NACS Magazine September 2025

Advancing Convenience & Fuel Retailing

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Advancing Convenience & Fuel Retailing

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ONTENTS NACS / SEPTEMBER 2025 FEATURES

34 Making a Brand Stand

Partnerships, differentiation and even playfulness in branding and marketing can keep customers coming back.

46

Level Up!

Developed by retailers for retailers, NACS Show Education Sessions help the entire industry succeed.

58 Wake Up Call: Get Ready

60

Chicago From 25 Angles

Check out expected—and unexpected— ways to enjoy your temporary home during the 2025 NACS Show.

for Sunrise 2027

This Q&A is brought to you by GS1 US. It’s time for retailers to prepare for the transition to 2-D barcodes.

70 Charging Forward

The environment for EV charging has changed but opportunities remain.

80 Making a Menu

Creating new prepared foods requires research, testing and innovation.

Benjamin R./Unsplash

STAY CONNECTED WITH NACS @nacsonline facebook.com/nacsonline instragram.com/nacs_online linkedin.com/company/nacs

Subscribe to NACS Daily—an indispensable “quick read” of industry headlines and legislative and regulatory news, along with knowledge and resources from NACS, delivered to your inbox every weekday. Subscribe at www.convenience.org/NACSdaily.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 1

ONTENTS NACS / SEPTEMBER 2025

106 Is Zero a Hero?

Ethanol-free gasoline can be a destination fuel for niche customers and operators of specialty equipment.

FEATURES

This article is brought to you by Abacus Lottery.

New integrations with POS systems can provide c-stores a winning ticket to increase lottery sales.

96 What’s Driving Travel Center Growth?

The why—and how—convenience retailers are investing in separate diesel fueling islands.

2 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

114

126

This article is brought to you by Ionna.

Harman Aulakh of Onvo shares what went into the company rebrand, what makes Onvo stand out and insights on its partnership with Penn State.

EVs and the Three C’s As EV usage continues to grow, and the pool of EV drivers expands, confidence, comfort and convenience drive charging visits.

118 Path to the Pump

An increasing number of drivers are willing to go out of their way to visit a convenience store just because they like it.

Q&A: Onvo

134 Making Giving Back a Core Value

Parker’s Kitchen fuels change for women in need at Parker’s House.

LuvTK/Adobe Stock

92 Lottery in Every Lane

ONTENTS NACS / SEPTEMBER 2025

IT’S A FACT

$4,057

The average gross profit dollars per store, per month from hot dispensed beverages in 2024.

CATEGORY CLOSE-UP PAGE 150

DEPARTMENTS 8

From the Editor

10 Faces of the Industry 12 NACS News 22 Convenience Cares 24 Inside Washington Retailers face regulatory confusion and risk customer frustration as USDA approves unprecedented state-level SNAP restrictions.

30 Ideas 2 Go 148 Gas Station Gourmet 150 Category Close-Up Hot dispensed beverage sales slow down but a hot cup of coffee remains an essential c-store staple.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE 4 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

The presence of an article in our magazine should not be permitted to constitute an expression of the association’s view.

phive2015/iStock

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/ SEPTEMBER 2025 EDITORIAL

NACS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jeff Lenard VP of NACS Media & Strategic Communications (703) 518-4272 jlenard@convenience.org

CHAIR: Brian Hannasch, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Ben Nussbaum Publisher & Editor-in-Chief (703) 518-4248 bnussbaum@convenience.org Leah Ash Editor/Writer lash@convenience.org Lauren Shanesy Editor/Writer lshanesy@convenience.org Noelle Riddle Editor/Writer nriddle@convenience.org Chrissy Blasinsky Digital & Content Strategist cblasinsky@convenience.org CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Amanda Baltazar, Joe Beeton, Sarah Hamaker, Al Hebert, Steve Holtz, Leigh Kunkel, Pat Pape, Keith Reid, Emma Tainter

DESIGN Ji Ho Creative Director jho@convenience.org Erika Freber Art Director efreber@convenience.org David Marvin Graphic Designer dmarvin@convenience.org

ADVERTISING Stacey Dodge Advertising Director/ Southeast (703) 518-4211 sdodge@convenience.org Jennifer Nichols Leidich National Advertising Manager/Northeast (703) 518-4276 jleidich@convenience.org

COME TOGETHER. DO MORE. Join us at conveniencecares.org

Ted Asprooth National Sales Manager/ Midwest, West (703) 518-4277 tasprooth@convenience.org

PUBLISHING Nancy Pappas Marketing Director (703) 518-4290 npappas@convenience.org Logan Dion Digital Media and Ad Trafficker (703) 864-3600 ldion@convenience.org

TREASURER: Annie Gauthier, CFO/Co-CEO, St. Romain Oil Co. LLC OFFICERS: Chris Bambury, Bambury Inc.; Varish Goyal, Loop Neighborhood Markets; Lonnie McQuirter, 36 Lyn Refuel Station; Charles McIlvaine, Coen Markets Inc.; Tony Miller, Retail Delek US GENERAL COUNSEL: Doug Kantor, NACS MEMBERS: Lisa Blalock, BP North America Inc.; Tom Brennan, Casey’s; Andrew Clyde, Murphy USA; Brian Donaldson, Maxol Limited; Terry Gallagher, Gasamat Oil Corp./Smoker Friendly; Erin Graziosi, Robinson Oil Corporation; Raymond Huff, HJB Convenience Corp.

dba Russell’s; Mark Jordan, Refuel Operating Co.; Brian McCarthy, Blarney Castle Oil Co.; Natalie Morhaus, RaceTrac Inc.; Jigar Patel, Fastime; Robert Razowsky, Rmarts LLC; Stanley Reynolds, 7-Eleven Inc.; Kristin Seabrook, Global Partners LP; Travis Sheetz, Sheetz Inc.; Babir Sultan, Fav Trip; Doug Yawberry, Weigel’s Stores Inc.; Scott Zietlow, Kwik Trip Inc. PAST CHAIRS: Victor Paterno, Philippine Seven Corp.; Don Rhoads, The Convenience Group LLC. SUPPLIER BOARD REPRESENTATIVES: Vito Maurici, McLane Co. Inc.; Brian Morrow, Chobani & La Colombe

NACS SUPPLIER BOARD SUPPLIER BOARD CHAIR: Vito Maurici, McLane Co. Inc. CHAIR-ELECT: Bryan Morrow, Chobani & La Colombe VICE CHAIRS: Mike Gilroy, Mars Wrigley; Jim Hughes, GALLO; Kevin LeMoyne, The Coca-Cola Co. MEMBERS: Tony Battaglia; Ryan Calong, Pabst Brewing Co.; Jerry Cutler, InComm Payments; Jack Dickinson, Dover Fueling Solutions; Matt Domingo, Reynolds; Mark Falconi, Greenridge Naturals; Ramona Giderof, Diageo Beer; Danielle Holloway, Altria Group Distribution Co.; Kevin Kraft, Tropicana Brands; Jay Nelson,

Excel Tire Gauge LLC; Jordan Nicgorski, JUUL Labs; Nick Paich, TriggerPoint Media; Sarah Vilim, Keurig Dr Pepper; Derek Zahajko, CAF Inc. GENERAL COUNSEL: Doug Kantor, NACS STAFF LIAISON: Bob Hughes, NACS RETAIL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES: Tom Brennan, Casey’s; Scott Hartman, Rutter’s; Kevin Smartt, TXB PAST CHAIRS: David Charles, Cash Depot; Brent Cotten, The Hershey Co.; Kevin Farley

NACS Magazine (ISSN 1939-4780) is published monthly by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Subscriptions are included in the dues paid by NACS member companies.

Subscriptions are also available to qualified recipients. The publisher reserves the right to limit the number of free subscriptions and to set related qualifications criteria.

Subscription requests: nacsmagazine@convenience.org POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NACS Magazine, 1600 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314-2792 USA. Contents © 2025 by the National Association of Convenience Stores.

Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria VA and additional mailing offices.

1600 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2792

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UP FRONT FROM THE EDITOR

W Ben Nussbaum Editor-in-Chief

Brand Building

hat’s a brand? It’s more than a logo.

It’s a feeling, a vibe—a personality.

Nike, Apple, Starbucks, Chipotle: These companies have a brand—a personality— that’s more than just the items they sell.

The industry has always had logos, of course, but not necessarily strong brands. That’s changing. Retailers are focused on a consistent personality across all customer touch points, whether that’s social media, the coffee bar or the prepared food menu.

Logos are easy. Brands are hard. “Making a Brand Stand” offers ideas for how to build retail brands. When it comes to brands, by definition, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but I hope the article provides great food for thought.

Speaking of food for thought—and food, for that matter—it’s almost time to meet in Chicago at the 2025 NACS Show. Bring your appetite to the Expo floor, where there are countless samples. Bring your preferred note-taking device as you capture the ideas, big or small,

8 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

that can change your business as you walk the Expo, catch up with old friends or meet new ones, and attend any of the Education Sessions.

Attending Education Sessions—about 50 opportunities to learn from the industry’s best and brightest, spread out over three days—is one of the highlights of my year. This issue of NACS Magazine contains previews for every 2025 NACS Show Education Session.

Another article highlight of this issue, for me, is on the charitable engagement of Parker’s Kitchen, “Making Giving Back a Core Value.” To go back to the idea of retail operations having a brand—a personality—how can companies choose their charitable engagement in a way that maximizes their impact in the community and simultaneously tells a narrative about the brand?

It turns out there’s an Education Session for that: “Crafting Stories that Amplify Your Brand Message.” Chances are good I’ll be in the audience for that one.

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UP FRONT FACES OF THE INDUSTRY

A Former Customer Finds Home Behind the Counter

J

osie Johnson was a regular customer at 36 Lyn Refuel Station in Minneapolis for 13 years before she became the store’s manager in 2022.

“My son practically grew up in the store. Lonnie [McQuirter, store owner] was always there to scoop him up when we came in, let him behind the counter, play Matchbox cars with him … there was always someone working at 36 Lyn who cared about us,” she said. “I was at a crossroads in my career—I have a background in social work, education and low-income advocacy—and when I interviewed at 36 Lyn, I told Lonnie, ‘I want to be the person for someone that you guys always were for me.’”

She spoke with NACS about: WHAT THE CONVENIENCE INDUSTRY MEANS TO HER We are that constant for the community. We open early and close late. We are that reliable destination that’s here with your coffee every day, no matter what. To be that for someone, to be the place that has everything they need— that’s what convenience means. It’s so meaningful to work in this industry and be the person who can always deliver or just put a smile on someone’s face so that they walk out of the store happy.

People will always need convenience stores, so I try to think about what I can do with that opportunity. You are the one setting someone up for success after they leave your store, whether they’re going to work in the morning 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Medjool dates in our store. We also carry sesame cookies and Ethiopian coffee, which they also said reminded them of home. After that, they would bring us plates of food after sundown and want to celebrate with us too. I’ve now learned to speak a couple phrases of Somali. When you speak to a child in their language who isn’t expecting it, their face really lights up! It shows you care about them, and it was really special to me that they wanted to share their culture with me.

Josie Johnson, store manager, 36 Lyn Refuel Station

or starting a road trip—whatever it is they’re on their way to do, they come to us for what they need to make their day better.

A MEANINGFUL MOMENT AT WORK We have a very diverse demographic in our area of south Minneapolis and we have a large Somali customer base. When I first started, the Muslim holiday Eid—which marks the end of Ramadan—came around, and I wanted to learn about its significance. I asked customers what Eid meant to them, and they told me with so much fervor and excitement because someone had actually even asked. They told me about how the prophet Muhammad would break his fast with a date, and we carry

WHY SHE WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO WORK IN CONVENIENCE I would challenge people to forego the status quo. This is so much more than working at a gas station. We are a family and a strong community, and there is so much gratitude in all my everyday interactions. You can have a huge impact on someone’s life, even just by being there as a smiling face.

It’s magical.

Do you have a frontline worker that showcases why convenience jobs are great jobs? We want to hear about them. Submit candidates for Faces of the Industry by emailing news@convenience.org.

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UP FRONT NACS NEWS

In June, NACS won a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding whether it could challenge the state of California’s Advanced Clean Cars I rule. With the win, the challenge is sent back to the trial court.

The California rule set standards requiring 22% of new vehicles sold in the state to be “zero emission” in model year 2025. The rule is a precursor to later California rules that over time would require 100% of new vehicles sold in California to be “zero emission.”

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled against NACS on the grounds that automakers would do the same thing regardless of whether the rules were in place.

In the court’s view, that left NACS and its partners without any legal complaint because invalidating the rule would not help them, leading the Supreme Court to consider whether that was the correct reading of the law and whether the

12 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

SeanPavonePhoto/ Adobe Stock

NACS Wins Supreme Court Case

case can proceed to the ultimate question of the legality of Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) waiver for California.

NACS argued that its members were harmed by the rule as written and the entire intent of the rule was to reduce the sale and use of motor fuel.

“We are pleased that the Supreme Court rejected California’s attempt to hide behind a hollow legal technicality,” said Doug Kantor, NACS general counsel.

“Everyone knows that by mandating specific vehicle technologies, the California rule limits the cars that could be bought in California and other states. If the rule had no impact, as California argued, there would be no reason for it to defend the rule in Court. The state’s own actions showed our coalition was right to bring this case.”

For California to set its own rules, it must be granted a waiver to do so by the EPA. Those waivers are supposed to be based upon the specific air quality needs in California.

Instead, California asked for a waiver based on its concern about global climate change, not California-specific air quality. NACS, coalition partners in the traditional and renewable fuels industries and several other states filed challenges to the waiver on the basis that global issues must, under the law, be addressed by national standards.

NACS presented evidence that picking one technology over others leads to worse outcomes for the environment and the economy.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 13

UP FRONT NACS NEWS

NACS Attends Partnership for a Healthier America Summit “What if food wasn’t the problem, but the solution?” asked José Andrés, Emmy Award-winning TV personality, restauranteur and founder of World Central Kitchen, in a welcome video kicking off the Good Food for All Summit 2025, which took place in June in Washington, D.C. The Summit, hosted by the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and the Global Food Institute, brought together leaders to address and improve the nation’s current food system.

NACS, which was named PHA’s 2019 Partner of the Year for spearheading the industry’s move toward healthier options, was a sponsor of the event. NACS Foundation Executive Director Kevin O’Connell and NACS Vice President of Media & Strategic Communications Jeff Lenard attended the event to represent the industry.

The summit focused on which levers can be pulled to realize the power of food to build health. As one speaker noted, 18% of the current U.S. gross domestic product is spent on healthcare, and 80% of healthcare expenses can be traced back to diet.

Showing how far the convenience industry has come in terms of being seen as a solution to the problem—as opposed to a contributor to it—the closing session focused on healthy corner stores, with an emphasis on how small-format stores can lead change and improve health.

“Beyond the presentations, a huge benefit for us was to connect with some of the leaders in the room, both in sharing ideas and finding possible opportunities to work together,” said Lenard.

Calendar of Events OCTOBER NACS Show October 14-17 | Chicago McCormick Place Chicago, Illinois NOVEMBER NACS Innovation Leadership Program at MIT November 02-07 | MIT Sloan School of Management Cambridge, Massachusetts NACS Women’s Leadership Program at Yale November 09-14 | Yale School of Management, Yale University New Haven, Connecticut

2026 MARCH NACS Human Resources Forum March 16-18 | Galt House Hotel Louisville, Kentucky NACS Day on the Hill March 17-18 | Four Seasons Washington D.C. Washington, D.C. APRIL NACS State of the Industry Summit April 14-16 | Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel Schaumburg, Illinois

NACS Leadership for Success April 27-May 01 | Hershey Lodge Hershey, Pennsylvania

JUNE NACS Convenience Summit Europe June 02-05 | Hilton Warsaw City Warsaw, Poland OCTOBER NACS Show October 06-09 | Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada

For a full listing of events and information, visit www.convenience.org/events.

14 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

UP FRONT NACS NEWS

New TEI Report Looks at Cost-Effective Fleet Emissions Reductions Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) are a critical component of the economy, but they also represent a significant source of emissions—despite accounting for only 5% of on-road vehicles in the United States. MHDVs contribute over 20% of the country’s transportation emissions. Reducing emissions from these vehicles while not imposing unreasonable costs on the owners and their customers requires careful consideration and evaluation of available options.

The Transportation Energy Institute (TEI) released a new report, “Practical Guide to Cost Effective Fleet Emissions Reductions,” which provides a flexible roadmap that can be tailored to the requirements of a variety of fleets, vehicle types and use cases. Small to large fleet operations can benefit from taking a close look at the options available to reduce emissions and how such options may affect capital and operational expenses.

“Zero-emission technologies like battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are still emerging but have demonstrated effectiveness in applications like transit bus fleets and urban delivery.

Some estimate that BEVs could meet the needs of 49–65% of MHDV truck routes, especially for regional delivery fleets,” the report said. “Meanwhile, FCEVs hold promise for long-haul operations due to their extended range and fast refueling capabilities. Although initial costs are high, advancements in zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) and fuel technologies are projected to bring total cost-of-driving parity with diesel by 2035, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).”

16 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

For fleets that are still waiting for technology and cost profiles to meet their needs, sustainable fuels provide an excellent interim option, particularly for legacy vehicles relying on internal combustion engines (ICEs), the report also stated.

TEI also released the AltFleet Economic Impact tool, which enables fleet owners and interested stakeholders to evaluate the environmental and economic impact of different vehicle technologies and fuel choices. Users can customize the tool to fit their markets and operations, from how the vehicles are used to how they will access energy to how the company will pay for them. The tool calculates all of these variables to deliver an economic and emissions reduction report to help guide decision makers as they consider their options.

For more, visit transportationenergy.org/research.

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UP FRONT NACS NEWS

Member News RETAILERS

Refuel promoted Travis Smith and Jon Rier from co-presidents to co-chief executive officers.

Mark Jordan, founder and current CEO of Refuel, stepped into the role of chairman of the Board.

Smith partnered with Jordan in 2016 and co-founded FR Refuel with First Reserve. He led the company’s acquisition-based growth strategy, expanding Refuel from South Carolina across the Southeastern United States.

Rier joined Refuel in 2019 as chief financial officer, leading the company’s finance, accounting, and IT functions. He previously spent 14 years with RaceTrac Petroleum in various leadership roles.

Love’s Travel Stops named Tim LangleyHawthorne as the company’s new chief technology Tim Langley­ officer (CTO).

Hawthorne In this role, he will report to Love’s president and be responsible for aligning technology with overall company strategy, driving product development and fostering technical innovation including the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence.

Abhi Patel has been promoted to vice president of information technology at Nouria, following the retirement of former CIO Doug New. Patel was previously

18 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

an assistant store manager before becoming Nouria’s first IT team member.

The Wills Group appointed Matt Simon as its chief marketing officer for its Dash In convenience Matt Simon stores and Splash In car washes. He will support Dash In and Splash In’s multi-state expansion, with a focus on Dash In’s growth in North and South Carolina.

Simon is the first chief marketing officer for the Wills Group family of companies. He will lead Dash In and Splash In’s ongoing efforts to deliver service excellence and ensure that Dash In Rewards mirrors Dash In’s elevated in-store experience.

SUPPLIERS

Erin Sunderman joined Liquid Barcodes as director of customer success. Sunderman will lead the customer success team operations across the United States and Europe and will be an influential member of the global management team. Most recently, she served as customer insights and loyalty manager for the 170-plus store convenience chain United Dairy Farmers, and before that, she worked with loyalty data at The Kroger Company.

Liljana (Lea) Marom joined the Liquid Barcodes U.S. team as an onboarding project manager.

Marom will provide new retail customers with concierge services to ensure a smooth program implementation.

Marom joins the team with a SaaS and technical background, most recently with Zoom.

Lucky Energy drink announced Lou Fabiano’s appointment as President.

Fabiano will Lou Fabiano report to Richard Laver, founder and CEO. Fabiano will oversee essential functions that drive velocity at Lucky Energy, leveraging his extensive experience in the beverage industry to promote transformational growth. He served as chief sales officer at AriZona Iced Tea for the past five years, having been promoted from vice president of convenience.

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UP FRONT NACS NEWS

New Members

NACS welcomes the following companies that joined the Association in June 2025. NACS membership is company-wide, so we encourage employees of member companies to create a username by visiting convenience.org/create-login. All members receive access to the NACS Online Membership directory and the latest industry news, information and resources. For more information about NACS membership, visit convenience.org/membership.

RETAILERS AFE Marianas LLC Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Mr. Cartender Inc. Uvalde, TX

America Petroleum South Salem, NY

Reddy 99 Inc. Oklahoma City, OK

American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association Sacramento, CA www.apca.us

Roettgers Company Inc. Milwaukee, WI

Australian Association of Convenience Stores Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia www.aacs.org.au Avi Smoke Shop & Fort Mojave Smoke Shop Mohave Valley, AZ Aztec Oil Inc. Little Orleans, MD Big Y Foods Inc. Springfield, MA Bob’s Country Store Jackson, MI Buddies 1 Stop Lakeway, TX Bunnell & Almann’s Petroleum Inc. Fresno, CA Fuel N Go Sugar Land, TX Lenawee Fuels Inc. Tecumseh, MI McFarland Oil Salida, CO www.mcfarlandoil.wixsite.com/ mcfoil Michigan Petroleum Association Lansing, MI www.mpamacs.org

20 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

SUPPLIERS Aonic Inc. San Francisco, CA www.aoniclife.com ARC Gaming & Technologies LLC Norcross, GA www.arcgt.com

Sandy’s Enola, PA

Attensi USA Inc. Boston, MA www.attensi.com

Self Serve Petroleum Inc. South San Francisco, CA www.selfservepetro.com

Bartelt Insulation Supply Inc. Appleton, WI www.barteltinsulation.com

StoneCreek Partners LLC Las Vegas, NV www.stonecreekllc.com

Bespoke Foods USA Ridgewood, NJ

Stop & Go LLC McMinnville, TN Temecula Fuels Corporation Temecula, CA Temperance Fuel Stop Inc. Temperance, MI The Depot Express Oxford, IA Top Star Express Inc. Emma, PA Urban Market LLC Bellingham, WA Gas King Oil Co. Ltd. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Grupo Eco Tijuana, Mexico Migrolino AG Suhr, Switzerland www.migrolino.ch Sareni Spa Orzinuovi, Italy Yukon Capital Toronto, Ontario, Canada

breathROX Neenah, WI CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc. Fairfax, VA www.cgi.com Cirkul Inc. Tampa, FL www.drinkcirkul.com Complete C-Store Solutions Taylor, AL www.ccsal.com Deligo Vision Technologies Ltd. Budapest, Hungary Drive Wheel Minneapolis, MN Echo Lake Foods Inc. Burlington, WI Epsilon Retail Media Broomfield, CO www.epsilon.com/us/industries/ retail FÜM Las Vegas, NV www.tryfum.com

GS Packaging Istanbul, Turkey www.gorselsanatlar.com.tr Illum Chicago, IL www.illumus.com JF Petroleum Group Morrisville, NC www.jfpetrogroup.com Jumex USA Doral, FL www.jumexinternational.com Kentucky Lottery Corporation Louisville, KY LAMP Nutra Carlsbad, CA Lassonde Pappas and Company Carneys Point, NJ www.lassondepappas.com Live Large Distribution Elkhart, IN www.amishpretzelco.com

Manage Petro North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada www.managepetro.com

South Texas Merchants Association San Antonio, TX www.mystma.com

Mile High Graphics Denver, CO www.milehighgraphics.com

Stanpac Inc. Smithville, Ontario, Canada www.stanpacnet.com

Morton Salt Inc. Chicago, IL www.mortonsalt.com

Trax Retail Denver, CO www.traxretail.com

My Brand Promo Inc. Saint Louis, MO

Trophy Nut Co. Inc. Tipp City, OH www.trophynut.com

Nextech Melbourne, FL www.nextechna.com

Ultimate Brands LLC Katy, TX

NSA Field Service Solutions San Antonio, FL

Your Dough Co. Watkinsville, GA www.yourdoughco.com

Plastic Ingenuity Cross Plains, WI Solink Corporation Kanata, Ontario, Canada www.solink.com

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CONVENIENCE CARES

7-Eleven Raises Over $3 Million for Charity The retailer’s Annual Miracle Tournament & Celebration Dinner benefits the Children’s Miracle Network.

