he said. After graduation, he decided to put his grocery experience to use. He bought a 2,100-square-foot corner store and turned the existing business into his own Greg’s Market located in Moundsville, West Virginia. “Luckily, my father owned that building, so he was able to work with me to get the store [up and running].

2 weeks ago | nacsmagazine.com | Pat Pape

It’s unlikely that anyone will ever encounter a genuine jackalope, Bigfoot, Wampus cat or North American convenience store that doesn’t sell packaged beverages. According to 7-Eleven, more than two-thirds of customers’ store trips include a beverage purchase, making it essential to provide a broad selection of drinks to satisfy consumer preferences.

1 month ago | nacsmagazine.com | Ben Nussbaum |Chrissy Blasinsky

This store is safe. That’s the message operators want to send to their customers and employees—and an important reality they make sure to protect. But how does safety seamlessly blend with customer experience and brand messaging? If some safety measures make a convenience store less convenient, at what point do they stop being a net positive? An easy example: Doors. Having multiple points of entry makes it easier for customers—as well as bad actors—to grab and go.