D

uring its 34th Annual Miracle Tournament & Celebration Dinner, 7-Eleven Inc. raised more than $3 million to support Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals, benefitting member children’s hospitals across the United States.

“Over 600 supporters—including 7-Eleven Inc. franchise owners, vendors, suppliers and employees—came together to raise funds and celebrate the children who benefit directly from donations to CMN Hospitals,” said the retailer.

This year, more than 50 Champion Children and their families, each representing their local member children’s hospital, were present to engage with attendees, share their incredible journeys and take part in the fun and festivities.

Since 1991, the company has “raised more than $200 million for CMN Hospitals. Along with the Miracle

22 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Tournament & Celebration Dinner, fundraising efforts also include in-store campaigns at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores. The funds directly benefit local member hospitals.”

From June 25 through August 26, 7-Eleven and Stripes customers were invited to round up their purchase at checkout or donate $1 to their local member children’s hospital. Speedway stores continue to offer their year-round, in-store fundraising campaign benefiting CMN Hospitals.

According to the company’s 2024 Impact Report, the 7-Eleven family of fundraising efforts, which includes volunteer initiatives, charitable donations and instore fundraising campaigns, generated more than $17 million, supporting 112 local member children’s hospitals nationwide.

In The Community

1 CUBBY’S DONATES TO LOCAL SCHOOLS Cubby’s ongoing Raise Some Dough campaign, which donates $1 for every large one-topping Godfather’s Pizza Express pizza or breakfast pizza sold, raised $216,651 by the end of the first quarter of 2025, the retailer said.

The funds directly support local schools and youth-serving organizations. From classroom materials to athletic equipment and spirit merch for students and faculty, the donations “help create more enriching environments for learning and growth.”

2 REFUEL RAISES OVER $190,000 FOR CHARITY Refuel Operating Company hosted its 2nd Refuel Cares Annual Fishing Tournament in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and it raised $192,979.32. “Refuel has proudly donated over $1 million to LLS through our Refuel Cares initiatives and Point of Sale campaigns,” the company said.

1

“We were honored to be joined

by Zach, our Honored Hero and a T-cell leukemia survivor, who was diagnosed at just 10 years old. His strength, resilience and positive spirit remind us why this mission matters—and his story continues to inspire everything we do,” Refuel said.

3 THE WILLS GROUP DONATES $100,000 TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES The Wills Group, Maryland-based parent company of Dash In, was honored with a philanthropy award from Washington Business Journal.

“We are thrilled to announce we received Washington Business Journal’s 2025 Corporate Philanthropy Award. As part of our commitment to our ongoing community engagement work across the Mid-Atlantic region, we also announced a $100,000 donation to Capital Area Food Bank—a longstanding Wills Group partner and the featured nonprofit for the 2025 Corporate Philanthropy Awards event,” Wills Group said.

2

3

4 RUTTER’S DONATES $25,000 TO LOCAL CHARITY Rutter’s Children’s Charities made a $25,000 donation to the United Way of York County ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) scholarship program.

“High childcare costs force some York County parents out of work.

Many households need affordable and accessible childcare to stay employed,” Rutter’s said. The donation will go toward 35 scholarships.

5 MURPHY USA RAISES $1 MILLION FOR BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS Murphy USA raised $1,195,451.46 for its local Boys & Girls Clubs.

“We’ve crossed the finish line of Sprint 1 in our Great Futures Fueled Here campaign. … This achievement reflects the power of our people and our shared belief in building brighter futures for kids in our communities,” the retailer said.

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NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 23

INSIDE WASHINGTON

SNAP Choice Under Threat: States Move to Restrict What Customers Can Buy Retailers face regulatory confusion and risk customer frustration as USDA approves unprecedented state-level SNAP restrictions.

BY MARGARET MANNION

24 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

essential partner in this program, these freedoms also provide clarity and consistency in how they serve their customers.

But that principle is now at risk. A growing number of states are requesting federal waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to limit what SNAP benefits can be used to purchase, targeting items such as soda, energy drinks and candy. And for the first time in history, USDA is approving each waiver.

THE MAHA MOVEMENT GIVES NEW LIFE TO OLD SNAP BATTLES Health advocates, states and cities have attempted for years to get the federal government to ban foods or beverages they

ViDi Studio/ Adobe Stock

T

he Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical lifeline for working families and individuals, providing food access to millions of Americans during times of temporary hardship. A key strength of the program is its flexibility, empowering participants to select from a wide variety of foods based on their dietary needs, personal preferences or cultural values. This ability to make personal food choices is essential to helping families manage their health and maintain their dignity, without the federal government dictating how Americans feed themselves and their loved ones. For convenience stores and other SNAP retailers that are an

deem unhealthy from being purchased with SNAP benefits. Each time, the federal government has denied these requests, in large part due to the administrative burden that restrictions would impose. USDA has studied what implementing purchase restrictions would mean and concluded that limiting the food choices of SNAP recipients is both conceptually flawed and impractical.

The movement has new life now thanks to the Make America Healthy

Again (MAHA) agenda promoted

by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with support from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. After being sworn into office in February 2025, Secretary Rollins sent a letter to all 50 states encouraging them to act as “laboratories of innovation” and called on governors to submit SNAP waivers to encourage healthier eating.

Notably, this isn’t the first time that the Trump administration has received

SNAP waiver requests to ban certain foods. During President Trump’s first term, the state of Maine requested a SNAP waiver to ban the purchase of soda and candy. USDA denied the request, stating concerns that a ban would impose burdens on small businesses, increase administrative costs and “restrict what individuals could eat in their own homes without demonstrating clear evidence of meaningful health outcomes,” according to an article in The Washington Post. At the time, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue explained, “We don’t want to be in the business of picking winners and losers among food products in the marketplace, or in passing judgment about the relative benefits of individual food products.”

In May, however, Agriculture Secretary Rollins made history by approving the very first SNAP waiver request for the state of Nebraska, which plans to ban the sale of soda and energy drinks. Days later, USDA also approved waivers in Indiana and Iowa seeking to ban certain soft drinks and candy.

At the time of this article’s writing in July, USDA has also approved waivers in Utah, Idaho and Arkansas, and many NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 25

INSIDE WASHINGTON

UNWORKABLE RULES, UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES While these proposals are framed as public health measures, the implications for SNAP retailers are severe, especially for small-format retailers like convenience stores and multistate operators. Implementing complicated product-specific restrictions at the state level will mean major point-ofsale system overhauls, complex compliance protocols and extensive staff training. For many retailers, the cost and complexity of complying could be enormous, potentially forcing them to stop accepting SNAP altogether.

Take a look at the Iowa waiver that was approved in May. The state plans to prohibit customers from using SNAP benefits to purchase “all taxable food items as defined by the Iowa Department of Revenue,” using Chapter 423 of the Code of Iowa and Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 701-220 to define taxable and nontaxable food items. Idaho is planning to ban the purchase of soda and candy, but the definition the state uses for candy specifically excludes items containing flour—meaning you will still be able to buy certain candies, like Twix or KitKat bars for example, because they contain flour.

Simple, right?

In reality, the tax codes that many states like Iowa and Idaho are using to define “soda” or “candy” were written solely for sales tax administration, not federal nutrition policy. They are notoriously difficult to interpret— 26 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

ViDi Studio/ Adobe Stock

more states are awaiting their own waiver approvals. USDA is granting these waivers as state pilot projects for two years, with the ability to request yearly extensions for an additional three years. All states except Arkansas currently have a target implementation date of January 1, 2026.

A Closer Look at Approved SNAP Waivers NEBRASKA Under the Nebraska waiver, the state will exclude soda, soft drinks and energy drinks, as defined by: • Soda or soft drinks: Any carbonated non-alcoholic beverage that contains water, a sweetening agent (including but not limited to sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners), flavoring and carbon dioxide gas to create carbonation.

• Energy drinks: Carbonated or non-carbonated beverages containing a stimulant such as fortified caffeine, guarana, glucuronolactone or taurine. They may also include herbal extracts such as ginseng, mineral salts and vitamins, or high doses of organic acids, amino acids, inositol, sugars or other similar compounds in addition to sweeteners. Juices or natural fruit pulp or concentrates may also be added. Energy drinks are specifically formulated to enhance energy, alertness or physical performance.

Under the Nebraska waiver, beverages marketed primarily as sports drinks to increase hydration, like Gatorade, and medically necessary nutritional products are not included in the ban.

INDIANA Under the Indiana waiver, the state will ban soft drinks and candy, defined as: • Soft drinks: Any nonalcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners. The term does not include beverages that contain milk or milk products, soy, rice or similar milk substitutes, or are exclusively naturally sweetened using natural vegetable and/or fruit juice.

• Candy: Any preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops or pieces. The term does not include any preparation requiring refrigeration.

IOWA The Iowa waiver will prohibit SNAP purchases of “all taxable food items as defined by the Iowa Department of Revenue.” The state will use Chapter 423 of the Code of Iowa and Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 701-220 to define taxable and nontaxable food items.

The waiver approval contains a list of food products that are subject to sales tax, which includes but is not limited to: • Candy, candy-coated items and candy products, including gum, candy primarily intended for decorating baked goods and hard or soft candies including jelly beans, taffy, licorice and mints.

• Fruits, nuts or other ingredients in combination with sugar, chocolate, honey or other natural or artificial sweeteners in the form of bars, drops or pieces.

• Dried fruit leathers or other similar products prepared with natural or artificial sweeteners.

• Ready-to-eat caramel corn, kettle corn and other candy-coated popcorn.

• Caramel wraps, caramel or other candy-coated apples or other fruit; sweetened coconut; marshmallows; and granola bars, unless they contain flour.

• Carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, including but not limited to colas, ginger ale, near beer, root beer, lemonade, orangeade and all other drinks or punches with natural fruit or vegetable juice less than 50% by volume.

• Sweetened naturally or artificially sweetened water.

ARKANSAS Under the Arkansas waiver, the state is banning the following items: “soda, low and no-calorie soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, other unhealthy drinks and candy.” The ban will not extend to flavored water, carbonated flavored water or sports drinks. It does not provide further clarification for “other unhealthy drinks.”

The waiver explains that the state will use the GS1 US product classification framework and standards, including the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) (part of the UPC), to define ineligible foods. The waiver notes that GS1 US product classification standards offer industry-accepted categories to help businesses speak a common language when classifying and identifying products. However, it does not provide any further detail on how those standards will be applied or enforced under the waiver.

IDAHO Under the Idaho waiver, the state plans to ban soft drinks and candy, defined as: • Soft drinks: Any nonalcoholic beverage containing sweeteners. The definition does not include drinks with milk or milk substitutes, beverages with more than 50% juice and products that require preparation before consumption.

• Candy: Any preparation of sugar, honey or other sweeteners in combination with chocolates, fruit, nuts or other ingredients in the form of bars, drops or pieces. This definition does not include those items containing flour or requiring refrigeration.

UTAH The Utah waiver prohibits customers from using their SNAP benefits to purchase soft drinks, as defined by: • Soft drinks: Any nonalcoholic beverage that is made with carbonated water and is flavored and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. This definition does not include a beverage that contains milk, milk products, soy, rice or other milk substitutes, or that is greater than 50% vegetable or fruit juice by volume.

INSIDE WASHINGTON NACSPAC LIST especially when trying to determine where the 650,000 food and beverage products on the market today fall on the list (plus the thousands of new products introduced each year). Expecting SNAP retailers to navigate these complex definitions at the register is both unrealistic and unsustainable, and it may lead to a reduction in retailers participating in the program.

This would be a significant loss for the communities that SNAP retailers serve. Convenience stores operate in every corner of the country, including in rural areas and urban neighborhoods where grocery options are limited or nonexistent. Retailers are proud to serve as reliable food access points in their communities, especially for their SNAP customers. Pushing these retailers out of the program risks reducing food access for millions of Americans.

The differences among each state’s SNAP restrictions will also chip away at the consistency and predictability that has defined the program since its beginning. A fragmented system, where the same product may be eligible for SNAP in one state but not another, creates confusion for customers and compliance headaches for retailers who operate across multiple states.

WHAT SNAP RETAILERS NEED TO KNOW Restrictions on SNAP purchases are planned to take effect January 1, 2026, in Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah. Arkansas is expected to follow with a July 1 implementation date.

Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia have also requested waivers, but as of this article’s writing, they are still awaiting USDA approval.

Unfortunately, detailed guidance from each state’s SNAP agency remains limited or unclear. Retailers are still waiting for definitive banned 28 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

product lists and clear implementation timelines. To stay ahead, it’s essential to keep an open line of communication with your state agency and proactively seek clarification as new information is released. Reaching out to your state trade association may also provide helpful resources.

In the meantime, retailers should try to prepare now. Work with your point-of-sale system providers to ensure they can support these statespecific exclusions and product definitions. Also note that some states, like Arkansas, are using GS1 product classification codes to distinguish between eligible and ineligible items.

Staff training will also be critical.

Frontline employees need to clearly understand which products are banned under the new rules, especially since some states have indicated they will use secret shoppers to monitor retailer compliance. Retailers should also be prepared for increased customer confusion or frustration at checkout.

Posting clear signage or shelf tags to indicate SNAP-ineligible products may help make the checkout process smoother and less frustrating for customers.

As USDA considers additional waiver requests, NACS is urging policymakers to fully account for the operational burden on retailers, the threat to food access and the risk of undermining the SNAP program’s integrity.

For more information on each state waiver as they are approved, visit USDA’s website at www.fns.usda.gov/ snap/waivers/foodrestriction. For additional questions or information, reach out to me—Margaret Mannion at mmannion@convenience.org.

Margaret Mannion is a NACS director of government relations.

She can be reached at mmannion@ convenience.org.

NACSPAC was created in 1979 by NACS as the entity through which the association can legally contribute funds to political candidates supportive of our industry’s issues. For more information about NACSPAC and how political action committees (PACs) work, go to www. convenience.org/nacspac.

NACSPAC donors who made contributions in July 2025 are: Steve Bramlage Casey’s General Stores Inc. Nathaniel Doddridge Casey’s General Stores Inc. Dan Dolgner Vollrath Company LLC Linnea Fohlbrook Noka Brad Heetland Ultimate Sales and Services Lonnie McQuirter 36 Lyn Refuel Station James Morgan J.R. Morgan Oil Company Inc. Sarah Nesci Cheesewich Factory John Peyton Gate Petroleum Company Darren Rebelez Casey’s General Stores Inc. Paul Reid Reid Petroleum Corporation Elizabeth Waring Johnson & Johnson Inc.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 29

IDEAS 2 GO

A Store 40 Years in the Making Name of company: Let’s Go Market Date founded: 2023 # of stores: 2 Website: www.facebook.com/ letsgomarket2281/

30 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

A second-generation convenience store owner builds on the foundation laid by his parents.

BY SARAH HAMAKER After growing up in the family business, owning a convenience store became a natural career choice for Dennis Kim, owner of Let’s Go Market, which has two locations in Cleveland, Texas. “I’m a second-generation operator,” he said. His parents came to the United States from South Korea in 1979, and the first business they opened was a convenience store. “I joke that my current career was forty years in the making, since I helped my brother manage my parents’ chain of five to six locations,” he said.

When the opportunity to build his own store from the ground up presented itself, he took advantage and opened the first Let’s Go Market location in 2023.

He credits his parents, who are now transitioning to retirement, for teaching him the ins and outs of the convenience store industry. “I didn’t realize how much of the entrepreneurial spirit was in me, especially because I used to resent being the owner’s son. Now I appreciate it more as I serve the community and value the relationships we’ve created with customers,” Kim said.

BRIGHT IDEAS

For Kim, it took self-growth to transition into his role as a store owner.

“I have a real big advantage because I essentially grew up in the industry, but it took a paradigm shift from thinking ‘why do I have to do this?’ to ‘I have all this wealth of knowledge and experience, so why wouldn’t I do this?’” he said.

BEING CUSTOMER CENTRIC When Kim first opened Let’s Go Market, he listened to his customers before rushing to fill the shelves with generic items. “I wanted to match the needs of our customers to what we stocked,” he said. “While I stocked the c-store essentials, I deliberately left about 30% of my shelf space vacant to put in what my customers wanted.” A majority of his customers asked for an expanded automative department, and when he increased the items in that section, he found it brought in a higher dollar amount per transaction.

They also asked for Hispanic brands of ice cream, chips, candies, laundry detergent and other sundries. “I realized I was filling a huge need and the items have been very popular,” Kim said. He also partnered with a Mexican bakery to deliver sweet treats three

times a week and changed his coffee program to match what his customers wanted to drink.

To gather suggestions, each shift lead has a request sheet. Kim reviewed them on a daily basis in the store’s early days but now looks at them weekly. “We give all new items a try for a month or so, then determine if we should keep it or perhaps stock it seasonally,” he said.

BUILDING WITH CARE One thing he’s made a priority since day one is making sure his employees feel valued. “You can say ‘customer service is very important’ to your employees and cashiers, but from my perspective, it’s how the staff are treated that translates into good customer service,” he said. “I spend more time at work than with my own family, so I want to enjoy the people I work with.” Many of his employees previously worked for his parents—one of his managers has been with his family for 25 years and several others for a decade or more.

He encourages his employees to show that same form of care to customers and within the community.

Let’s Go Market sponsors local sports teams and donates to charitable drives. “I really train my managers

Dennis Kim recently opened the second location of Let’s Go Market and has expansion plans in his sights. “By next year, I hope to start bringing one or two new stores online per year to build on the foundation my parents laid out,” Kim said. “I have aggressive growth plans for Let’s Go Market, and as I build the business, I will be able to implement some of the ideas I have that only make sense for multiple stores, such as private label products and branded fresh foodservice.”

He has a large kitchen area waiting for when he’s ready to start a foodservice offer. “I want to do a more bespoke model for us as a way to differentiate ourselves from other convenience stores,” Kim said.

and employees to tell me about ways to help our community,” he said.

Overall, Kim is thoughtful about building his company. “In the current landscape, independent operators are surrounded by large chains, which can make business very tough and time intensive,” he said. “You have to sacrifice a lot, and if you don’t love what you do, you shouldn’t do it. But if you do love it, it won’t feel like work. For me, I love dealing with people and meeting different people, so it’s a great business to be in every day.”

Sarah Hamaker is a freelance writer, NACS Magazine contributor and award-winning romantic suspense author based in Fairfax, Virginia. Visit her online at sarahhamakerfiction.com.

NACS Ideas 2 Go showcases how retailers today are operating the convenience store of tomorrow.

To see videos of the c-stores we profiled in 2024 and earlier, go to www.convenience.org/Ideas2Go. NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 31

NOT FOR SALE TO MINORS: This is an age-restricted product. Age verification is required for purchase.

CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

WARNING: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NICOTINE. NICOTINE IS AN ADDICTIVE CHEMICAL.W

32 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 33

34 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

R B AN D

T A S D

MAKING A

BY AMANDA BALTAZAR

Partnerships, differentiation and even playfulness in branding and marketing can keep customers coming back.

I

n 2021, Weigel’s began working with University of Tennessee (UT) athletes, and that has become “the most exciting part of our branding strategy,” said Nick Triantafellou, director of marketing and merchandising for the Powell, Tennessee-based company.

“We’re not just a gas station,” he said. “We’re part of the starting lineup now. We are more than tradition and milk; now we are humor, fandom and sports.”

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 35

These [NIL] promotions build more than transactions— they build pride and belonging in the communities we serve.

Weigel’s NIL partnerships have “transformed” its brand: “People view us as part of sports. We’re still a gas station, and we now belong in this [other] space,” said Nick Triantafellou, director of marketing and merchandising.

36 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Creating a strong brand for a convenience store is essential to creating loyal customers, building brand recognition and keeping sales up. According to a 2024 NielsenIQ study, 30% of company revenue is generated on the strength of a brand.

Weigel’s agreement with the UT athletes is a name, image and likeness (NIL) agreement.

This has gone a long way toward boosting Weigel’s engagement with its customers, Triantafellou said.

The c-store company began working with baseball players when Weigel’s noticed its social media posts about player performance and other details were getting thousands of likes. “We saw the opportunity—this is what they’re passionate about, so let’s meet there,” he said. “We realized everyone who’s our customer is a humongous University of Tennessee fan.”

Weigel’s has also done special promotions, such as offering customers a free 24-ounce Coca-Cola every time one of its sponsored athletes hit a home run or struck out six batters. The company gave away 97,000 free drinks last year.

“The cost of the drinks is nothing compared to what we gained. The engagement, the brand lift and the growth in our loyalty program made the ROI on those promotions undeniable,” said Triantafellou.

“NIL has created brand fans for life: customers who won’t shop anywhere else because they feel seen by what we do on social and how we reward them through our loyalty program. These promotions build

We saw the opportunity—this is what they’re passionate about, so let’s meet there. more than transactions—they build pride and belonging in the communities we serve.”

Weigel’s has also caught the attention of sports commentators, who talk about the partnership during games.

“The loyalty and fandom we’ve achieved is amazing,” said Triantafellou. “People view us as part of sports. We’re still a gas station, and we now belong in this [other] space.”

The branding has taken on a life of its own. Since it began, Weigel’s has created 12 commercials featuring the UT athletes, with “many more” in the pipeline, replacing its commercials about what consumers can buy at the convenience stores. Said Triantafellou: “We have changed ourselves in the eyes of the consumer.”

Weigel’s has expanded its athlete partnerships beyond just one sport—now including

teams such as volleyball and soccer—and has started working with athletes from regional universities as well. “With over 60 athletes signed, we believe every one of them represents the heartbeat of the communities we serve,” Triantafellou said.

Cenex has also used sporting events to boost its branding. The company partners with the Northern Rodeo Association and previously partnered with the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. It also partners with 12 colleges and universities throughout the Midwest within the Cenex footprint, such as the University of Wisconsin and the University of Iowa, and professional sports teams such as the Green Bay Packers.

“It creates great brand recognition,” said Kim Bobzien, expert marketing specialist

Cenex partners with the Northern Rodeo Association to help boost its branding. Many of its customers are farmers with family members involved in the rodeo.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 37

Wally’s built a brand based around nostalgia— and sells plenty of merchandise based around its brand. Visitors will often buy the branded items as a gift, spreading the Wally’s brand around the country.

38 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

for Cenex parent company CHS, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. “We love our sports sponsorships.”

Cenex’s branding is slightly different for each group it works with. Some campaigns feature in-stadium branding (such as on the scoreboard, the wraparound board, the concessions area or the TV screens); some include radio or TV commercials; and some are digital, such as banner ads on the partner’s website. Cenex might sponsor a sweepstakes and provide the prize for it, or it might run a contest on social media featuring Cenex’s logo.

The rodeo associations are important to Cenex customers because many are farmers with family members involved in the rodeo, said Matt Mohs, vice president, Go To Market, CHS. “It’s important to keep that branding in front of people’s eyes,” he said.

For the Northern Rodeo Association partnership, Cenex creates cobranded social media posts and tags Cenex. For the Green Bay Packers, there are ongoing social media campaigns. “It’s a great opportunity to get the logo out there and be really ingrained in these partnerships with teams people love,” Bobzien said.

DIG INTO THE DETAILS— AND HAVE FUN Branding is central to the design of Wally’s convenience stores.

This Fenton, Missouri-based company’s stores are full of Wally’s-branded merchandise, from playing cards to bumper stickers, and the stores are unlike any other. They’re designed to be fun with a road trip vibe, appealing especially to people traveling through the area. Each features a 1970s Winnebago that’s open on one side and displays merchandise on interior shelving.

The stores also feature a diorama of taxidermied animals using and wearing Wally’s merchandise and clothing.

“The branding is part of the experience,” said Andy Strom, chief experience officer.

“We’re trying to create something that not only elicits an experience, nostalgia, timelessness and fun but that’s also extremely memorable.”

We design our merchandise to be fun, bold and giftable.

People want to come back and discover something new, he said, and they often buy branded items as gifts. “Then the branding travels across the country,” Strom said. “We design our merchandise to be fun, bold and giftable so people buy it for themselves, but they can’t wait to give it to someone else. It’s a walking billboard. We’re turning everyday items into brand ambassadors.”

InConvenience Inc, Chicago, is remodeling several stores previously owned by SQRL Service Stations and rebranding them as The Gas Spot convenience stores. Twelve are open so far. There are four in Missouri, with another coming by year-end; of the five in Arkansas, one is open, with the rest to follow later this year. The company also has stores in Iowa that it will remodel or open by the end of the year.

The company is taking the rebranding very seriously while having fun at the same time, said brand manager Alicia LaFollette.

To build the new brand, InConvenience executives asked themselves what they want the company to be known for and how they could carry that experience through all of the stores.

LaFollette spent her first weeks with the company diving into market research and exploring details about the stores’ audience.

She discovered that 52% of the audience is female and came up with the key terms of warm, inviting, friendly, clean and safe.

Those words guided the team to the colors they chose and how they selected interior signage, including fun bathroom and beer cave signage.

The colors, said LaFollette, “make a huge difference.” There’s a darker dusty blue, a lighter blue, a mustardy gold and a cream

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 39

color as an accent, and every location has a two-tone wall with a chair rail. Including blues and having more than white walls means that Gas Spot locations “lean toward that boutique market,” she said.

The company wanted the stores to feel different. “We had a goal of making it a place you want to spend some time in,” said LaFollette. Areas with chairs meant for customers who’d like to stay awhile are called Gathering Spots—or, more familiarly, G Spots. “We want people to have fun with it,” she said.

InConvenience Inc dug into its market to determine the brand for its new c-stores the Gas Spot. The research helped the company determine the brand colors, along with signage and the store layout.

40 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

“Everyone I initially pitched this [G-Spot branding] to said, ‘You’re crazy—you’ll offend people,’ and that is not my intent,” said CEO Tiffany Fraley. “We need to stop taking ourselves so seriously, and then it becomes fun. As our branding strategy grows and we put more and more into it, we have more opportunity, and there’s nothing out there like this.”

Other parts of the stores are also branded.

Packaged beverages and the coolers are always The Gulp Spot; coffee and soda is Refresh and Refuel (featuring a gas pump

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logo pouring liquid into a coffee mug); private label general merchandise is in The Gear Spot. “We try to use a letter G wherever we can,” LaFollette said.

Gas Spot also recently introduced Clutch the Clam as its brand mascot.

A lot of thought went into Clutch’s creation and the strategy behind it.

Clams, says Fraley, “are nature’s unsung heroes. They keep their ecosystems clean, they stabilize their environments and they thrive by doing the little things right.” This was all part of the backstory InConvenience has created to make its brand strong. Clams are usually the first to let us know when things go wrong, she said, “which is a reminder to us to pay attention, adapt and protect what matters.” Clutch’s name is a reminder to people not to clutch their pearls.

‘DON’T TRY TO BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE’ The most important thing to look at when analyzing your brand is to determine what makes it unique, said Ernie Harker, president of ErnBurn, a brand development consultancy in Salt Lake City, and former head of marketing for Maverik.

The second thing to think about is who your customer is and why they would care about your brand—and be very specific.

Customers want a brand, Harker said, that’s “highly attractive” to them. But if you put the customer’s identity before the store’s identity, he said, “you lose yourself—[then] you don’t have the energy to maintain the brand, and it doesn’t come across as authentic.”

For Maverik, for example, he said, it’s all about adventure elevating life, and that vein

runs through everything. For Stinker Stores, all branding revolves around its mascot, Polecat Pete, which “helps people remember what’s unique about them,” said Harker.

“They have a little moxie.

Getting away from that … would have taken the difference and the attractiveness out of that company,” Harker said.

“When you create a personality that is super highly targeted, you’ll actually get more loyal customers.”

Harker likes to start with some questions when creating a brand: What makes you unique? What do your customers want?

What are your six brand adjectives? Exciting, safe, clean, fun? Harker has a rule that two of these must be adjectives that can’t be used to describe any other c-store company, and those are the hardest to come up with.

Once you’ve determined your brand, “you have to make sure it’s in everything you do,” he said. It even helps you hire the right people: those who care about what you care about. It makes sure your message is internal as well as external. “You have to drink the Kool-Aid too.”

BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT IN-STORE CHANGES Harker is also a big fan of rebranding or refreshing “so your customers know you’re alive—that someone is breathing behind the steering wheel.” C-stores should do a brand refresh every 15 years or so, he said.

A small refresh can emphasize what you stand for, and it’s important to change for more than change’s sake. If you’re environmentally friendly but have a red and black logo, it’s not inherent, so a simple color change to greens, yellows, or blues could communicate a lot to customers. That color change can ripple through everything in the store. “Brand colors, fonts and tone are all based on a specific strategy to elicit

The most important thing to look at when analyzing your brand is to determine what makes it unique. a reaction from your customers,” Harker said. “If you know what it is, you can architect a visual and an experience that will elicit that reaction.”

To make sure there’s an easy or seamless transition, c-stores should be thorough in showing employees first how and why they’ve made the changes, maybe through a video or written materials, Harker pointed out.

It’s important to make a big deal about this, he continued. Launch it, create new marketing materials and heavily invest for the first three to six months to explain what the difference is from the old brand to the new one. “Make sure you draw a connection,” he said. “If there’s a vacuum of information, customers will come up with their own reasons for the change. Promote the messaging in your marketing and advertising so you bring them along with you.”

Rebranding is a good idea “when there becomes a disconnection from a chain’s original strategy to what the current brand stands for,” said Tim Girvin, founder and chief creative officer of Girvin, a strategic branding and design company in Seattle.

“This could wrap around market trends, experience expectations, the c-store is changing, the footprint for offerings is widening, and what people want, or expect, has shifted.”

To get started with a rebrand, he suggested first conducting an audit to create “renewed clarity about positioning, values and personality—where the brand was, where it is and goals for future representation.” This strategic reckoning, Girvin said, will help the brand “get to the next level of experiential expression and customer relationship strategies.”

Once you’ve done this, “there should be a recognizable brand style that flows through every touchpoint for guests’ journeys in the c-store experience strategy,” he said.

Stores should build a style and a disciplined, no-nonsense brand guide and stick with its

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principles. The most important things to remember, he added, are consistency and cohesion. “If the experiences and brand contacts are consistent, they cohere in the mind of the experiencer.”

Girvin recommends convenience companies ask themselves: What’s their story?

Who’s telling it? What does it sound and feel like? Who’s it for—and, crucially, who cares? “Any good brand has a story, and it’s important to reflect on how this story would be told. And what is its voice and origination?

Feeling counts for everything and is the vibe of the brand, so people say ‘I know this place, I fit in here, it’s made for me.’”

In your rebranding strategy, think big and think small, Girvin suggested. Make a big statement with some kind of spectacle, but “it’s often the small touches that people remember,” he said. “Big opening statements have their own memorable character, but the interior arrays of experience contact are where the sales are.”

Amanda Baltazar writes about retail, food and restaurants from an island in the soggy Pacific Northwest.

She covers operations, design, marketing and trends for B2B publications.

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Developed by retailers for retailers, NACS Show Education Sessions help the entire industry succeed.

The NACS Show heads to McCormick Place in Chicago this year, with the event kicking off October 14 and running through October 17. More than 24,000 people will converge on the Windy City for ideas on how to better run their business, networking, inspiration and fun.

Education Sessions take place Oct. 14-16 and cover everything from underground storage tanks to the art of negotiation to building a tech stack. There’s something for everyone.

Use this list to find your favorites and start to build your schedule, and be sure to check out NACSShow.com for Education Session speakers and updates and a complete schedule of the 2025 NACS Show.

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THE 2025 NACS SHOW

TAKES PLACE OCT. 14-17 AT MCCORMICK PLACE IN CHICAGO.

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BUSINESS STRATEGY

Economic Trends Shaping the Future of Retail TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 3:15 P.M. As we look ahead to 2026, this session will provide an overview of the economic trends impacting the retail and convenience sectors, from inflation and consumer spending shifts to supply chain and technology. We’ll break down what these trends mean for your business, offering insights to help you adapt, stay competitive and plan for future growth.

Whether you’re looking to optimize pricing, improve operational efficiency or understand consumer behavior, this session will help you navigate current and future economic trends.

Gen X: The Spending Force You’re Overlooking WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. For years, Gen X has been dubbed “the forgotten generation” in media, policy, and even marketing.

Skipped over or bundled in with Boomers or Millennials, this small but mighty generation has quietly led global consumer spending since 2021—and will continue to do so until 2033.

The X Factor, a continuation of NIQ and World Data Lab’s groundbreaking generational spending series, analyzes the spending priorities and motivations of the Gen X cohort—consumers born between 1965 and 1980. In this session, we will decode and predict Gen X spending patterns worldwide, arming both manufacturers and retailers with the data and insights they need to win more Gen X share of wallet.

Gen X isn’t a transitional generation; it’s your present-day profit center. If you aren’t marketing to or engaging Gen X, you’ve already missed out on roughly $4 trillion in global spending. To maximize their loyalty and customer lifetime value, the time to act is now. Find out how in this session.

State of the Industry Updates THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. In this data-rich session, attendees will analyze key industry benchmarks from exclusive NACS State of the Industry data. The presentation will focus on the U.S. c-store industry’s financial performance, operational trends and market positioning, highlighting strengths and potential growth areas.

Attendees will leave with a more precise roadmap for driving strategic initiatives in 2026, enhancing their competitive advantage and positioning their organizations for long-term success.

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The Art of Negotiation TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. Negotiation isn’t just for larger companies—it’s a skill every operator can master. Whether you’re looking for better contract terms, renegotiating service agreements or resolving a challenging situation, this session will provide you with strategies that successful negotiators use to achieve win-win outcomes. Tailored for smaller operators and district managers with less experience in high-stakes negotiations, this Education Session breaks down the essential steps and offers practical insights to help you navigate negotiations confidently, regardless of your business size.

Unlocking the Power of Data for Smaller Retailers TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. Data-driven decisions aren’t just for the big players.

This session is tailored for small operators looking to harness the power of data analytics without an in-house data team. Learn where to find meaningful data, how to interpret it, and—most importantly—how to turn it into actionable insights. Whether you’re running a single location or managing a small team, you’ll walk away with practical tools and strategies to make smarter, faster business decisions with the data already at your fingertips.

CATEGORY MANAGEMENT

Cracking Open the Potential of THC Beverages WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. What are THC beverages? Learn about this fastgrowing adult beverage category—from what they are to who’s buying them. Learn how to stock, display and educate around this high-potential category. We’ll break down consumer trends and use cases, product formats, merchandising strategies, compliance and staff education.

Effective Inventory Management with Real-Time Data WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. Discover how innovative convenience retailers are leveraging technology and data analytics to streamline operations, reduce costs and optimize inventory management. Through real-world case studies, you’ll learn how smarter tech-driven strategies are improving product availability, enhancing the customer experience and boosting profitability.

GLP-1s and the New Snack Equation TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 3:15 P.M. The rise of GLP-1 medications is reshaping consumer behavior, and convenience retail is at the forefront of this shift. As appetite patterns change, so do shopping habits. This session dives into how GLP-1s are influencing snacking trends and consumer choices and what it means for the future of convenience retail. Learn how to adapt your product offerings and marketing strategies to meet the needs of a population with smaller appetites and higher expectations.

Protecting Your Business from Counterfeit Products THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. The rise of counterfeit lighters flooding the U.S. market poses a significant risk to retailers and consumers alike. In this session, we’ll dive into the dangers of purchasing and distributing fake lighters, covering how to identify counterfeit products and their legal implications. We’ll also highlight how companies protect their customers by offering indemnification for those who purchase authentic products. Experts will provide insights on best practices for preventing counterfeit sales and ensuring compliance. Join us to learn how to safeguard your business and leverage trusted sources to maintain product integrity.

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Sort It Out: The Product Category Showdown THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. Think you know where every product belongs?

Join us for a fast-paced, game show-style session where we put your categorization instincts to the test. Using NACS category definitions, participants will sort real (and sometimes tricky!) in-store merchandise—then learn the reasoning behind each placement. We’ll uncover the logic and strategy behind product categorization, and explore how the right structure can drive discovery, sales and operational clarity. Come for the fun, stay for the insights!

The Evolving Tobacco and Vape Landscape TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. The tobacco and vape categories continue to evolve rapidly, shaped by shifting consumer preferences, regulatory changes and innovation.

In this session, we’ll explore how convenience retailers can successfully manage these highmargin categories while staying compliant and responsive to market trends. Learn strategies to optimize assortment, navigate age-verification and marketing regulations, and adapt to the growing demand for alternative nicotine products. Gain insights from real-world examples and leave with actionable ideas to protect and grow your tobacco and vape business.

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The Snack Breakdown TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:00 P.M. Explore the evolving world of snacks in convenience retail with a deep dive into what’s driving category trends. From emerging consumer preferences to innovation on store shelves, this session unpacks what’s hot, what’s next and how to stay in the know.

It is perfect for anyone looking to understand the pulse of snacking and unlock growth in a fastmoving retail space.

What’s Really in the Can? Selling Alcohol-Infused Products WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. As beverage, beer and liquor brand collaborations expand, more adult beverages are hitting store shelves and creating new opportunities for c-stores to attract new customers and grow category sales.

This session explores strategies for clear labeling, in-store signage, employee training and responsible merchandising.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Major Developments in Global Convenience Retail That Can Boost or Bust Your Business WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. Explore a world of inspiration as this session uncovers the most relevant changes in convenience

and fuel retailing, providing insight into how forward-thinking retail companies transform their markets and outpace their competitors across continents. From revolutionary store formats and immersive digital experiences to cutting-edge technologies and innovative customer engagement tactics, we’ll spotlight bold innovations that are redefining the global retail landscape. Walk away with practical ideas and fresh perspectives you can adapt to elevate your own business.

Refreshing Your Stores Without Razing and Rebuilding WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. A full remodel isn’t the only path to a fresh, modern store experience. In this session, we’ll explore creative, cost-effective ways to breathe new life into older retail spaces. From lighting upgrades and layout tweaks to signage, merchandising tricks and simple cosmetic updates, discover practical ideas that can make a big visual impact. Real-world examples and peer insights will show how small changes can lead to big improvements in customer experience and perception.

FOODSERVICE

Decoding the FDA’s Traceability Rule WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. While the compliance deadline for the FDA’s food traceability rule has been delayed, retailers still need to be prepared. It’s crucial to use this window to build and test your traceability plan and protocols.

In this session, we’ll break down the key components of the rule, including which foods you need to track, how to implement a traceability plan, and steps for compliance as the deadline approaches.

Hot Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Navigating Flavor Trends WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. In this session, we’ll break down the lifecycle of flavor trends and Limited Time Offers (LTOs), from their initial buzz to their mainstream appeal (or quick fade). Using a retailer case study, we’ll explore the process of identifying a hot flavor, developing it, and then deciding whether it has the potential for longterm success or is just a flash in the pan.

More Than Just a Cup: Transforming Convenience Coffee THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. The range of brewing options in the convenience space is broad, from traditional drip and beanto-cup to espresso, cold brew and bean-to-batch systems. In 2024, coffee accounted for over two-thirds of hot dispensed category sales (67.8%), followed by cappuccino and specialty coffee (21%

of category sales), according to NACS State of the Industry data. Regardless of your set-up and offer, the opportunities to grow this category are immense. This session equips operators with insights and strategies for taking their coffee program to the next level.

Minimizing Risk With Food Safety Scenario Planning TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. A foodborne illness can disrupt the entire food supply chain, from growers to retailers to consumers. In this interactive session, industry experts will guide you through steps to respond quickly and efficiently. You’ll learn the critical timelines for action, how to manage your risk of regulatory exposure, and the potential civil and criminal liabilities. Prepare your team to take decisive action in a real-world situation, ensuring you can respond in minutes to protect public health and your business.

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The Why Behind the Buy: Strategic Equipment Planning for Foodservice TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:00 P.M. This session will dive into real-world case studies on how cutting-edge technology and equipment have boosted store sales, enhanced productivity and streamlined operations. Learn firsthand how these game-changing tools are driving efficiency and profitability in today’s competitive retail environment.

FUEL

Aging Infrastructure and Underground Storage Tanks WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. More than one-third of underground storage tanks (UST) are over 30 years old. This raises questions about risk of release and eligibility for financial

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assurance required by federal tank regulations.

Insurance companies and state tank funds apply different policies related to tank age, and tank owners must know their options to remain compliant as their systems age. This panel will look at the state of the current UST inventory, the policies that relate to risk and age and talk about solutions.

EV Charging Report Card THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. More retailers are installing or exploring the business case and ROI for investing in electric vehicle chargers. The Transportation Energy Institute’s Charging Analytics Program leverages insights from 11 million charging transactions per month to create a benchmark analysis to help retailers better understand the opportunities charging presents for their businesses. This

session will review insights from this program and discuss with industry experts the business value of operating chargers at convenience stores.

Forecourt Strategies to Increase Trip Frequency and Conversion TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:45 P.M. Customers are relying more on driver-assist technology in their car and on their phones to guide their routes and purchasing decisions. It is important to ensure your forecourt (traditional and electric) offer fulfills their needs. How can you ensure that your store is easily found, remains appealing and is connected to these customers to maintain trip frequency? This session will discuss the technological, strategic and design opportunities to drive customers to your forecourt and into your store.

Learning From the Leading Fuel Retailers of the Year TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. Join us for a conversation with this year’s large and small format fuel retailers of the year. These esteemed retailers were selected by the Fuels Market News Advisory Board and other experts on fueling and electric vehicle charging operations for their strength, efficiency and prominence in fuel retailing. This year’s winners will discuss how they have successfully navigated challenges, as well as their perspectives on the future of fuels.

Liquid Fuel Volume and Profitability TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 3:15 P.M. The transportation energy market will remain dominated by liquid fuels for decades, but demand per vehicle is projected to decline due to a variety of factors, including fuel efficiency improvements and growth of electric vehicles.

With fuel representing a significant portion of the convenience industry’s sales and profits, how might this affect your bottom line? What is the outlook for fuel demand and overall trips to your store? Which tools can help you generate financial return on your fuel business? This session will look at both demand and profitability to help you get the most from your forecourt.

MARKETING

Crafting Stories That Amplify Your Brand Message WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for building a meaningful connection with your audience. This session will explore how to amplify your brand values through effective and authentic stories. Learn how to craft narratives that resonate with your customers, reinforce your brand’s mission and build loyalty. Through case studies and expert insights, discover actionable strategies to weave your values into every story you tell.

Leveling Up Your Social Media Strategy TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:00 P.M. Social media is key to attracting and keeping customers. Teaming up with local influencers can take your strategy to the next level. In this session, learn how to partner with sports figures, lifestyle creators, community advocates and more to build brand loyalty and boost visibility. We’ll cover tips for creating engaging content, using platform tools effectively and measuring success. Real-world examples from the convenience industry will show you what works and how to make it work for you.

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Labor Strategies to Maximize Every Dollar THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. With minimum wage increases leveling the playing field, labor cost control has never been more critical—or more complicated. Cutting hours or positions can backfire, especially when it drives away your best employees. Hear from a leading retailer on how to build a strategy of continuous improvement that strengthens your workforce, protects customer experience and maximizes every labor dollar. This session will also explore the role of AI in increasing labor efficiencies.

OPERATIONS

An Industry Approach to Crime Reporting and Recording WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. Accurate crime and loss data is a powerful tool in shaping policy and protecting businesses. This session takes a deep dive into how the convenience industry can effectively collect, aggregate and leverage this data to support advocacy efforts at the federal, state and local levels. Several leading retailers will share their approaches to tracking incidents, reporting trends and using data to engage policymakers and law enforcement. Attendees will walk away with actionable best practices and a clearer understanding of how data can drive real change for the industry.

Convenience Innovation Sparked at MIT WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. Get ready for a fast-paced session where convenience retailers share real-world innovations sparked during their time at the NACS Executive Education course at MIT. Hear how these purpose-driven ideas turned into impactful initiatives back at their organizations—proof that great thinking doesn’t stay in the classroom for long.

Ideas in Action: Solutions From the Front Line, Part 1 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. Ideas in Action: Solutions From the Front Line, Part 2 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. The NACS Leadership for Success Program brings the brightest industry supervisors together to develop their personal leadership skills and become better leaders. For the past five months, the participants have been working on reducing turnover, increasing employee engagement and developing store managers by creating plans, setting goals and tracking their progress. They are ready to share the results. Hear what worked (and what didn’t) as they sought to develop and strengthen their teams.

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Oops! Preventing Accidents and Keeping Employees Safe TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:00 P.M. In this session, we’ll explore the key strategies for preventing accidents and creating a safer environment for employees and customers alike.

Attendees will walk away with practical, actionable takeaways on safety training, hazard identification, emergency procedures and maintaining a safety culture. We’ll also explore the legal implications and best practices for ongoing training and equipment maintenance. This session is designed for convenience store operators, district managers and HR professionals, especially those looking to strengthen their safety programs and reduce workplace accidents.

Plan, Donate, Reduce: Minimizing Food Waste WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. As perishable inventory grows, retailers are turning to advanced forecasting tools to reduce food waste and improve operational efficiency.

This session will explore how data-driven inventory management can optimize the handling of perishable items, minimizing waste and reducing costs. We’ll also explore partnerships with local food banks to donate surplus food, aligning with corporate social responsibility goals and combating food insecurity.

The Evolution of Convenience Stores in Latin America TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:00 P.M. From format adaptations and product mix changes to the integration of digital technologies, Latin America’s convenience landscape has evolved beyond traditional models. In this session, we’ll explore what sets Latin American convenience stores apart, highlight key growth trends and uncover practical lessons and ideas that operators everywhere can apply to their businesses. Learn how agility, localization, and innovation are redefining convenience and what it means for the future of retail globally.

PEOPLE

Connections That Launch Careers TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 1:00 P.M. This session is designed for retailers who are new to the industry and looking to build meaningful connections and gain practical career insights.

Through personal stories and shared experiences, attendees will explore the value of mentors, coaches and peer relationships in navigating their careers. It’s also a great opportunity for seasoned professionals, mentors, and “super connectors” who want to give back, share their journey and help foster the next generation of talent. Whether you’re building your network or helping others grow theirs, this session is for you.

From High Potential to High Impact THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. This session dives into the strategies that help you level up your people, turning high-potential talent into tomorrow’s leaders. From structured career pathways to mentorship and training programs, discover how forward-thinking organizations are investing in their people to create a culture of growth. Learn how this approach not only fuels retention but also strengthens your leadership pipeline, ensuring the next generation of leaders is ready to step up.

Inside Out Business: Building an Enduring Brand WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. A great business must now be endearing in order to be enduring. If you want loyal customers who become raving fans you need to create an emotional connection with them. Most leaders have been trained to lead with logic, despite customers and employees making most decisions with emotions.

In this thought-provoking session, Kevin Scott shares why creating emotional connections leads to greater ROI for your business and how to do it in an authentic way. Attendees will walk away understanding the four core emotions of your

customers and how it impacts their buying decisions; the relationships between emotions and logic and how to balance both in your sales and marketing; and how to use emotional connections with employees to create an enduring brands for customers.

Mastering Influence: A Formula for Persuasive Communication and Leadership THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. Influence is the ability to have an important effect on people or situations and it lies at the very heart of strong and sustainable leadership. Despite this fact, far too many leaders overlook influence as a critical skill and find themselves frustrated with their inability to have the impact they seek within their organizations. Join 20-year leadership expert Leslie Beale, CEO of Profusion Strategies, for this dynamic presentation that will turn what you think you know about unleashing your full potential as a leader on its head.

Purpose in Every Transaction: How Culture Drives Performance TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 3:15 P.M. What happens when every transaction is guided by purpose? For one retailer, being a neighbor—not just a retailer—is the driving force behind growth and performance. In this session, the founder and CEO shares how a clear company purpose, rooted in serving residential communities, shapes every decision, interaction and outcome. Learn how the company’s customer service philosophy and management mindset foster accountability, loyalty and operational excellence. Walk away with practical insights on how to embed purpose into your culture and why doing so leads to better retention, stronger teams and sustained results.

Women Leading the Way in Convenience THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. In this inspiring session, hear from women leaders in the convenience industry who have navigated diverse paths and risen through the ranks. One retailer shares her journey from the ground floor to VP, NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 55

offering insights into the challenges and leadership strategies that shaped her. Another trailblazer reflects on becoming the first female director of operations at her company and the lessons learned along the way. Walk away with tools to shape your own career path and strategies to support the next generation of women leaders in convenience.

SMALL OPERATOR

Positioning Your Business for Success in Today’s Retail World THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. This session will explore strategies for thriving in the shadow of bigger retail competitors, focusing on identifying your niche, delivering exceptional customer experiences and leveraging strengths that larger retailers may overlook. Hear real-world examples of businesses that have successfully carved out their space and hear actionable insights on how to stand out, build loyalty and grow sustainably.

Small Operator Workshop: Developing Your Team THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. Get ready to take your team to the next level during this hands-on workshop designed for leaders who want to actively build stronger, more capable teams.

We’ll dive into proven strategies for identifying strengths, closing skills gaps and creating a culture of continuous development. Through interactive exercises, real-world scenarios and group discussions, you’ll practice techniques for coaching, giving feedback, setting development goals and designing growth plans that stick. You’ll leave with practical tools you can immediately apply to boost engagement, performance, and collaboration within your team. Come prepared to share, learn, and build a personalized action plan for developing your team’s full potential. **Space is limited to the first 50 attendees on-site.

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Small Operator Workshop: Understanding Store Economics WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 8:00 A.M. Behind every great store operation is a strong understanding of the numbers that drive success.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll break down the key elements of store economics—from sales and margins to costs, productivity and profitability.

Through real-world examples, hands-on exercises and group discussions, you’ll learn how to read and interpret financial data, spot trends, and make smarter day-to-day decisions that improve store performance. We’ll explore how small actions on the floor impact the bigger financial picture, and how you can use this knowledge to lead more strategically. Whether you’re new to store leadership or looking to sharpen your business acumen, this workshop will leave you with practical tools to better understand, manage and grow your store’s financial health. **Space is limited to the first 50 attendees on-site.

SUPPLIER

Supplier Session: Convenience Connect WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 9:00 A.M. Convenience Connect is an opportunity for our newest NACS supplier members to meet and learn from influential convenience retailers. During this 90-minute session, retailers representing a range of store sizes will host small groups of new suppliers to discuss industry topics relevant to their stores. Groups will rotate every 15 minutes to hear perspectives from other retailers. At the end of the second rotation, participants will continue informal conversations over light refreshments. Learn what’s top-of-mind for your customers and how you can help them improve their businesses.

Please note that unlike all other Education Sessions, the Supplier Session will take place in the main McCormick Place building, not the Lakeside Center.

TECHNOLOGY

Evaluating Your Tech Stack in a Multi-Platform World TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 3:15 P.M. With new tools and platforms emerging, how do you know if your tech stack is helping or hindering your business? In this interactive roundtable, participants will discuss which platforms they’re currently using, how they assess the value of each and the strategies they use to evaluate both existing tools and new vendors. Share your experiences, hear what’s working for others and walk away with practical ideas to streamline your stack and make smarter tech decisions.

Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Growth and Profit TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. Technology is key to driving sustainable growth and boosting profitability in today’s fast-paced retail environment. This session explores how operators can leverage tech tools to optimize operations, from efficient payroll and scheduling to food safety and compliance. We’ll cover practical applications like tracking customer traffic, optimizing staffing levels, and automating fuel pricing and inventory management tasks. We’ll also dive into the benefits of building a scalable, techagnostic infrastructure and the balance between low-tech solutions and cutting-edge innovations.

Whether you’re a small operator or part of a larger network, you’ll walk away with actionable insights to streamline your operations and enhance efficiency for long-term success.

Tap Into the Real Power of AI THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8:00 A.M. Explore real-world applications of AI through user stories and case studies. How are organizations across industries bringing AI to life? Learn how AI has been successfully implemented in areas like: human resources, store planning, predictive

ordering and foodservice demand, foodservice waste reduction, labor and gig economy scheduling, digital store operations enablement, pricing, security and more. Discover how these innovations are shaping operations today —and where they’re heading next.

The Human Element of AI: Overcoming Resistance to Innovation in the Age of Intelligent Technologies TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 2:00 P.M. In today’s business landscape, the emergence of generative and agentic AI presents unprecedented opportunity, yet also faces deeply entrenched resistance. While most executive teams focus on showcasing AI’s value—efficiency, scalability and competitive edge—these traditional, value-based approaches often overlook a critical truth: Value alone doesn’t drive adoption. In this session, Kellogg Professor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author David Schonthal will draw on insights from his book “The Human Element,” and explore why organizations and individuals resist change, even when the benefits are obvious. Delivered at the intersection of behavioral science and strategic innovation, this session challenges conventional thinking around how new technology is best introduced into organizations and offers corporate leaders a roadmap for driving adoption with empathy, ease and understanding.

The NACS/Conexxus Technology Roadmap THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 9:00 A.M. Drawing from extensive research beyond the industry’s confines, the NACS/Conexxus Technology Roadmap outlines the technological and cultural shifts that continue to shape the retail landscape. The roadmap will help you navigate and thrive within the constantly changing technology landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare today for the future.

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Wake Up Call: Get Ready for Sunrise 2027 It’s time for retailers to prepare for the transition to 2D barcodes.

One-dimensional barcodes will transition to 2D barcodes, like QR codes, and retailers need to be ready for the change by the end of 2027.

GS1 US, the not-for-profit behind the Sunrise 2027 initiative, is leading the charge and helping both retailers and suppliers prepare for the next dimension of barcodes.

What’s driving the demand for 2D barcodes?

Consumers are looking for more and more transparency about the products they buy, especially as the cost of food rises. They want their purchase decisions to align with their preferences and their budgets. A recent survey by GS1 found that 76% of consumers want more information due to higher food costs, with 71% saying that they are reading labels more closely and often. Additionally, 66% said they would scan a QR code on food packaging to access information such as freshness, ingredients and shelf life.

With 2D barcodes, brands can offer this information to consumers by allowing them to scan QR codes on packaging and learn about origin, ingredients, synthetic dye disclosures, nutritional content, allergens, storage tips and more. And there are myriad benefits for retailers in the future— using them for product recalls, dynamic pricing or discounts, connecting with loyalty apps and preventing expired items from being sold.

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How will this transition impact retailers’ operations?

We really think of this transition in three phases: crawl, walk and run. Right now we are in the crawl phase, which is where retailers need to ensure they can scan and accept 2D barcodes at checkout to complete a purchase. For now, a retailer could drop all other data but the UPC to ensure that the code goes “beep” at checkout and that’s it. Scanning the UPC will look much like it does today, but retailers will need an optical scanner to process a 2D barcode, as well as the necessary firmware upgrades from their scanner manufacturer to make them Sunrise 2027 capable.

Future phases—walk and run—will involve leveraging additional data stored in the barcodes for more consumer engagement, automation and business insights. Retailers need to decide how much of that data stored in the barcode they want to leverage and integrate into their systems. It could potentially be used for inventory management, product traceability and alerting stores to product recalls, tracking expired products, generating dynamic pricing, linking to digital coupons or providing data on consumer purchases through loyalty apps and much more. Changes to hardware or software will be dependent on how the retailer plans to utilize the additional data a 2D barcode can provide.

An anticipated challenge is that during the transition period, products will likely have both 1D and 2D barcodes

on the same package, and both barcodes will have product identifiers in them.

The scanner needs to know which one to scan and it might read things twice.

Your scanner needs to know how to manage more than one barcode and be able to prioritize them. We did a tremendous amount of testing to ensure this goes smoothly and have guidance around where the barcodes need to be placed so that they don’t ring up twice, but retailers need to also test and verify that their firmware is fine tuned.

Gena Morgan, VP of Standards at GS1 US

This interview is brought to you by GS1 US.

What steps should retailers take now to prepare for the Sunrise 2027 transition?

It’s important to note that there will be a grace period where packaging will likely have both 1D and 2D barcodes for a period of time, but retailers do need to ensure they have the capability to scan 2D barcodes at checkout by the end of 2027. To do this, they should take inventory of their existing hardware equipment and software. They will need to have an optical scanner and must ensure that their scanners have the proper firmware upgrades to be Sunrise 2027 capable, meaning they can recognize the syntaxes within the 2D barcode, prioritize one of the two symbols and only “beep” once.

This is the first in a two-part Q&A series on Sunrise 2027. Look out for the next article in the October issue of NACS Magazine, which will take a closer look at the equipment needed and technical requirements for successfully implementing 2D barcodes.

What should retailers with private label products or fresh foodservice know?

Retailers with their own branded products or fresh food items will need to update their product labels with 2D barcodes and will, at minimum, need to include the GTIN and UPC information adhering to the appropriate GS1 syntax, whether an element string which includes application identifiers and values, or the GS1 Digital Link syntax that makes the barcode web-resolvable.

If the barcode is web resolvable, retailers can start dipping their toe in the water on the consumer engagement piece and can link to additional information that helps tell a story about the product.

They can do the same thing with the 2D barcodes that national CPGs are doing.

Leveraging dynamic data in 2D barcodes may involve upgrades to manufacturers’ printers so the barcodes

can be printed at speed. In line printers at the point of manufacture that can print dynamic data will need to be planned as part of the private brand manufacturer’s equipment upgrade roadmap. For fast-moving consumer goods, we see this as something that will be iterative and come after we get things right with the UPC in the 2D barcode. For fresh items found in store, it might require upgrades to in-store scale printing solutions to print the data-rich barcode. These are a bit easier to get started with using dynamic data, because the speed requirements are much different. It’s something retailers with private label products or fresh food and commissary items should put on their radar now as part of their general roadmap so that they’re ready for it, and it does not preclude getting started now for the minimal requirements of Sunrise 2027.

For more information about GS1 US, visit www.gs1us.org. Want to get involved and help the industry transition to 2D barcodes? Join the Sunrise 2027 working group, facilitated

by GS1 US and Conexxus, by emailing sunrise2027@gs1us. org or visit conexxus. org/groups.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 59

THE 2025 NACS SHOW TAKES PLACE OCT. 14-17 AT MCCORMICK PLACE IN CHICAGO.

Chicago From Check out expected—and unexpected— ways to enjoy your temporary “Sweet Home Chicago.”

25 Angles

BY LEIGH KUNKEL

F

or three days this October, McCormick Place in Chicago will become the center of the convenience store universe. The NACS Show offers endless opportunities to discover something new.

For those who arrive early or stay late, here are ideas for excursions, whether you have a few minutes or all day.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 61

Within a Mile(ish) of McCormick Place Chicago’s Chinatown is about a mile west of McCormick Place. Do dinner DIY-style at Qiao Lin hotpot, where you cook your own meat and veggies in house-made broth right at your table.

Or stop by Chiu Quon, the oldest Chinese bakery in Chicago, for one of their BBQ pork buns or an egg custard tart.

2.

You probably know about deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs, but what about Ricobene’s? The restaurant’s specialty is a breaded steak sandwich served with giardiniera, a spicy pickled relish. It’s located just south of Chinatown.

3.

You’ll find something for everyone at Fatpour Tap Works, just a 10-minute walk from the convention center. Choose from dozens of beers, including a wide selection of rare bottles from local brewery Goose Island, or order from the curated specialty cocktail list. There’s also a family­ style menu for large groups.

4.

Home to more than 30,000 aquatic animals, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and is about a mile north of the convention center. Sharks, stingrays and beluga whales are among the star attractions. If your feet are still feeling fresh after walking the NACS Show Expo, the stroll from the Shedd Aquarium to

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Chicago’s iconic Buckingham Fountain (about one mile in all) provides arguably the most gorgeous views of Lake Michigan and Downtown Chicago in the area.

5.

The Adler Planetarium was the first planetarium in the United States. It overlooks Lake Michigan and is located close to the Shedd Aquarium. Inside, experience a simulation of Chicago’s night sky without light pollution, take part in interactive experiments and see the Gemini 12 space capsule once piloted by astronaut Buzz Aldrin. All tickets must be bought online ahead of visiting.

5.

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1.

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7.

For a complete change of pace, the McCormick Place Bird Sanctuary, a nine-acre urban oasis of native prairie and woodland, is just minutes from the convention center. It’s home to thousands of native and migrating birds.

8.

6.

Located just off the Canal Street bridge on the edge of the Chicago River, Lawrence’s Fish & Shrimp has been dishing up delicious fried seafood since 1950. Six different preparations of shrimp await, and don’t skip the sides, especially corn fritters or pickle fries. The ambience might be bare bones, but that’s part of the charm.

Within 5 Miles of McCormick Place 8.

It may not be the tallest building in the world anymore, but the Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower) still provides stunning views of the city. At 1,451 feet (442.3 meters), the skyscraper stands as the 26th tallest in the world and No. 1 in Chicago.

9.

11.

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CLIFTON/Adobe Stock; Spiroview Inc./Adobe Stock

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a local who doesn’t suggest a Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) river cruise as the best way to see downtown. Get a whole new perspective on Chicago’s iconic skyline as trained docents from the CAC guide you through the history and lore behind buildings such as Marina City and the Tribune Tower.

10.

While the neighborhood of Pilsen was named for the Czech immigrants who lived there in the 19th century, it’s now the heart of Mexican-American culture in Chicago. Explore some of Pilsen’s most delicious offerings with a food tour highlighting the area’s diverse, familyowned restaurants.

11.

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry’s palatial neoclassical building houses more than 2,000 exhibits dedicated to the past, present and future of technological advancement.

Ride an elevator down into a reconstructed coal mine, tour the only German U-boat in the United States and marvel at a man-made wind vortex in one of the great halls.

12.

The Phoenix Pavilion was originally built to introduce Japanese culture to the United States at the 1893 World’s Fair. In 1935, the Chicago Park District made it the centerpiece of a traditional Japanese garden. Explore the Garden of the Phoenix and you’ll find a moon bridge, koi pond, cherry blossom trees and more.

13.

You want pizza? Of course you do. Instead of braving the crowds for Pizzeria Uno’s famous deep-dish pies, pop over to sister spot Pizzeria Due—same pizza, fewer people.

Other locals say Pequod’s caramelized crust makes it the city’s top spot. Lou Malnati’s, with multiple downtown locations, is always a treat, even if you opt for the thin-crust pizza—which some say is better than the OG.

14.

With more than 300,000 pieces in its permanent collection, including iconic works such as “American Gothic,” The Art Institute of Chicago, two miles north of McCormick Place, is one of the largest art museums in the country.

15.

Just north of The Art Institute in Millennium Park is Cloud Gate—known colloquially as The Bean—a stunning reflective sculpture that was unveiled in conjunction with the park’s opening in 2004. Walk about five blocks south of the park for Buckingham Fountain, the centerpiece of Grant Park, which puts on water shows during the day and light and music shows after dusk.

Benjamin R./Unsplash; Macus/Adobe Stock

15.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 65

16.

Step back in time by spending an evening at the Chicago Athletic Association, formerly an exclusive, membersonly club. The stunning 1893 building overlooks the lake and includes Cindy’s, a rooftop bar with incredible views, and the luxurious, wood-paneled Game Room, where you can snag a cocktail and play billiards.

17.

Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood offers some of the best Italian food you’ll ever have. Start your day with a cappuccino and filled-toorder cannoli at Scafuri Bakery.

Tufano’s has been serving up old-school Italian favorites since 1930. (Bring cash or pay with Venmo.)

Don’t miss Tuscany on Taylor’s affordable happy hour, then stay for an entrée, which is complemented by warm bread and roasted garlic.

18.

Get yourself in the Halloween mood with a visit to the Congress Plaza Hotel on Michigan Ave., considered one of the most haunted places in Chicago. Or make the trek out to Resurrection Cemetery on Archer Avenue in Justice, Illinois, where Ressurection Mary is known to hitchhike in her long-faded ball gown.

19.

Visit the inspiration for Hulu’s hit streaming show The Bear with a visit to Mr. Beef in River North. The delightfully unrefined restaurant serves some of the best Italian beef in the city.

20.

Plenty of places will serve you a Chicago-style hot dog, but few are as iconic as Superdawg. Where else can you see two 12-foot-tall anthropomorphic hot dogs? Order a Superdawg and crinkle-cut fries—still brought out to your vehicle by a carhop—and eat in the glow of the neon signs.

16.

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Rolled Leaf 3-packs were added to shelves in over 9,700 c-stores in 2024, an 11% increase in store count over 2023.

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21.

For an approachable and very funny take on Shakespeare’s plays, head over to the Lion Theater in Chicago’s Loop for a performance of Drunk Shakespeare. Five actors take on an abbreviated version of one of the Bard’s plays after one of the troupe members consumes a copious amount of whiskey. Purchase a drink from your seat if you also choose to partake.

Architecture buff? Just outside of Chicago is the charming suburb of Oak Park, where famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright once had his home and studio. That structure is now a museum where visitors can learn about Wright’s evolution as a designer and the development of “the first uniquely American” architectural style.

23.

Head north to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Not only is it one of the oldest zoos in the United States, but it’s also one of the only zoos that is free to visit.

24.

Following a tip from his girlfriend, federal agents gunned down notorious gangster John Dillinger, America’s first “Public Enemy No. 1,” outside the

23.

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Biograph Theatre in 1934. Today, colorful painted murals commemorate the site.

25.

Second City Chicago, with alumni including Dan Aykroyd, Tina Fey, John Candy, Jordan Peele, Steve Carell and more, has made improv comedy synonymous with Chicago. Tickets might be scarce … but you can start planning ahead for the next time the NACS Show is in Chicago.

Leigh Kunkel is a freelance journalist with a decade of experience covering hospitality and the food and beverage industry. She has written for a range of B2B outlets, such as Full-Service Restaurant Magazine and Flavor & the Menu, as well as consumer-facing outlets including the New York Times, Eater, and VinePair.

pics721/Adobe Stock; Aerial_Views/Adobe Stock

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70 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

BY KEITH REID

The environment for EV charging has changed but opportunities remain.

E

lectric vehicles (EVs) have clearly gained a foothold.

The technology has reached a point where there is consumer demand for these vehicles, more so in some markets than others, and not just a regulatory push for their adoption.

According to the Transportation Energy Institute (TEI), 21.6% of light-duty vehicle sales were electrified as of May 2025. Of this, 7.2% are battery electric (BEV), 12.4% hybrid and 2% plug-in hybrid. BEV sales are up 13% in the first five months of the year compared to the same time frame last year, despite reduced policy support. Tesla’s market share has dropped to 42.4%, reflecting greater market diversity.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 71

Without the federal funding retailers are not tied to any type of reporting.

[The reporting] was driving people crazy, especially since some of the requirements were not emphasized beforehand.

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TEI’s Charging Analytics Program (CAP), whose data set now covers roughly 11 million charging sessions per month, provides insights with nuance and feedback from the field.

For example, the introduction of J3400 (Tesla) charging connectors significantly improved success rates. Charging sessions peak from midday to the afternoon, and businesses can leverage charging dwell time (about 34 mins on average) for cross-promotional sales.

While there have been more questions than solid answers about charger deployment strategies, it appears that charger operators (convenience retail and otherwise) have made some good initial decisions.

“As might be expected, 73% of chargers are currently located on or adjacent to highways,” said Karl Doenges, executive director of the Charging Analytics Program. “When you expand the analysis, those chargers see 140 sessions per month compared to 134 for those further away. You’re seeing an almost identical utilization rate, which I derive as a naturally balanced market.”

Significant expansion of EV infrastructure is required to meet the needs of growing consumer demand.

As TEI noted in an analysis by the EV Council Working Group, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that the U.S. will require 182,000 Level 3 (Direct Current Fast Chargers, DCFC) public fast chargers and another 28 million Level 2 chargers (single family/multifamily/workplace/ parking facilities) by 2030. While charging infrastructure is growing rapidly, there were still less than 13,000 DCFC station locations (57,032 ports) and less than 63,000 Level 2 public station locations (160,708 ports) available in the United States as of June 19, 2025, according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center.

SHOW ME THE MONEY While the Biden administration was heavily focused on electric vehicles, the Trump administration has pulled back aggressively from those initiatives. The full implications have yet to be determined as each program is under review, with a tight focus on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. Removing federal funding for NEVI charger deployment is clearly an administration priority.

Legal actions are expected if any program that was created, authorized and funded by Congress is defunded.

The recommendation under the previous funding environment was to basically take advantage of every opportunity available to subsidize EV charging networks. However, Doenges noted that the free money has likely led to some less-than-optimal deployment decisions. Plus, the federal programs came with a range of requirements that caused issues for many retailers.

As TEI outlined in the EV Council Working Group analysis, there were a number of factors that hindered the use of public funding, including stringent compliance requirements, long approval processes, complex application procedures and restrictions on the use of funds.

The analysis further noted that individual states experienced delays in the rollout of NEVI funding due to various administrative and logistical challenges. While some states have taken full advantage of federal funding opportunities, others created unintentional or intentional delays. Many organizations therefore moved forward without federal funding.

“Without the federal funding, retailers are not tied to any type of reporting schema,” Doenges said. “[The

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The drivers are going to demand convenience items, and this can either be filled by the people that already have a convenience store or by different site hosts that haven’t historically offered convenience items.

74 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

reporting was] driving people crazy, especially since some of the requirements were not emphasized beforehand.

‘You expect me to record my profits every year? No, we’re not going to do that.’ They’ve since tweaked things a little bit, but it was very intrusive with a lot of strings attached [to the funds].

Now, you’re going to see people coming in that are more serious.”

PROFIT POTENTIAL There is considerable anecdotal evidence that shows charging can either be a success or failure for a retail operation. A core focus behind CAP is to analyze charging data and take the formula for success or failure from anecdotal to scientific.

“ROI really boils down to three buckets,” Doenges said. “First, how are you going to make money on moving electrons? And there’s a subset into that of demand charges and utility tariff rates. Then you have conversion into the store, and that gets into the physical process of how you convert EV drivers into store customers and then increase the basket size. Are retailers offering what the convenience customer wants?

And the third aspect is monetizing the environmental attributes such as through carbon credits.”

PROFIT AND ELECTRONS Profiting on the charge itself still faces a range of issues. A key one is demand charges, which sets an electrical rate based on the peak electrical usage in a month and can eliminate any possibility of a profit in a low-volume site. While this has been identified as a significant issue for years, little progress has been made with the electrical utilities— though a variety of short-term, limited solutions have been offered in some markets, like demand charge holidays.

Some retailers and solution providers have developed workarounds.

“Retailers saw that this is a very big issue, so they took matters in their own hands and they do managed charging,” said Jeff Hove, vice president at TEI. “They throttle back their charging session so they never hit that peak where the demand charge starts to kick in. The downside is the consumer is getting a slower charge.”

Some solution providers also provide chargers with battery storage. And demand charges cease to become a significant issue if the site has high volume, encouraging well-thought-out EV deployment strategies and the appropriate offers to bring in EV customers.

“We’ve had some groups that said it’s just a non-issue. ‘With our model, we know how to handle it,’” Hove said.

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MAXIMIZING STORE PROFITABILITY There are a variety of charging outlets ready to serve the EV driving public.

Convenience stores need to become a destination of choice for these customers.

“The drivers are going to demand convenience items, and this can either be filled by the people that already have a convenience store or by different site hosts that haven’t historically offered convenience items,” Doenges said. “If a non-conventional site happens to have a bar with a little restaurant where customers can get a quesadilla while they’re charging, these locations will figure out a way to meet the customer’s demand. So, you might see a hotel morph into a little convenience store because that’s what the customer wants.”

Doenges noted that highway-adjacent locations must be on their game, and if they are, they’ll have significant profit opportunities.

“These drivers are probably traveling longer distances. Their batteries are more depleted so they’re going to be charging for a full 30 minutes or more,” Doenges said. “Do these locations have the right amenity mix? Or are they not offering what the driver wants, and so that person is walking across the street to a fast-food chain as opposed to going into the convenience store to get food?”

This is one area where CAP can really help retailers fine-tune their offers.

While there are other sources of data, CAP is directly focused on retailers and supplies information in a transparent manner and without hidden agendas.

“CAP is set up to generate aggregated data to really understand charging behavior, and how the business vertical, location, connector type or power level affect usage,” Doenges said. “The rest of the available data really looks at

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Fuel retailers are doing more than anyone else [to reduce carbon] with biofuels and with EV charging, and we’re just not getting rewarded.

company-specific type arrangements, but with CAP you can see the trend lines and what’s really happening.”

PROFITS FROM CARBON CREDITS? The final profit basket involves the potential for carbon credits. Carbon markets are set up to handle a range of industrial sectors, though that is currently not the case for transportation. TEI is working on changing that.

“We crafted a methodology so that you can generate credits on charging events,” said Hove. “As long as your system has a network system, you can pull those kilowatt hours going into the vehicle. We calculate how many metric tons of CO2 is avoided compared to a gallon of gasoline on a lifecycle basis. In doing that, this methodology can create the voluntary carbon credit.”

The potential outcome is $22 to $30 per metric ton, yet there is still a way to go before it can be calculated on a per-charge basis. TEI is currently adding data so that the model can be tweaked, proven and finalized.

“Fuel retailers are doing more than anyone else [to reduce carbon] with biofuels and with EV charging, and

we’re just not getting rewarded,” Doenges said. “Now, because of TEI, we’re going to unlock the potential to truly be recognized, rewarded and incentivized for all the great work our industry is doing.”

So, what should retailers consider when making their charger deployment decisions today? The core original advice to the industry remains largely unchanged. Take advantage of any offers that remain to fund charger deployment. Look to expand charging in specific markets and even individual sites where the customers exist to support the service. And finally, keep up with all the research being conducted so that retail operations can be maximized to serve these customers.

Keith Reid is a founder and the editor of Fuels Market News. He can be reached at kreid@ fmnweb.com.

FoodAndPhoto/Adobe Stock

MAKING A MENU C

Creating new prepared foods requires research, testing and innovation.

BY AMANDA BALTAZAR

reating a new menu, a new menu category or even a new menu item can be a daunting task. Where should you start?

Rachel Saddler, senior manager of foodservice innovation at Tri Star Energy (Nashville, Tennessee), begins with the customer—“what they want and how we can meet that need quickly and consistently. From there, it’s about balancing craveability, operational fit and profitability,” she said.

When creating a new category, Philip Santini, senior director of food service and bar strategy for Rutters (York, Pennsylvania), asks himself what Rutter’s is trying to achieve or solve with the new products. New items, he said, are usually related to a trend and daypart-related and tend to be geared toward the younger consumer. “Generally speaking, we’re aligning with the next generation of c-store customer,” he said. A new item takes six to eight months to develop, with planning taking up the most time, he said.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 79

Love’s tries to “build in simplicity” when adding new menu items.

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“The most important thing to consider for a convenience store menu is: Who is your core and target customer, and what do they want from you?”

Southwest Georgia Oil Co.

When Michelle Weckstein, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CCACM, director of food and beverage brands, joined Southwest Georgia Oil Co. seven years ago, prepared foods were limited. The chain is known for its fresh, Southernstyle food and its Eat’s Southern

Cookin’ proprietary brand. Her goal was to expand the offerings and bring consistency to the chain. She kept the top three SKUs in each category (such as ready-to-eat, heat and eat, and snacks) and everything else was new.

Now the Bainbridge, Georgia-based company, which has 82 stores operated under the banners of SunStop and SunStop Market, offers cold grab-and-go as well. “We’ve really upped our game with fresh produce,” Weckstein said. She eliminated salads because customers weren’t buying them, but she found they were interested in fruit cups.

Sandwiches made with King’s Hawaiian rolls have really taken off for breakfast and lunch, she said, but there are many items the chain has rejected because they’re not familiar enough to the customer base. “We are really focused on brand perception, so we try to have products that correlate back to that,” she said, “and if we can’t, we typically walk away from it.”

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Southwest Georgia Oil has also started mixing fountain drinks and slushies together for some unusual combinations, which can be “unique, and it’ll get people’s attention,” Weckstein said. Customers can create these themselves or read suggestions posted nearby.

EG America (Westborough, Mass­ achusetts) is revamping its entire foodservice strategy “in terms of offering, positioning, communication and making food a higher priority,” said Mendy Meriwether, vice president of food, beverage and QSR for the company, which includes the Cumberland Farms banner.

“Consumer and market insights are critically important, and understanding the consumer and the trends—health and wellness or indulgence,” she said. She also looks at whether a menu item fits EG America’s brand promise

and could lead to a new consumer or an additional trip from a consumer who’s already loyal.

To get started, EG America took its bestselling sausage, cheese and egg breakfast sandwich (made with fresh eggs) and bundled it with coffee for $3, “and it totally transformed that category,” she said.

EG America is now working on its express case, which offers items such as yogurt cups, cheese and charcuterie platters, and sandwiches. The express case is the first thing customers see when they enter stores, “and it screams fresh, grab-and-go and portability,” Meriwether said. This could bring a lot to the perception of the preparedfoods business, she said. EG America revamped this case in May, working on product quality and packaging, and it upgraded the assortment based on trends. It now offers 90 products, some of which were previously top performers; a lot are new. Creating a new product takes at least six months from idea generation to being sold.

“The most important thing to consider for a convenience store menu is: Who is your core and target customer, and what do they want from you?” said Mike Kostyo, vice president of foodservice consultancy Menu Matters, Arlington, Vermont. “It’s very easy to get sidetracked in decisions about staffing, pricing, equipment, marketing and build-outs, and forget to center your consumer in every decision.

C-stores need to think through the occasions they visit you for or that you’d like them to visit you for.”

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO CUSTOMERS So you’ve considered a new menu or new menu items, but what do your customers want?

Consistency is the most important factor for Tri Star’s customers, followed by portability and the ability to grab and go.

For Southwest Georgia Oil, quality and value are top of mind when developing menu items. “People have to feel good about the money they’re spending with us, that we’re treating them fairly and they’re getting what they paid for,” said Michelle Weckstein, director of food and beverage brands. Consistency is also vital, she said. “It’s important that a consumer builds trust in a brand.”

Mike Kostyo, vice president of foodservice consultancy Menu Matters, says there’s nothing more important than the taste of an item. “Some c-stores used to trade taste for convenience,” he said, “but you simply don’t have that option anymore when consumers can get great food nearly anywhere they go.”

Inside a Kwik Trip kitchen.

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“It’s very easy to get sidetracked in decisions about staffing, pricing, equipment, marketing and build-outs, and forget to center your consumer in every decision.”

Love’s offers a variety of chipotle tacos and bowls.

RESEARCHING NEW MENU ITEMS Tri Star relies heavily on market research—industry trends, what’s selling in quick-service restaurants, and customer feedback—for a sense of emerging flavors, concepts and customer behavior. It also works closely with suppliers and manufacturers, “who bring insights on emerging flavors, formats and innovations,” said Saddler. “This helps us stay ahead of what customers want while ensuring we can execute it well operationally.”

Southwest Georgia Oil pays attention to what’s happening in casual-dining restaurants and big-box frozen-food aisles. “This gives us insight of what’s coming up next so we can get ahead of our competitors and QSRs and create our own versions,” said Weckstein.

It’s important to look for gaps in the market, said Maeve Webster, president of Menu Matters. Examine what is not available in your stores and your competitors’ to create “an ownable, differentiated space,” she said.

84 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS When developing new menu items, it comes down to more than what your customers want or recent trends.

Prep time, equipment and labor are top of mind for Tri Star, and the menu must be efficient to execute during peak hours without compromising quality. “We also consider storage space, product shelf life and whether the ingredients are easy to source consistently,” Saddler said.

She’s also mindful of cross­utilization of ingredients “to optimize inventory, reduce waste and streamline

preparation, making it easier to deliver quality consistently without unnecessary complexity.”

Rutter’s might consider buying new equipment if it thinks a new menu item might be a massive hit. But if it did, it would also look into what else that piece of equipment could do, Santini pointed out.

Space in a convenience store is “sacred,” said Meriwether, so equipment “needs to prove its worth in terms of space.” When it comes to ingredients, they need to be used in multiple menu items to prove their value in the space

they require and also to avoid spoilage.

“Cross-utilization is critical,” she said.

Other things to consider, she said, are “speed of service, batch-building and training—can the product be made the same way, every day? That can determine whether or not that platform or product goes to commercialization.”

When Love’s Travel Stops (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) considers a new piece of equipment, it looks at what else it could lead to.

It could “unlock a whole new menu category,” said Greg Ekman, director of Fresh Kitchen strategy and growth.

Love’s also tries to build simplicity into its menus to make them fast and easy to produce. For example, if it were to offer seven tacos, they might all be made the same way, just with different proteins. “We try to build in simplicity because the more you do that, the more proficient you’re going to be,” Ekman said.

Weckstein eliminates potential menu items if they’re going to be cost prohibitive for customers, too labor intensive or require ingredients not used in other prepared food items.

“We have our core proteins and try to come up with creative things—the sauces, for example—that we can add without bringing in multiple items,” she said. “At least half the ingredients need to be already in our kitchens.”

It should offer enough options to meet customer needs and preferences but be simple enough to ensure consistency, speed and quality,” Saddler said.

Rutter’s doesn’t want an enormous menu, so if it’s adding an item, something else might have to go. This happened with its two roast beef sandwiches, which weren’t moving as much as sandwiches with other deli meats. “But we didn’t want to alienate ourselves from the person coming to Rutter’s for roast beef,” Santini said, so the chain created a roast beef menu to run twice a year “so we can create some loyalty around it and people can look forward to it coming back.”

Southwest Georgia Oil streamlines its menu annually to keep it under control. “If a guest looks at a menu with too many choices, they shut down and buy a bag of chips and a fountain drink,” Weckstein said.

EG America likes its entire menu to fit on one menu board. “If a customer can’t remember what’s on the menu, chances are you’re not making that much of an impact in your menu development,” said Meriwether. She does suggest using customization to expand a menu and “to give that level of surprise and delight.”

Longer menus tend to lead to more ingredients, which is not a good scenario for a convenience store, said Webster. But she does feel beverage menus can be longer without becoming overwhelming.

PICKUP AND DELIVERY Fifty-six percent of consumers consider convenience stores a viable option for prepared foods when compared with fast food restaurants, according to a report from Intouch Insight in Ottawa, Ontario.

Pickup and delivery rates vary significantly from one convenience store to another. For Rutter’s, which started delivery last year, it’s big business.

MENU SIZE Sizing the menu correctly is critical, especially when you’re trying to attract consumers who are busy and on the go.

“The ideal menu size strikes a balance between variety and efficiency.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 85

It’s important to take delivery into account when developing menus, said Santini. The chain knows French fries never travel well (though it continues to offer them due to customer demand), so it’s always looking into ways to improve their quality for takeout and delivery. And Rutter’s has adjusted the prep for some items. For example, placing cheese on a chicken sandwich before the sauce goes on can keep the sogginess down.

Because consumers want their food soon after they’ve ordered it,

said Kostyo, it’s important not to offer labor-intensive menu items that will require a wait. Factoring in hold times is essential, too, or else you’ll lose customers. “This is where good technology can really help with AI-enabled demand planning,” he said.

OFFERING LTOS When developing a menu, LTOs can be a great testing ground for gauging customer reaction. Rutter’s upped

its LTO game in the third quarter of this year and launched 11 items. This menu, said Santini, “is really centered around the greatest impacts we can have with a menu item.” The chain takes professional photos of the items, which are featured on pumps and screens in-store, and also shoots some commercials.

You can learn a lot from running LTOs, Santini said. For example, a spicy chicken sandwich LTO was popular but not quite right, so it was tweaked before being added to the permanent menu.

Some SunStops offer an extensive selection of classic Southern comfort food.

BUILDING EXCITEMENT Developing new menus or menu items isn’t just a matter of creating new foods. Once those foods are launched in stores, or really before they hit the shelves, stores need to communicate about them with customers. Southwest Georgia Oil generates a lot of excitement on social media before a new product is dished up, and it gives away free samples or offers foods at a discount to loyalty members to try before anyone else.

Otherwise, there are often tastings in stores and clear signage about the item.

EG America offers new menu items at a special price to its Smart Rewards members and lets them know of new things coming. “How it gets launched is a make-or-break,” said Mendy Meri86 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

wether, vice president of food, beverage and QSR. “The communication strategy is important; we have to make sure we’re consistent, bold and giving customers the opportunity to try it out.”

Social media helps too, and the chain engages with its followers by asking their opinion of what they like on the menus, “especially when we’re building new things,” she said.

“We have to create excitement,” said Greg Ekman, director of Fresh Kitchen strategy and growth at Love’s. “We’re selling food, but we’re in the people business.” Once an item is launched, it’s featured on pump toppers and digital screens inside the stores.

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For Southwest Georgia Oil, an item is almost always (90% of the time) featured as an LTO before it’s put on the menu. Typically, it runs 60-day cycles and evaluates the item’s movement.

“If it’s a winner, it will be a winner quickly,” said Weckstein, “and it’s easy to tell what’s not going to move.” If an item does well in some locations but not all, it remains an LTO, though the 60 days might extend to six months.

Kwik Trip, La Crosse, Wisconsin, has an LTO calendar and features these temporary menu items in categories such as coffee, bakery,

TEST KITCHENS Rutter’s has a test kitchen that it operates “loosely” out of two of its larger stores and uses store staff to make the new menu items. Then staff and executives will taste an item and give feedback before it can go onto a menu.

Next, it tests the item in some stores, including stores with varying demographics. If an item is more complicated operationally, Rutter’s tests it in a larger segment of stores “to get broader feedback and identify opportunities to fine-tune the recipe or standard operating procedures,” said Chad White, food service category manager. “For simpler add-ons or easy-to-execute items, we may only test in a few locations.”

Southwest Georgia Oil tries a new product in its own test kitchen, then

tests the item in two prototype stores in Tallahassee, Florida. Both stores have a demographic range that represents the chain’s entire customer base.

“The kitchen teams at these locations have good culinary skills. They implement our recipes and production processes and provide constructive feedback based on their real kitchen experience,” said Weckstein. “We use their input and the feedback from our customers to perfect our rollouts before we go companywide.”

Kwik Trip has a test kitchen at its corporate office, where a chef tests everything from hold times to cooking menu items with different types of equipment.

EG America has a culinary center and commissary at its headquarters, as well as an on-site store, so menu items can be prepared and tested easily. Staff at this location taste the food and provide feedback. There are also a handful of stores nearby “that we use as concept stores to test things,” said Meriwether. “It’s a nice opportunity to validate some of the things we’re working through and to iron out the kinks before they get commercialized.”

Amanda Baltazar writes about retail, food and restaurants from an island in the soggy Pacific Northwest. She covers operations, design, marketing and trends for B2B publications.

At any given time, Kwik Trip has eight LTOs on its menu. Any with superlative sales are then added to the permanent menu.

88 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Southwest Georgia Oil Co.

“If a customer can’t remember what’s on the menu, chances are you’re not making that much of an impact in your menu development.”

doughnuts and the hot food line.

There are usually eight LTOs at any given time. Any with superlative sales will be kept on the permanent menu, but some are better as seasonal specials, such as the pumpkin cake doughnut. The idea with LTOs, said Selia Kleine, Kwik Trip’s director of foodservice, “is to try new things, get some excitement out there.”

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Lottery in Every Lane

New integrations with POS systems can provide c-stores a winning ticket to increase lottery sales.

BY JOE BEETON

92 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

This interview is brought to you by Abacus Lottery.

W

hile the lottery remains a massive revenue stream for state governments and a meaningful traffic driver for convenience stores, it’s been facing a challenge at checkouts.

Around half of all U.S. adults report buying at least one lottery ticket per year, which amounted to $113 billion in sales last year, with 68% of that volume going through retail stores. But, according to Abacus, a British-run, Netherlands-based technology company, c-store operators are seeing a worrying correlation between self-checkout lanes and lottery sales. “Based on conversations with several major U.S. retailers,” said Mike Purcell, head of retail at Abacus, “adding self-checkout lanes in stores resulted in 10% to 40% drops in lottery sales. It’s making lottery less visible.”

The issue that convenience store owners face is simple: as customers increasingly gravitate toward self-checkout lanes and digital experiences, traditional lottery terminals— typically anchored at staffed counters—don’t seem very convenient.

“Retail—and the c-store environment in particular—is changing,” said Simon Butler, CEO of Abacus. “We need lottery to respond to that change.”

THE WINNING TICKET Rather than asking retailers or customers to alter their behavior, it’s time to flip the model: Bring the lottery to the systems that retailers are already using and where customers already are.

“It’s about convenience, isn’t it?” said Paul Lawson, chief technology officer and chief security officer at Abacus. “It’s taking the lottery away from traditional lottery sale points, which is traditionally the only place that you can buy a lottery ticket, and putting it in front of all of your customers, across multiple touch points—whether that’s mobile or e-com or self-checkout lanes.”

That was the goal of a North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries’ (NASPL) initiative almost 10 years ago, Lawson explained. “NASPL wanted to enable lottery integration at checkout lanes rather than dedicated customer service stations, so it

It’s taking the lottery away from traditional lottery sale points and putting it in front of all of your customers, across multiple touch points—whether that’s mobile or e-com or self-checkout lanes. set out to standardize retail integration via a common API so that large retailers like Circle K or Kroger could implement a single integration method across all U.S. jurisdictions.”

That’s where Abacus entered the picture.

Abacus’s unique selling proposition, its proprietary application programming interface (API), had already been integrated directly into point-of-sale (POS) ecosystems throughout Holland. Could the same be done in the United States, where one-third of the planet’s lottery sales are sold?

Yes, but it wasn’t easy, Lawson said. “I sat on six or seven different subcommittees, challenging the thinking on how lottery security works, on how lottery reporting works, on how an API would operate in the industry.”

A decade in the making, “Abacus can now effectively turn every cash register into a lottery terminal,” said Purcell. The result is a seamless checkout process—and much greater visibility for the lottery product.

SEAMLESS INTEGRATION THROUGH ONE GATEWAY But that seamless checkout isn’t possible without simplifying a notoriously complex lottery system.

That’s especially true for multistate operators. “A retailer working across all of [the 45 U.S. state lotteries] would potentially have to think about the connectivity to each of those separate individual lottery systems,” Butler said. And then there are the three central lottery providers, including IGT (now Brightstar Lottery), Scientific Games and Intralot.

Retail—and the c-store environment in particular— is changing.

And we need lottery to respond to that change.

Not to mention the POS software providers through whom the tech has to be integrated.

What’s needed is one touchpoint; a transactional gateway, Butler said. “With one connection to Abacus, we facilitate all that interconnectivity with the state lotteries, the lottery providers and the POS systems.”

And reconciliation? Dramatically simplified with Abacus. “At the moment, retailers by regulation have to reconcile lottery as a separate transaction,” Lawson said. “By integrating into the same POS, they can reconcile lottery sales through the same back-office process as all other sales.”

But the benefits go beyond just access. “It makes it easier for the retailer to see those sales in real time, which they don’t see on a lottery terminal—and not just that one store, but all stores in a chain, whether it’s two or 1,000,” said Purcell.

Perhaps the best part of Abacus is that retailers aren’t the ones paying for it.

With this technology, the state lotteries see a huge opportunity to increase sales, Purcell explained. So they pay a commission to Abacus, he said. “For the retailer, it’s effectively free.” The POS provider might charge a retailer to upgrade software during integration with the API, he continued, but Abacus advocates on retailers’ behalf when that happens.

DRIVING MORE THAN JUST LOTTERY SALES While lottery typically isn’t a high-margin category for retailers, Butler recognizes that the opportunity is in what surrounds it.

“Lottery is a driver to increase basket size,” he said. “Particularly when there are high jackpots, it encourages consumers to go into the store ... and while they’re buying a lottery ticket, they’re more likely to pick up something else.”

94 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

It works the other way around too, Butler continued. “The ease of putting lottery sales in-lane means that customers are more likely to buy a ticket with their drinks and snacks, especially if you advertise it, than if you had to go to a traditional lottery sale point and go out of your way to do it.”

Having lottery sales in the mix can alleviate retailers’ transaction fees. “Lottery sales today are single purchases, with separate card transaction fees,” Butler pointed out.

“But if lottery is sold with everything else the customer is buying, that fee is spread across the basket.” It also enables integration with promotions and loyalty programs that the category lacks today.

THE NEXT BIG DRAW In many cases, lottery isn’t top of mind for c-store decision-makers. “Look, you’re selling a million products. Lottery is only one of those—and it’s probably not a high-margin product either,” said Lawson. Often, it’s the retailers’ IT department heads that chomp at the bit to get this type of solution into their systems. “It’s about making lottery more accessible and improving the whole consumer experience, but they understand that it’s also giving the retailer a lot more control.”

Abacus is already active in over 50,000 retail lanes across Europe. Adoption in North America is expanding. “We just launched with Fairway in Iowa,” said Purcell, “and Harnois, a c-store company with 400 outlets in Canada, is piloting the technology today.”

Other major U.S. players are preparing to deploy. “We have a major national brand that is about 90% complete,” Purcell shared.

The technology also opens doors beyond the point of sale, Lawson said, with the vision of selling and redeeming tickets at ATMs, for example, or enabling e-commerce sales that manage to keep commissions in-store. “In states that allow it, a customer could buy age-gated digital games and digital scratch-off tickets at the register, through integration with the POS, that they could then play at home,” Purcell said.

“The transaction happens in the store and the retailer gets that commission. They then come back into the store for validation redemption, and usually spend that amount in the store, too.”

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Here’s why—and how— convenience retailers are investing in separate diesel fueling islands.

BY STEVE HOLTZ

I

t’s a simple equation. More trucks means more diesel demand. The decade between 2009 and 2019 was a period of growth for the trucking industry. As the economic recession of 2008 turned around, freight tonnage embarked on an extended period of cargo growth, from about 9.35 billion tons of freight in 2009 to 11.84 billion tons 10 years later, according to industry reports, an increase of 26.6%.

With more drivers logging more miles, it’s no surprise convenience retailers saw opportunity during this period to serve the needs of professional drivers. RaceTrac reacted with the opening of its first travel center with a larger lot and high-flow diesel lanes in Atlanta in 2018.

Since then, on the heels of the Covid pandemic sparking another recession and creating supply chain challenges, truck cargo totals have been volatile, up one month and down another. Still, tonnage is expected to grow to nearly 14 billion tons over the next decade.

And convenience retailers have responded by investing in travel centers across the United States.

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deeply with that audience and gives us a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving travel center landscape.”

RaceTrac’s experience has been similar since opening its first travel center seven years ago.

“We quickly realized there was an appetite among professional drivers for RaceTrac’s style of convenience store offering and that there was a chance to reimage it with added amenities, including truck parking and CAT scales,” said Nick LaFalce, RaceTrac marketing manager, B2B fleet and professional driver campaigns.

Today, the retailer operates 94 high-flow diesel stores under its RaceTrac and RaceWay retail brands.

The sites include 32 travel centers and 62 smaller-format c-stores that include high-flow diesel lanes dubbed EDO, or Expanded Diesel Offering, stores.

BEYOND THE PUMP To the untrained eye, those separate diesel lanes appear to be the primary differentiator between the travel center sites and a standard c-store. But there are many other variances in the two businesses.

“The model is so different,” said consultant Peter Rasmussen, founder and CEO of Convenience and Energy Advisors. “I worked for Wawa for 17

years. They were high-volume stores.

But if you had just dropped me in a Pilot Flying J store without any training, I’d have so many questions. What brings customers there? Are they on fleet agreements so they have to go there?

Are they independent and using some of the aggregator programs that bring you into the travel center?”

Beyond separate diesel fuel islands, pricing and promotional campaigns differ widely, he added. Foodservice often includes more variety, from grab-and-go to full-service restaurants. The need for larger lots to allow truck parking is paramount.

Managing loyalty requires an entirely different strategy.

“Travel centers are built with an entirely different guest segment in mind,” agreed LaFalce. “Whether it’s the layout of and amenities on our lots

vit/Adobe Stock

FEATURING FAMILIARITY The Speedway brand may be the grandfather of major convenience retailers operating travel centers. It owned 240 commercial diesel locations when it was acquired by 7-Eleven Inc. from Marathon Petroleum in 2021.

7-Eleven recognized the opportunity in scaled-down travel centers—no showers, trucker lounges or large-scale amenities, such as theaters or barber shops—and renamed the business the 7FLEET Diesel Network.

“Since then, we have added more than 135 [travel-center] locations across our family of brands, bringing our total to over 375 locations,” said Marissa Schneider, director of commercial fleet for 7-Eleven. And there’s more to come as 7FLEET looks to grow to more than 500 sites by the end of 2026.

“We continue to see more and more commercial drivers’ desire to fuel for business at the same convenience stores they grew up on.”

It’s that brand familiarity that opens opportunity for convenience retailers.

“The opportunity lies in trust and consistency,” Schneider said. “Drivers are increasingly choosing to fuel at stores that they grew up with because they feel cleaner, safer and have familiar offerings. 7-Eleven’s national brand presence and heritage resonate

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should charge for parking or not,” said Rasmussen, who was named to the NATSO Technology Steering Council in January. “The majority say you should charge at this point.

And drivers probably appreciate that because when you’re running out of hours, you need a place to park. After a long day, you don’t want to be circling trying to find a spot.”

or the food and merchandise offerings you can find in-store, nearly every element of our travel centers is built to cater to the needs of the professional driver on their routes.”

It starts with lot size and cost.

Adding a second fueling island, one with enough room for multiple semitrailer trucks to maneuver and park, is a significant expense.

“Our travel centers are built on larger lots, about eight to 10 acres, with a larger convenience store footprint of about 8,000 square feet,” LaFalce said. The average c-store in the United States is about 3,000 square feet and built on a 1.6-acre lot, according to NACS and NIQ TDLinx.

7-Eleven’s 375 7FLEET sites across more than a dozen states provide about 4,500 spaces for truck parking, an average of about 12 parking spaces per site.

“Truck parking is a big issue right now,” Rasmussen said. “There’s not enough capacity for it.”

The increase in truck traffic is part of the issue. Further, federal limits to the number of hours a trucker can drive (generally, 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour shift and a required 30-minute rest every eight hours) to limit driving fatigue require down time before returning to the road.

More retailers committing to serving professional drivers provides some relief. Technology is helping as well. Mobile apps like Trucker Path, Truck Parking Club and others allow a driver to reserve parking time at a travel center on his or her route, sometimes requiring a fee. “[Travel center] operators have strong opinions about whether you

BUILDING LOYALTY Loyalty to a store typically means something different to truck drivers than the average consumer. Rather than collecting points for freebies or cashing in on a limited-time buy-one, get-one offer, professional drivers are often beholden to a particular retail brand by the fleet-card agreements arranged by their employers.

“For them, cents-off per gallon is less relative because drivers are on cost-plus or retail-minus agreements,” Rasmussen said. “The way that you price the store is so different because if you serve fleet drivers, they are less price sensitive, while if you’re serving independent drivers, price may be super important.”

For fleet drivers, “it’s not that you see a sign that says ‘Truck Stop Ahead’ and you pull in, or you see the street diesel price, because everything is determined by prearranged digital agreements now,” he said. “The mega-fleet accounts—Walmart, Werner Enterprises, J.B. Hunt and so on—those drivers have to fuel at specific chains [to get prearranged discounts].”

And that’s where convenience retailers find opportunity, catering to the smaller fleets that make their way off the highway and into smaller, denser communities, which in many cases includes Amazon truck drivers.

“They’re going after the smaller fleets that include the day-cab drivers and might include 50 to 100 trucks, or in some cases 50 trucks or less,” Rasmussen said. “They could be on fleet agreements, but many times they’re using digital programs, with Mudflap being the biggest one.”

The Mudflap app and others like it work with independent

In April, the Love’s Family of Companies rebranded its alternative energy arm from Trillium Energy Solutions to Love’s Alternative Energy.

It also acquired U.S. Energy’s compressed natural gas (CNG) dispensing network. With a mix of public and private stations, the U.S. Energy network includes 41 stations across 15 states in the United States, and three stations in Canada.

Love’s Alternative Energy is a provider of renewable fuels and alternative fueling solutions, including compressed natural gas, hydrogen, electric vehicle charging, renewable natural gas, solar installation and on-site electricity generation.

Pilot Travel Centers opened a new 20,000-square-foot flagship store in early April. The store in Stanton, Tennessee, is now the largest travel center in Pilot’s network. It features “a bolder brand-forward design, a guest­ focused layout with inviting spaces and expanded fresh food offerings,” the company said.

The retailer also reported that it has upgraded more than 200 Pilot and Flying J locations as part of the company’s New Horizons remodel initiative launched in 2022.

RaceTrac and RaceWay launched the new 10-4 by WEX mobile app in January. The cardless payment solution is available at all travel centers and extended diesel offering stores, allowing drivers to pay for fuel securely and efficiently without the need for a physical card. The offering is tailored to the needs of independent owner­ operator truck drivers.

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GROWING COMPETITION Traditional c-store brands that play in the travel center market today include Casey’s, Kwik Trip, QuikTrip, Sheetz, Wawa and more. With so much new competition targeting professional drivers as customers, how are traditional travel center brands—Love’s,

Petro, Pilot Flying J, TravelCenters of America and others—adjusting?

“Love’s remains committed to serving all customers, especially professional drivers who play a critical role in maintaining supply chains,” said David Hanson, director of business administration and strategy for Love’s Travel Stops. “Love’s is always listening to customers and working to provide the items and services they want and need.”

For Love’s, that means offering more fresh food made on-site, as well as including the infrastructure to someday add EV chargers and serving nonprofessional motorists on road trips across the country with RV hookups and dog parks. The retailer is making technology improvements as well, updating its app to allow drivers to reserve a shower stall, start diesel pumps or pay for fuel from their cabs.

Love’s plans to build 20 new travel centers and remodel 50 sites this year.

Similarly, Pilot Flying J’s threeyear-old New Horizons Initiative has it upgrading more than 200 of its travel centers, “continuously integrating feedback from team members and guests after every remodel.” The

vit/Adobe Stock

travel centers or those with smaller footprints to provide discount fuel offers similar to fleet agreements to professional drivers. In late April, Mudflap reported it was saving drivers an average 22 cents per gallon.

Appealing to these smaller fleets is part of the marketing for 7-Eleven’s 7FLEET network, which offers a consistent payment experience that includes multiple fleet payment options, according to Schneider.

“A site’s inclusion in the 7FLEET Diesel Network tells our commercial customers that they can depend on

these sites to meet their commercial needs, most notably their fleet payments,” she said. “We understand these customers, and we have a robust fleet payment portfolio. 7FLEET means customer confidence to these commercial payments.”

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The entry into travel centers by traditional convenience store brands is part of the continuing evolution of the retail channel, according to NATSO Vice President of Membership and Interim CEO Darren Schulte.

“Look for travel centers and truck stops to continue to evolve as they have over the past 30 years,” he said. “Our industry is always investing in things. It’s just like any business: We’ll invest if it makes financial sense to us.”

bilanol/Adobe Stock

Here are some of the areas in which the channel has invested over the past decade: retailer also partnered with General Motors and EVgo to build out a network of about 2,000 350-kilowatt EV chargers to as many as 500 of its travel-center locations across the United States. As of March, about 130 EV chargers had been installed.

The bottom line? Truck traffic and the need for diesel fuel is expected to continue to grow.

“Diesel demand is expected to increase over the next 10 years,” said Greg Caponegro, general manager of light oil sales for Citgo. “Diesel growth is helped by industrial growth in transportation—that means heavy-duty vehicles, buses and construction equipment—the rise of e-commerce from Amazon, and the freight transportation that goes along with getting those products to the different depots where they drop them off [for local delivery].”

While Atlanta-based RaceTrac’s LaFalce said the primary opportunities for convenience retailers in travel centers are providing cleanliness and speed of service, the company has also found another advantage in introducing the brand to new markets.

“Targeting and catering to professional drivers will open the door to new markets for our brand as we continue to pinpoint locations near or on key freight lanes that carriers are running,” LaFalce said. “Our real estate team is always on the lookout for convenient locations that drivers won’t have a difficult time finding or driving to off the interstate.”

Darren Schulte, interim CEO and vice president of membership for industry association NATSO, expects the opportunities in travel centers will continue to bring new retailers to the channel. He calls it a good thing.

“Any time you get additional competition in the private sector … it adds great improvements to the area,” he said. “We’re talking about companies like Wawa or Sheetz or Kwik Trip.

They’re very, very well known for their speed. ... That’s a perfect business model for our interstate customers.

When you or your family are going to see the grandparents, you want to get in and out of a travel center fast. What these businesses have done is make our industry better.”

Steve Holtz is a veteran c-store journalist with more than 25 years in the industry. He is currently president of Holtz Media Consulting and host of the Convenience Weekly podcast on Spotify. Reach him at Steve@HoltzMC.com.

• More complete foodservice offers, from grab-and-go and roller grill to QSRs and FSRs. • Foodservice variety and quality. One significant example: Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill in Love’s Travel Centers.

• Depending on strategy, fewer longer-term amenities, such as showers or laundry facilities.

• Mobile apps that allow truck drivers to pay from the cab, reserve parking and other amenities, or place orders digitally.

• RV hookups.

• Dog parks.

• EV chargers.

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Ethanol-free gasoline can be a destination fuel for niche customers and operators of specialty equipment.

BY KEITH REID

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T

he variety of ethanol fuels available to the consumer has expanded to the point that it can be borderline confusing. Most gasoline in the United States is E10, or 10% ethanol.

A mixture of 10% to 15% ethanol (E15) is becoming popular among both customers and fuel retailers. There’s also flex fuel E85, which is 51% to 83% ethanol. And with modern blending pumps, the sky’s the limit, with mixtures of 25% (E25) and 30% (E30) gaining traction.

However, there was a time before ethanol when gasoline contained either tetraethyl lead or, more recently, MTBE to boost octane. When health concerns related to both additives arose, the additives were largely phased out. Ethanol took their place first to boost octane, then to reduce carbon and to support agricultural markets.

Even so, ethanol-free E0 (often called “pure gas” or REC-90) is not extinct. It is uncommon and relatively expensive: usually 20 cents or up to $1 more per gallon than E10, depending upon fuel market dynamics and where and how it is sold to the public.

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Rutter’s sells E0 at approximately 27 locations.

This is not a product for the average customer, though it could appeal to those who consider themselves purists about the gasoline they purchase, or those who remember the first failed “gasohol” trials in the 1970s. Some customers are more than prepared to pay the extra cost for a range of specialized fueling needs.

SPECIALTY DELIVERY While newer engines have synthetic components designed to resist ethanol’s corrosive properties, many older engines still in common use do not. The primary concern involves marine and small-engine applications and typically center on another ethanol property: its ability to absorb water. This can lead to issues such as phase separation (in which the ethanol separates from the gasoline) and an increase in “varnish” and the “gumming” of the fuel system after extended

I think there’s a market for E0 if you’re one of the few providers in an area. We always try to find a lot of complementary offerings that you don’t have to make a huge investment in but that can just continue adding incrementally to your profits.

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periods of disuse, which can lead to difficulty in starting the engine, lower performance and increased maintenance.

“In general, customers with boats and small engines, such as lawn mowers, are the ones who seek out ethanol-free gasoline,” said Chris Hartman, York, Pennsylvaniabased Rutter’s vice president of fuels, advertising and development, among other responsibilities. “In those types of specialty engines, they tend to see better efficiency and lower maintenance costs when they avoid ethanol-blended gasolines. While we don’t sell ethanol-free at every location, we see ethanol-free as a great addition to the standard gasoline and higher-ethanol gasoline offerings.”

Rutter’s sells ethanol-free gasoline at approximately 27 of its 90 retail locations throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. The company dispenses E0 from the dispenser and uses blender pumps to provide higher-ethanol blends.

“I think there’s a market for E0 if you’re one of the few providers in an area,” said Slaton Whatley, director of sales and vice president of retail for Cuthbert, Georgiabased Whatley Oil Co., a full-service distributorship serving Georgia and Alabama that operates 11 Zelmo’s Zip In convenience stores. Whatley oil offers E0 wholesale and from the dispenser at two retail sites. “We always try to find a lot of complementary offerings that you don’t have to make a huge investment in but that can just continue adding incrementally to your profits. You’re never going to retire off it, but it can be a great added product offering.”

TROUBLE IN THE TANK As the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) notes in a statement, “All mainstream manufacturers of power equipment and snowmobiles permit the use of gasoline blended with up to 10% ethanol in their products.”

The power equipment industry’s primary focus is on avoiding the use of E15 and higher blends in these engines. But even if E10 is approved, that does not necessarily mean it is seen as optimal.

Husqvarna, a manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, offers the following statement in a how-to guide on its website: “While

Marine engines accept E10, but many consumers prefer E0.

E10 fuels are approved for small engine equipment usage, it is not recommended, especially in handheld products.”

“Landscaping businesses have become a key buyer of ethanol-free gas from us over the years,” Whatley said. “Most often, we’re placing tanks on their property and delivering directly to their headquarters, and we also have several that fill up regularly with us at our stations that offer [fill-ups of mowers and gas cans at the pump]. For larger landscaping companies, having peace of mind that their equipment is safe and will stand the test of time is worth the premium price they pay for E0.”

The company also makes the fuel available at its cardlock location.

On the distributor side, Whatley Oil supplies some of its customers with E0.

“They’re both the old-style, three-bay garage convenience stores that still do some full-service fueling for people,” Whatley said. It’s a niche market for these customers, and they’d never buy a tanker load. It’s usually 3,000 or 4,000 gallons at a time.

MISSING THE BOAT? As with lawn equipment, marine engine manufacturers have increasingly approved E10. As noted on RFA’s website all major marine manufacturers allow E10 gasoline for use in their products.

And as with lawn care equipment, approved does not always mean recommended. Mercury Marine, in online user guidance saying fuel up to E10 is allowed, recommends using gasoline that contains no ethanol, when possible.

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Similar sentiments can be found among the forums and media outlets serving the powersports industry (which includes ATVs, UTVs, snowmobiles, etc.), with a 2022 article from ATV Rider saying, “Even 10% ethanol can have damaging effects if you allow it to sit in your fuel system for an extended time, especially if your ATV uses a carburetor.”

Whatley Oil company benefits from both market opportunities.

“We have a chain of lakes from the Chattahoochee River dam. Summer Fridays are by far our biggest days in this area,” said Whatley. “We have a lot of folks coming through pulling smaller recreational boats and filling up.”

Another company that markets ethanol-free fuel (among its more than 70 fuel blends) is San Antonio-based VP Racing Fuels, which supports a global network of more than 2,000 dealers. The ethanol-free fuel is provided in bulk to its branded marinas and distributed to its branded convenience retail sites as “cage fuels” in 5-gallon pails in outside cages, similar to how propane canisters are sold. The company also sells premixed ethanol-free 2-cycle fuels in its network and to big-box retailers.

Les Phelps, VP’s director of commercial and specialty products, noted that the retail site is a special destination for customers seeking ethanol-free fuel—which has some added benefits.

“If they’re stopping to fill up the boat, their ATVs or their powersports equipment, they’re probably also stopping in to buy ice, drinks, snacks, meals and whatever else they need,” said Phelps. “The same goes for

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a landscaping crew on their way to start the workday. We’ve seen that lift in our branded operations. You’re attracting a customer who’s typically going to be spending more.”

If they’re stopping to fill up the boat, their ATVs or their powersports equipment, they’re probably also stopping in to buy ice, drinks, snacks, meals and whatever else they need.

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IT’S A CLASSIC For classic-car owners, there is no gray area with ethanol fuels and engine technology.

While not a mainstream market, classic-car owners can be found virtually anywhere, and these customers tend to have a strong emotional connection to their vehicles and will pay to fuel them accordingly.

“They’re an educated buyer, and they know that ethanol-free is the best option for those classic cars,” Whatley said. “That’s a pretty niche type of customer. I know one guy specifically who shops at one of our locations because we have E0. He has an extensive collection of classic cars from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s that he just does not want to fuel with ethanol.”

One related area is the sale of high-octane (over 100 RON) racing fuel, which includes ethanol-free options. This is a niche customer, like the classic-car enthusiast, who also has a passion for their vehicles and a desire to fuel them accordingly to make the most of high-compression engines for stoplight cruising or track days.

These customers are dedicated and are a cornerstone of the VP Racing Fuels brand, as the name suggests. The price per 5-gallon pail can be as much as $200. The company also distributes a range of performance additives.

“We don’t sell race fuel at every retail outlet, and in general our outlets are partners who own and operate the store,” said Phelps. “We allow them the freedom to run the franchise and stock whatever items they want in the store. We do offer to those folks retail-oriented race fuel product packages, and that serves as a point of differentiation for their sites that sets them apart for others in the marketplace.”

A QUESTION OF SUPPLY Gasoline typically arrives at the terminal ethanol-free, so it might be expected that E0 would be widely available. And for some, that is the case.

“We never had supply issues,” Whatley said. “I’d say 90%-plus of what we pull is

unbranded; we can get that as ethanol-free, and we do sell a good amount of premium ethanol-free for two marinas. So, we don’t generally have an issue with supply.”

When supply is available, ethanol-free gasoline can fill a comfortable and profitable niche in a chain’s product lineup. Being both a distributor and retailer also helps.

“You’re going to get a better price because you’ve taken the retailer out of the equation, so you’re buying it direct wholesale,” Whatley said. “From the retail perspective, you can command a high margin. At the same time, a lot of customers who need it for equipment, especially landscaping companies, can get it at a much better price from us.”

However, while complete bans on sales of ethanol-free are not usually the case, a variety of regulatory and market issues can make supply availability hit or miss. A handful of states mandate E10, but there are usually exceptions for the aforementioned specialty uses. Regardless, E10 is the mainstream product in most other states by default, encouraged by the RFS and RINs market.

“It’s not uncommon for big terminals—for instance, Kinder Morgan in Houston—to have ethanol added at the rack as it goes into the truck, as a requirement,” Phelps said. “The RIN market disincentivizes ethanol-free, and the people along the distribution chain or the end consumer either choose to take advantage of the RIN opportunities or use the cheaper ethanol products as a result.”

If a retailer’s operational footprint overlaps with obvious market opportunities and supply isn’t an issue, offering E0 is no different than offering any other alternative fuel. A major consideration would be tank availability. Storage would typically not require a standard 10,000-gallon tank; a separate 5,000-gallon (aboveground or underground) tank could suffice, which is how Whatley Oil handles the product at its sites. However, with blender pumps and some creativity, the possibilities at the dispenser are endless.

Keith Reid is a founder and the editor of Fuels Market News. He can be reached at kreid@fmnweb.com.

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EVs and the Three C’s As EV usage continues to grow, and the pool of EV drivers expands, confidence, comfort and convenience drive charging visits.

BY LEAH ASH

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This interview is brought to you by Ionna.

H

eadlines in the United States claim that the EV market has hit a lull. But IONNA, the fast-growing EV charging network backed by eight of the world’s largest automakers, reminds c-store operators that the overall trajectory hasn’t changed.

“I’ve been in the industry for going on 13 years now, and EV adoption keeps going up and to the right,” said Seth Cutler, chief executive officer of IONNA. He noted that the actual driving experience “in terms of vehicle quality, range, and speed,” is getting better year over year, as well as infrastructure which is consistently improving and enabling market growth.

“Despite the headlines and fluctuations in policy, the thing to note is that EV adoption continues to grow. There were about 1.4 million EVs sold last year. That’s up year over year,” said Ricardo Stamatti, chief product and technology officer of IONNA. “There’s enough data out there today that shows people don’t buy EVs purely because of tax or other incentives. They buy EVs because they enjoy driving them.”

It takes an average of six years to develop a new vehicle, said Stamatti, and even longer to develop a new platform because of the time spent building supply chains. Automakers remain committed to building a range of EVs

and improving accessibility. Proof of this commitment is seen in IONNA’s creation. The company was founded by eight automakers: BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Toyota.

SEARCHING FOR CONFIDENCE, COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE EV drivers look for three things from their charging experience: confidence, comfort and convenience, said Stamatti. “They want to know that when they find a station, when they get there, it’s going to work and they don’t have to go out of their way to charge and bake under the sun. They want clean, well lit, welcoming locations. And they want a place where they can use the restroom, grab a snack and maybe even get some work done while they’re charging.”

“For us, the charger is just one component of the overall experience a customer has,” Cutler said. “From a physical standpoint, there’s certain things that we think about.

From the overall experience a customer has at this location to everything down through trash cans and windshield wipers to canopy and lighting.”

Customer experience is “what we’re focusing on here at IONNA,” Cutler said. “How do we deliver a different customer experience,

When it comes to gas, drivers look for the sign in the sky showing the price of fuel per gallon. With Ionna, drivers can easily find rechargeries through the car’s navigation system.

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People don’t buy EVs purely because of tax or other incentives.

They buy EVs because they enjoy driving them.

EVs have moved well past the early adopters and are in a new mass market stage.

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both physically and also digitally? How do we work with our investors and partners to think about the overall ecosystem—from a digital and physical integration of the car, the driver, the mobile app and the actual charging station?”

IONNA is also trying to drive integration between the car and the charger. “It’s all about how you really combine the car and the charger into one ecosystem. You can do that in a different way than with gas.

Reservations are an example. Or does the nav system offer a different route if it knows that someone is already there using the Rechargery? There are all kinds of things you can go do once we’re able to start unlocking that way,” Cutler said.

THE NEW EV DRIVER EVs have moved well past the early adopters, Stamatti said, and EVs are in a new mass market stage. The EV driver demographic continues to broaden. More people, from all walks of life across different g eographies, are going to be driving EVs, he said. “At IONNA, part of our mission is to open America’s roads to EVs. And for c-stores, that means opening the road for new customers.”

Cutler noted that there used to be one specific type of person who was buying an EV, but now EVs fit more than one type of lifestyle. The first EV buyers, he said, relied heavily on home charging. “Now, you have people that are traveling 300-plus miles, and there are EV drivers living in smaller homes or apartments who can’t easily charge at home. What that means is that the need for public charging increases. People are going

to be looking to go to a c-store or their local gas station to charge their car because that’s where they’re used to going for fuel.”

Stamatti noted how the secondhand EV market has created a new pool of potential buyers. “There are so many people looking for a value option when they buy a used car, and all of a sudden there’s a discounted EV available for purchase.”

As an example of the expanding market, EVs have also proven to be great options for Uber and Lyft drivers. Stamatti said that these drivers can now get an EV for a “low capital outlay” and in addition to that, if they have the ability to charge at home or get some sort of fleet charging plan with their secondhand EV, “all of a sudden, the ability for these drivers to make good money is defined by that car.”

ADDRESSING C-STORE CHALLENGES Installing an EV charger historically comes with many challenges, from overall costs to filing paperwork with the city. Stamatti said that IONNA is designed to be a full-service partner with the stores it works with.

“We’re not a hardware seller or a software vendor. When we deploy, for example, at a c-store, we bring the chargers, the energy system and the customer service, as well as a brand with a long-term service model.”

IONNA covers all capital costs when installing its Rechargeries, so c-store owners don’t have operational expenses. Additionally, the company will pay rent for the land.

“That is the real advantage for the retailers who partner with us. Another advantage is our deep integration in vehicles, which is benefit of IONNA being created as a joint venture of eight car companies,” said Cutler.

“When it comes to gas, drivers look for the sign in the sky showing the price of fuel per gallon. With IONNA, drivers can easily find Rechargeries through the car’s navigation system.”

“For a c-store, all they have to do is raise their hand and say ‘I think I’m a great location for a Rechargery.’ We come in and say, ‘Guess what? We agree.’ And then all the store does is benefit from that increased traffic and future-proofing that new customer base,” Stamatti explained.

The familiar new experience

Want to host a Rechargery? Give us a holler, we’ll do the rest. www.ionna.com/host-a-rechargery

SURVEY SERIES PART 1 OF 3 (Look for Part 2 in the October Issue)

PATH An increasing number of drivers are willing to go out of their way to visit a convenience store just because they like it.

BY JEFF LENARD AND ADAM ROSENBLATT

to the

PUMP P

rices continue to be top of mind with consumers and a primary motivator of why they select a specific place to shop. Gas prices are directly affecting their views on the economy, which could influence long-term shopping behavior as well as their more immediate decision to select a specific place to purchase gas. Of course, there are other factors at play—especially as more convenience stores create deep customer loyalty through in-store offers or an exceptional customer experience—but for many customers, it still starts with the gas price sign.

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The Overall Context Around Gas Prices Prices are always top of mind with consumers, and this remains true in 2025, even though gas prices at the time of the survey were nearly 20 cents lower than the year prior. Based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the national average gas price was $3.17 at the time of the 2025 survey, compared with $3.38 at the time of the 2024 survey.

Economic unease has risen in the past year. Most consumers (57%) say they are pessimistic about the economy, a two-point increase from last year. This pessimism may be related to general economic uncertainty from on-and-off (and sometimes back on) tariffs that roiled the markets and ongoing debates by economists about whether we will enter—or already are in—a recession.

Consumers are definitely concerned about the economy and prices, and that can affect sales, starting at the forecourt. Let’s look at three big fuels-related trends evident in this year’s survey and what they might mean for your stores.

1. Americans Are Driving Less— Mostly We know from decades of past research that gas prices influence consumer sentiment on the economy. While an overwhelming 79% of Americans say the price of gas affects their feelings about the economy, that’s 6 percentage points down from the 85% who said so last year.

In a time of economic uncertainty, gas prices clearly concern certain demographic groups. Increasingly, consumers ages 18-34 (43%) say gas prices have a “great impact” on their feelings about the economy, which is 12 percentage points higher than the national average.

These concerns about the economy related to gas prices appear to have a trickle-down effect on driving behavior.

Two in five (40%) of consumers ages 18-34 say the price of gas has a “great impact” on their driving decisions, compared with 28% of the overall population.

HOW MUCH DO GAS PRICES AFFECT YOUR DRIVING DECISIONS? Overall

Ages 18-34

Great impact

28%

40%

Some impact

40%

39%

Total

68%

79%

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63%

say the price of gas is more important today than in the past when choosing a particular c-store About one in three consumers (34%) say they are driving about the same amount as they did last year. However, the rest (66%) say they have changed their driving behavior: More than twice as many (46%) say they are driving less than those driving more (20%). Combined with continued fuel efficiency improvements for U.S. vehicles, this has the potential to significantly reduce gas demand in 2025.

46% are driving less than last year 20% are driving more than last year 34% are driving the same as last year

What’s the main reason cited for driving less? While prices have been steady or slightly declined in the past year, overall economic uncertainty seems to have put more pressure on household expenses, especially gas prices, which were cited by two in three consumers (68%). Of bigger concern for retailers, 38% of daily commuters say they are driving less, and the most common reason cited for this change in behavior is the price of gas (84%).

WHY ARE YOU DRIVING LESS THAN LAST YEAR? (asked to the 46% who are driving less; multiple selections permitted)

68% The price of gas 38% Fewer social activities outside the home 26% Fewer errands 16% Work from home and commute less 15% Retired or no longer employed 11% Use public transit more

About the Consumer Survey Charts and insights are based on a national survey of 1,203 consumers conducted from May 19-21, 2025, for NACS by national public opinion research firm Bold Decision (bold-decision.com). This article references data subsets that may not be included in the accompanying charts. Year-toyear comparisons are based on results from the 2024 NACS consumer survey, conducted March 8-12, 2024.

79%

say gas prices today affect their feelings on the economy While the price of gas is contributing to some people driving less, it is also leading others to drive more. Of the 20% who are driving more compared with last year, the price of gas was cited by nearly one in three (31%) consumers. Presumably, these drivers find it more affordable than in 2024. The other main reasons for driving more were more errands/responsibilities (58%), more social activities outside the home (47%) and more jobs/multiple jobs (28%). Those with household incomes of at least $100,000 were more likely to drive more (23%) and were much more likely to drive more because of non-work-related activities such as more errands/responsibilities (71%, compared with 56% of those with incomes below $50,000) or more social activities outside the home (61%, compared with 36% of those with incomes less than $50,000).

If consumers’ concerns about gas prices are driving down demand, it will become even more important to entice drivers to your forecourt.

2. Consumers Have Preferences for Favorite Places to Fill Up Most drivers (59%) have preferences influencing where they purchase fuel. And they say prices are the top reason.

WHY DO YOU PREFER A CERTAIN STORE OR BRAND? (asked to the 59% who had a preference; multiple selections permitted)

58% It usually has lower prices 56% The store’s location 50% Fuel quality 41% Loyalty program of store/chain 21% Quality of prepared food/drinks 18% Quality of store employees 17% Restrooms/cleanliness

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A look at customer subsets and their feelings on factors other than fuel prices shows some opportunities.

Frequent customers—those shopping at stores at least multiple times per week—are especially interested in the quality of the fuel sold (61%, +3 vs. the all-consumers average), the quality of prepared food/beverages (33%, +12 vs. the all-consumers average), quality employees (27%, +9 vs. the all-consumers average) and restrooms cleanliness (26%, +9 vs. the all-consumers average). These customers are in stores the most and want a welcoming environment that fits their convenience-focused lifestyle.

Consumers in the South also are more interested in hospitality in stores: They seek out stores with restrooms/ cleanliness (24%, +7 vs. the all-consumers average) and quality employees (23%, +5 vs. the all-consumers average).

Meanwhile, the quality of fuel is much more important to men (60%) than women (40%) and very important to consumers in households with incomes over $100,000 (56%).

Consumers have said what they value. So now let’s look at how they’d change their behavior for the store attributes they value most.

3. They Are Willing to Change Their Behavior for a Good Offer Consumers are always interested in the lowest gas prices possible, but they are more willing to inconvenience themselves to go to the store they like more than to save money on a fill-up. In all three “inconvenient” scenarios presented to them (drive five minutes more, drive 10 minutes more or make a left-hand turn across a busy street), preference for the store won over price.

I WOULD DRIVE FIVE MINUTES OUT OF MY WAY …

82% To go to the store I like more 69% To save 5 cents per gallon 57% To get a discount on a meal or drink 54% For higher-quality food or meal options

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27%

of frequent customers prefer a store because of the quality of employees Two years ago, consumers were equally likely to select a store based on price or because they liked it more. Last year, they were slightly more likely to select a store they liked than to select a store based on price. Today, preference “for a store they like more” is even more popular with consumers than the gas price. Consumer preference for going to “the store I like” jumped 10 percentage points this year (82%), while preference for a 5-cent discount went up 3 percentage points (69%).

Going to the store they like more is particularly important to frequent c-store customers (those who shop multiple times per week), with 90% of these customers indicating that preference. Frequent customers are also more highly interested in in-store discounts on meals or beverages (76%, +19 vs. the all-consumers average) and high-quality food options (74%, +20 vs. the all-consumers average). These nonfinancial offers are more appealing to frequent customers than saving 5 cents per gallon at the pump (72%, +3 vs. the all-consumers average).

Other subgroups willing to inconvenience themselves by driving five minutes out of their way to the store they like more are those ages 35-49 (88%, +6 vs. the all-consumers average) and women (86%, +4 vs. the all-consumers average).

Discounts on food and beverages are most valued by consumers in the South (63%) and least prized in the West (44%).

I WOULD DRIVE 10 MINUTES OUT OF MY WAY …

60%: To go to the store I like more 54%: To save 5 cents per gallon 48%: To get a discount on a meal or drink 41%: For higher-quality food or meal options

How the ‘Average’ Customer Fills Up A look at some top-line fueling behaviors.

WHERE DO YOU MOST OFTEN BUY GAS?

HOW DO YOU PAY FOR FUEL?

61% At a convenience store that sells gas 24% At a service station that has a very limited store or no store

15%

18%

At a big-box retailer like Costco or Walmart

Cash

52% Cumulatively, 85% of consumers say they purchase fuel from a c-store or service station—a gain of 3 percentage points from last year—compared with 15% who purchase fuel from a big-box retailer. The most likely consumer subsets to purchase fuel from a big-box retailer are those in the West (22%) and those age 65 and older (22%).

WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR TO YOU IN BUYING GAS?

12% Brand

16%

Location

72%

29%

Debit

Credit

Overall, 81% of consumers pay for their fuel with a card, a 6-percentage-point jump from last year.

Those who visit c-stores multiple times a week are the most likely to pay with cash (24%); those ages 18-34 are most likely to pay with debit (59%) and those 65 and older are most likely to pay with credit (45%). Income also plays a huge role in payment choice: 51% of those with household incomes of more than $100,000 pay with a credit card, while 26% of those with incomes of less than $50,000 pay with cash.

Price

WHEN DO YOU MOST OFTEN PURCHASE FUEL?

Not surprisingly, big-box fuel shoppers are most likely to seek out a location based on price (86%).

Location is a relatively more important attribute among those in the Northeast (23%), while brand is relatively more important for those 65 and older (15%) and those in the West (15%).

25% Morning (6-10 a.m.)

33% Midday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.)

32% Afternoon (3-7 p.m.)

9% Night (7 p.m.-12 a.m.)

1% Overnight (12-6 a.m.)

Midday is still the most popular time to fill up, but its share is shrinking, dropping 3 percentage points compared with last year. Meanwhile, morning and afternoon fill-ups were each up 2 percentage points, likely related to more businesses requiring in-office work. Those most likely to fill up during midday hours are those who work from home (37%) or those age 65 and older (53%).

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Frequent customers also overindex compared with the average consumer in driving 10 minutes out of their way to go to the store they like more (69%, +9 vs. the all-consumers average), for higher-quality meals (57%, +16 vs. the all-consumers average) or to get a discount on a meal or beverage (64%, +16 vs. the all-consumers average).

These attributes all rate higher than getting a 5-cent discount (54%, the same as the all-consumers average).

Consumers in the South or ages 35-49 were the subgroups most interested in food and drink discounts (each at 55%, +7 vs. the all-consumers average). Discounts on food or beverages were of least interest to those who work from home (39%, –9 compared with the all-consumers average).

Meanwhile, driving 10 minutes out of their way in search of higher-quality food and beverage offers are of most interest to those ages 35-49 (54%, +13 vs. the all-consumers average) and more of interest to men than women (44% vs. 37%).

Comparatively, there was less interest in making a lefthand turn than driving five or 10 minutes out of the way, and there was very little variation in subgroups except for one—and it’s not the expected one. Those in households making more than $100,000 are far more likely to embrace the left-hand turn than those making less than $50,000, both to go to the store they like (65% vs. 52%) or to save 5 cents per gallon (67% vs. 55%).

Final Thoughts … for Now Economic concerns and gas prices are stressing out consumers, and that could lead to a decrease in driving and a decrease in shopping inside the store. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Consumers are willing to change their behavior—and perhaps even drive more—if your in-store offer gives them a good reason to.

Jeff Lenard is the vice president of NACS media and strategic communications. He can be reached at jlenard@convenience.org.

I WOULD MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN ACROSS A BUSY STREET:

59% To go to a store I like more 57% To save 5 cents per gallon

Adam Rosenblatt is the founding partner of Bold Decision and has been leading NACS consumer surveys since 2009. He can be reached at adam@bold-decision.com.

Part two, in the October issue, of our three part series will look at what consumers are buying and doing inside the store and what opportunities are available for retailers who can connect best with consumers.

Part three will focus on consumer preferences related to convenience and will appear in the November issue of NACS Magazine.

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Harman Aulakh of Onvo shares what went into the company rebrand, what makes Onvo stand out and insights on its partnership with Penn State.

BY BEN NUSSBAUM

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 127

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“Any time we introduce something new, it comes back to one question: Does this let travelers know they can count on Onvo for a spotless, up-to-date stop? That’s our standard, every time.”

O

nvo, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, operates around 40 travel plazas and gas stations across Pennsylvania and New York. The company launched a rebrand in 2020 that saw it adopt a new name, logo and in-store identity.

Harman Aulakh,

vice president of marketing, Onvo

FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN’T FAMILIAR, CAN YOU SHARE THE STORY OF ONVO THE COMPANY (AND ONVO THE OWL)?

Onvo was founded in 1988, and it was previously known as Liberty Travel Plazas.

We have about 40 travel centers throughout Pennsylvania and New York, most with a QSR, either Burger King, Tim Horton’s, IHOP or Subway. In August of 2020, we rebranded to Onvo. The reception to the rebrand has been unlike anything we could have expected. Our staff has really identified with the new brand and the mission: “Always quick, always kind and always convenient.”

In 2022, we launched our new store prototype and we expanded on it last year, when we opened our largest format store with our first made-to-order food service experience, Food on the Fly.

As a travel plaza, most of our locations are 24/7, so we like to say that we cater to the night owls and the early birds. That’s where Onvo the Owl comes in. When we think about what sets Onvo apart, it’s our 24/7 facilities that are a safe haven for drivers who may have spent hours on the road, whether they’re truck drivers or drive passenger vehicles.

We developed Onvo the Owl to represent our dedication to making sure that the night owls and early birds feel taken care of.

Seeing how Onvo the Owl resonates with our younger guests but also their parents … it’s been a real joy to see how that has taken off in the way that we would have only hoped for.

ARE YOU FINISHED ROLLING OUT THE REBRAND ACROSS ALL YOUR LOCATIONS? AND WHAT ARE THE LESSONS LEARNED SO FAR? There are elements of it that are ongoing. There are a few stages. The standard signage swap-out we accomplished in the first two years. Now we’re undergoing some more moderate- to large-scale remodels and facelifts of the exterior, which is on a site-by-site basis. I’m a firm believer that the process of maintaining your brand is never complete. As we launch our new prototype NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 129

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Onvo the Owl is a customer favorite, according to Onvo, and the company works to find the right visibility, using the owl for key messages but making sure he isn’t “just popping up anywhere.”

Being a welcome source of interaction and friendly conversation [is] especially important when you may be one of the few face-to-face interactions a person has that day.

and open new-to-industry stores, there’s always new components we’re adding or things we’re retiring.

Something I’ve taken away from this process is that there are so many elements that look great on paper, but when you actually implement them, whether it’s within the physical store or the digital platform, they may not resonate with guests and may not feel right in the space. So I think that’s the biggest lesson, not feeling too attached to things that aren’t necessarily a core part of the identity. There are certain things where you draw a line in the sand and say, ‘This is the brand identity.’ But there are some components where you try really hard to make something work, and it just doesn’t work out.

That was especially true when we started the rebrand, in the face of the supply chain issues during the pandemic.

SPEAKING OF BRAND IDENTITY: WHAT ARE SOME KEY COMPONENTS OF BRAND IDENTITY AT ONVO? A big part of our brand identity is making sure our facilities are always clean and modern. Any time we introduce something new, it comes back to one question: Does this let travelers know they can count on Onvo for a spotless, up-to-date stop? That’s our standard, every time.

We’re also careful with how we use Onvo the Owl. He’s a favorite with our customers, but we only feature him when it means something—like sharing important messages or making a real connection, not just popping up anywhere. For us, it’s all about keeping the brand—and our spaces—feeling fresh, trustworthy and welcoming.

FOR THE MOST PART, C-STORES SELL MOSTLY THE SAME THINGS. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS SOMETHING ONVO IS FAMOUS FOR, SOMETHING THAT MAKES ONVO STAND OUT? I think it’s experience. I think when you walk into an Onvo, it feels different than the average travel plaza or c-store experience.

We really focus on amenities and creating a heightened experience. You think about our locations off the interstate and what it means to be a truck driver spending all day on the road, and we can provide a really heightened atmosphere of personal escape, especially if you look at our shower facilities and our restrooms.

These drivers spend a lot of time by themselves in their cabs. I have to give credit to our staff for being a welcome source of interaction and friendly conversation and customer service. It’s always important, but it’s especially important when you may be one of the few face-to-face interactions a person has that day.

In terms of foodservice, we also have a great coffee program. We invested in bean-to-cup machines, and we run some great LTOs. We focus really strongly on the quality of our coffee. And then there’s our new Food on the Fly program. We focused on developing a signature product in the form of our Craveritos, which are indulgent, delicious burritos. We’ve also introduced bowls, pizza and quesadillas. We know what food means for our business moving forward, and we’re really proud of what we’re able to provide.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 131

Those moments where you’re part of a crowd of 200,000plus people who are tailgating and you’re finding your own guests … that is such an amazing feeling.

ONVO DESCRIBES ITS MISSION AS PROVIDING “EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE THAT IS ALWAYS QUICK, ALWAYS KIND, AND ALWAYS CONVENIENT.” THE WORD “KIND” IS REALLY INTERESTING, THAT’S MORE THAN BEING JUST A SMILING FACE. WHAT LED YOU TO THAT? You’re right, being kind isn’t just about being friendly or offering a smile at the counter. For us, it means being genuinely personable and bringing a human touch to everything we do. Kindness is something our team works to embody, whether someone’s grabbing coffee late at night or a family’s stopping in on a road trip. It’s how we make sure everyone feels comfortable, welcome and part of the community whenever they come through Onvo.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU’RE PRIORITIZING OVER THE COMING YEAR? We’re going into the second year of a Penn State partnership as the Official Travel Plaza Partner of Penn State football and Penn State athletics as a whole, and we’re focused on maximizing that opportunity, providing great experiences for the fans. We’ve got a lot of really exciting things lined up, providing some new opportunities for Penn State fans to engage with Onvo and Onvo fans to engage with Penn State.

And then on the other side, looking for more opportunities to leverage new technologies. There’s lots of opportunity obviously with AI, so we’re evaluating all the new technology opportunities that are coming up and seeing what makes sense for us.

THAT PENN STATE DEAL SEEMS REALLY SMART … TELL US ABOUT THAT. It’s been great to see how much it’s resonated with everyone—our staff and our guests. The university has been great to partner with. It’s

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such an interesting time for college athletics and partnerships with NIL and how these things are evolving.

Penn State is such an iconic institution within our home state, and for us to be partnered with an institution with that much history and respect has been amazing. But the best part is when we’ve been at activations, for example the White Out Game, which is one of the biggest events in college sports, and we see folks who say, “I stopped at an Onvo on my way in,” or “I saw that you guys were going to be here on the app.”

Those moments where you’re part of a crowd of 200,000-plus people who are tailgating and you’re finding your own guests and they’re excited to see you there, even with all the other exciting things that are happening around them, that is such an amazing feeling, just on a personal level.

WHAT WAS THE GENESIS OF THAT RELATIONSHIP? I received a call from Penn State. We were running a campaign promoting our coffee and it caught the eye of someone on the Penn State side, and they reached out. We had a dialogue for quite some time. It wasn’t an overnight thing, but once we realized the potential and the synergies that were there, it came together.

Our relationship goes beyond football. Obviously football is what Penn State is synonymous with, but sports like women’s volleyball and wrestling have had a lot of success in recent years. It’s great to see how much other programs at Penn State are starting to shine.

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Giving Back: A CORE VALUE Parker’s Kitchen fuels change for women in need at Parker’s House.

BY JOE BEETON

C

onvenience stores are community cornerstones— serving as platforms for charitable fundraising, resource centers and disaster relief hubs when need be. Community efforts often start at the register but go beyond donations—they require a real understanding of local causes, the development of strategic partnerships, time commitments and sweat equity.

In Georgia, Parker’s Kitchen—a food-focused convenience retailer with over 100 locations throughout Georgia and South Carolina—is a powerful engine for community change in its area.

At the heart of the retailer’s efforts is Parker’s House: A Home for Women, the first facility in the region dedicated to supporting unaccompanied homeless women.

Opened in partnership with Savannah, Georgia-based nonprofit Union Mission in September 2022, the shelter has already changed the lives of over 675 women.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 135

As Greg Parker (front row, gray suit) transitions to executive chairman and hands the reins over to the next generation of leadership, he leaves the company with a deeprooted commitment to philanthropy.

What sets our industry apart is the fact that everyone shops at a convenience store. … We seek out charitable causes that are universal, just like our customer base.

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“The best part about supporting Parker’s House for Women is meeting the residents and seeing the transformative impact that this facility is having on women experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Olivia Parker, outreach and communications manager at Parker’s Kitchen. “To be able to help more than 600 women chart a brighter path for the future is extremely rewarding and fulfilling.”

Parker’s House is just one piece of the broader philanthropic vision realized through the Parker’s Community Fund.

180 VULNERABLE WOMEN, ONE BOLD RESPONSE The story of Parker’s House began with a crisis in the communities Parker’s serves—one that Union Mission has been combating for nearly a century.

Union Mission started as a soup kitchen in 1937 and grew into a wide-reaching nonprofit offering holistic support, including transitional housing, mental health services, job placement and more

with the goal of ending homelessness across southeast Georgia.

Union Mission has provided men with emergency housing since the 1980s.

In 2021, the organization identified a gap along the I-95 corridor from Jacksonville, Florida, all the way up to Charleston, South Carolina: no such services existed to protect women, many of whom are survivors of domestic violence or sexual abuse.

“We learned that there were 180 unaccompanied women on the street on any given night in Chatham County, Georgia, where Parker’s is based,” explained Michael Traynor, president and CEO of Union Mission. “So we went to [founder and former CEO of Parker’s Kitchen] Greg Parker and presented him with the plan that we had developed to serve 32 women at a time in the facility with all the wraparound services they might need to get back into housing and to being productive citizens in our community,” Traynor said. “Without hesitation, Greg was all in.”

PUTTING COMMUNITY FRONT AND CENTER Parker’s Kitchen provided the seed funding for the facility, which now bears the company’s name—Parker’s House. But that initial “all-in” mindset evolved into a long-term, deep-rooted partnership between the two organizations. In July, Parker’s Kitchen donated $1 million to Union Mission to build a new resource center for the homeless in Savannah, Georgia.

“Greg and his team, when they decide to do something, they stay engaged throughout,” Traynor said. “They actually put sweat equity into the organizations they support. And they give their employees an opportunity

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a problem,” Traynor said. “It’s very beneficial because nonprofits work on a slim margin and having that ability to support our operations and do the things we need to do enables us to get better outcomes for our local communities.”

Parker’s Kitchen provided seed funding to open Parker’s House: A Home for Women and has continued to make donations to the center, as well as Union Mission, over the last several years.

The more your customers and your team members understand what you’re trying to accomplish, the more they’ll be willing to support your efforts and to amplify the impact of your philanthropy.

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to be on the ground as well.” Parker’s Kitchen employees volunteer at events, participate in quarterly planning meetings and help deliver critical resources year-round.

Perhaps Greg Parker’s all-encompassing approach to philanthropy today stems from his early days in the business, when donating large sumSors of money was impossible. In 1976 at the age of 21, Parker opened his first convenience store in Midway, Georgia. He cooked in the back, cleaned the pumps and handled the books himself. “I was focused on making payroll, paying my taxes and having general expenditures for maintenance issues,” he said. “So I wasn’t very philanthropic.”

That’s one of the reasons the partnership between Parker’s Kitchen and Union Mission works so well—the leaders of both organizations understand how to make maximum impact from small margins.

“Our job is to identify a gap in services and then provide those to the best of our ability using the tools that are available,” Traynor said. “And we believe strongly that there is no mission without a margin.”

Beyond financials, Parker’s Kitchen has stepped in to help Union Mission when it needed additional resources, “or additional minds to help solve

A PHILANTHROPIC LEGACY FOR PURPOSE-DRIVEN RETAILERS Parker has been extremely successful in the convenience retail business.

Having landed on the Inc. 5000 list for fastest-growing private companies seven times while doubling the chain’s locations and growing to 1,800 employees is a feat for any family-owned retailer. Now that Parker is in the “harvest phase” of his career, he’s able to resow the seeds of his success. “The more successful you become, the more you can give back. The more you can give back, the more people want to shop with you and work for you,” he said.

Parker’s Community Fund, which was started in 2020 by Greg and the Parker family, has already distributed over $30 million to hospitals, food banks, schools, veterans’ organizations and more.

As Parker continues transitioning into retirement, his philanthropy remains stronger than ever. “It’s in the DNA of our company. My goal is to grow the Parker’s Community Fund to $100 million and to continue to give back for the rest of my life.”

That might seem ambitious in an industry with tight margins, but Parker believes convenience stores are uniquely positioned to lead in their communities.

“What sets our industry apart is the fact that everyone shops at a convenience store,” Parker explained. “At Parker’s Kitchen, we seek out charitable causes that are universal, just like our customer base.”

Parker understands that not every c-store operator has a multimillion-dollar fund at their disposal. But he encourages his industry peers to start where they are. “There are many different ways to give back. You can be generous with your time and your

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My best advice is to think local.

Focus on local nonprofits and causes that resonate with your customers.

With 16 double-occupancy bedrooms, Parker’s House can house 32 women at a time per night.

commitment to a particular cause. You can serve on boards or volunteer at the local food bank,” he said.

Frequent transactions also uniquely position c-stores for round-up campaigns, Parker continued. “With over 1 million transactions per week at Parker’s Kitchen, something as simple as a round-up campaign can be an incredible opportunity to make a tremendous impact on an ongoing basis.”

The success of Parker’s House is owed in part to c-store consumers.

“Every year, for three to four months, customers can round up in the store to the nearest dollar just by pressing a button on the screen, saying that they want to provide for unaccompanied homeless women in our community,” Traynor said. “And then Parker’s Community Fund makes a contribution at the end of that drive based on the amount of dollars that are raised.”

Its most recent round-up campaign for the Wounded Warrior Project raised $360,000. Parker’s matched 25% of customer donations.

“At Parker’s Kitchen, we’ve quite literally made giving back to the community part of our core values as a company,” Parker said. “And it should be that way for every business, because it cultivates loyalty, supports revenue growth and enhances recruitment efforts.”

140 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

“I think it’s important that any company or organization builds brand loyalty,” Traynor said. “At the end of the day, it’s not about these contributions directly growing sales,” he continued, “but it’s a critical tool in the toolbox, because I do believe people want to support businesses that support the things they believe in.”

LOCAL CAUSE, LOYAL CUSTOMERS For both Parker’s Kitchen and Union Mission, the emphasis on local is critical. They believe that customers are far more likely to engage when the impact of their donation is visible in their own backyard.

“My best advice is to think local,” Parker said. “Focus on local nonprofits and causes that resonate with your customers.”

Take Parker’s House, for example, where customers can contribute toward helping the homeless population in their own community. Or the Wounded Warrior Project. “We have so many active-duty military and veterans in our area, so it really resonated with our customers,” Parker said. “When you give back to local organizations and they’re spending money where the customers live, customers are more apt to give.”

Parker said to keep in mind that whether it’s customers choosing to contribute or c-store leaders considering charitable contributions, giving back is always a personal decision.

Parker’s advice is to get personal: It starts with causes that you as an individual, and each individual that walks through your doors, are passionate about. “If you’re just getting started in your career, I understand that there’s only so much you can do. When the time comes, give what you can to the causes that matter most to you and your customers. The more your customers and your team members understand what you’re trying to accomplish, the more they’ll be willing to support your efforts and to amplify the impact of your philanthropy.”

Parker’s Kitchen’s legacy is something far more lasting than its successful convenience business: It’s the lives it’s helping to rebuild, the communities it’s helping to strengthen and the example it’s setting for an industry that has the reach to give back.

Joe Beeton is a contributor for NACS. His media career has focused on real estate development with an emphasis on retail.

Symphonic Chronic is the fastest growing brand family in the Deschutes portfolio

up +73% in dollar sales Source: Circana/IRI Total US CONV YTD thru 7-27-25 Revenue

S I N G L E S E R V E 1 9 . 2 OZ · 9 % A B V

available nationwide Visit us at NACS Show Booth N156!

Cool New Products Guide This advertorial-style guide of services and packaging appears monthly and is an information-packed tour of ideas and approaches that can change how consumers view your store or choose your brand. It spotlights the newest thinking in convenience and fuel retailing and gives you an advance look at ways of staying in front of industry trends.

Products are categorized the same way we organize the Cool New Products Preview Room at the NACS Show each year in October— New Design, New to the Industry, New Flavors, Health & Wellness, Green (EcoFriendly), New Services and New Technology.

Products are considered “new” this year if they’ve been introduced since October 2024.

The products featured here also can be seen in the Cool New Products Discovery Center at www.convenience.org/coolnewproducts.

NEW DESIGN

NEW TECHNOLOGY

The Vita Coco Company

Trion Industries, Inc.

Extra Coconut Coconut Water

WonderBar® Merchandising System

Introducing Vita Coco Extra

Sell More in the Same Space™

Formerly known as Pressed™, Vita Coco Extra Coconut is coconut water with a dash of coconut puree for an extra coconutty taste that’s impossible to hate. If Extra Coconut were its own brand, it would be the fourth largest in the category!

With the WonderBar® Merchandising System you can gain up to 30% additional facings within the same footprint with WonderBar. This bar-based merchandiser retrofits most displays, keeping installation a breeze. Engineered to enhance visibility and promote shopability, WonderBar is the solution to boost profits, increase display performance, and slash labor costs storewide. WonderBar ensures consistently fronted facings that give the appearance of fully stocked shelves down to the final stocked item, while eliminating the risk of bag tearout and slashing labor costs. LEARN MORE at TrionOnline.

142 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

NEW TO THE INDUSTRY

Apter Industries Inc Gorilla Everyday Pump Cleaner

Keep Your EV Charging Stations Looking New

EV charging stations are expanding across the convenience store industry. But without proper care, they can quickly show wear with scratched screens, discoloration, and UV damage.

Over time, this impacts the customer experience and makes your forecourt look unkept.

Everyday Pump Cleaner is an easy and affordable solution. This ready-to-use formula safely cleans every part of your charging unit: screens, pedestals, bases, connectors, and cables. It cuts through grease, grime, and buildup. Just spray and wipe for a streak-free finish that protects your investment.

Order Gorilla Everyday Pump Cleaner through McLane (Item #820947), Core-Mark (222158), or H.T. Hackney (6489389).

Contact Apter Industries: Phone: 1-800-441-7146, Email: info@apterindustries.com

NEW DESIGN

BIC Lighters BIC EZ Reach Pastel

Pastel Available Now

Perfect for candles and more. Visit BIC at NACS Show, booth 26513.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 143

NEW TO THE INDUSTRY

Goya Foods, Inc. Malta GOYA Clásica

A New Way to Enjoy Malta GOYA® Clásica

A Caribbean sweet treat - now in a cooler, sleeker, can’t-miss can. Available in a 4-pack format, Malta GOYA Clásica in a can continues the tradition and brings the same bold and rich flavor. Easier to chill, easier to sip, and easier to take on the go. Your favorite malta, now dressed for adventure.

Contact your GOYA representative or email salesinfo@goya.com GoyaTrade.com

NEW FLAVORS

Johnsonville® Ultimate Hot Honey and Philly Cheese Sausage

Roller Grill Flavors That Fit Everyone’s Cravings

We know how your customers roll. That’s why we’ve added bold, on-trend flavors like Ultimate Hot Honey and Ultimate Philly Cheese—crafted to turn your roller grill into the go-to stop for snacks and meals. Load up with the #1 sausage brand in America* and keep customers coming back again and again. Which, last time we checked, is pretty good for sales. *IRI 1/7/25 Visit us at the 2025 NACS Show – Booth #S6149

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NEW FLAVORS

Krispy Krunchy Chicken® Krispy Krunchy Chicken® Sauces

Dip Into Delicious With New KKC Sauces

Introducing Krispy Krunchy Chicken’s® reformulated and redesigned dipping sauce program! Designed to pair perfectly with the brand’s freshly made, hand-breaded chicken tenders and the highly successful chicken nuggets launched earlier this year, this new line of sauces enhances every bite. Each dipping sauce now comes in a convenient 1.5 oz. cup, sporting a refreshed design that reflects the bold taste inside. This program update reinforces Krispy Krunchy Chicken’s dedication to quality and provides an elevated taste experience for every consumer!

NEW FLAVORS

MONSTER ENERGY COMPANY ULTRA WILD PASSION

ZERO SUGAR FLAVOR UNLEASHED

“Living with passion and chasing dreams is all we’ve ever known. Making it happen all day gets exhausting though. To help us charge-on comes Ultra Wild Passion. Fully loaded with our legendary energy blend allowing you to focus on what inspires you and lifts you up. Zero sugar, Wild passion pairs the sweet & tart flavor of passionfruit with a twist, creating a new taste sensation. It’s a light, refreshing, super easy drinking pick-me-up you won’t want to put down.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 145

NEW TO THE INDUSTRY

Bulloch Technologies, a Dover Fueling Solutions® brand Bulloch POS™

Bulloch is the POS Partner you’ve Been Waiting for

Break the frustration cycle with a point of sale system built by people who have worked behind the register, not just in the lab. Bulloch POS is now available to sites across the U.S. With thirty years in business and a service team dedicated to learning your unique needs, Bulloch POS doesn’t just problem solve – it optimizes. No forced hardware refreshes, midnight truck rolls or service charges, no closures. That’s the Bulloch difference.

NEW FLAVORS

NACS

Sunny Sky Products

NACS, Research

SOUR PATCH KIDS® Slush

NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data

New SOUR PATCH KIDS® Slush

The Gold Standard, In Print

SOUR PATCH KIDS® Redberry Slush captures the classic REDBERRY® flavor in all its SOUR THEN SWEET® glory, and SOUR PATCH KIDS® Lemonade Fest Slush is the perfect blend of a sour kick and a sweet, citrusy lemonade.

Keep the industry’s essential performance data at your fingertips with the hard copy edition of our trusted benchmarking tool. Break down the top 10 merchandise categories, track the effects of inflation and fees on your bottom line, and see exactly how top-tier retailers maintain profitability year after year.

Convenience.org/SOIReportHC/

146 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

NEW FLAVORS

Stone Gate Foods Tater Kegs

THE TATER THAT’S GREATER

Introducing our new flavor: Kandied Sweet Potato Tater Kegs - This tater features delicious sweet potatoes, marshmallows and maple sugar! Other amazing Tater Keg flavors include Bacon Cheddar Chive, Cheese Bomb, Bacon Jalapeno, Buffalo Chicken, Crab Feast, Breakfast Skillet & The Reuben. Tater Kegs are shredded potato mixed with delicious flavors. All the best parts of a baked potato in the perfect handheld package. From the freezer, to the fryer, to the customer. Serve them in a variety of different ways and in many different applications.

Great for to-go. Tater Kegs have a hold time of up to 3 hours under heat lamps. Visit our booth at the NACS Show or request samples today at www.taterkegs.com!

NACS

NACS NACS State of the Industry® Talent Insights Dashboard

Real Compensation and Turnover Data

The NACS State of the Industry® Talent Insights Dashboard (formerly the Compensation Report) gives you real data from retail stores nationally so you can benchmark and plan your 2026 HR strategy with confidence.

Get hard data from 90+ retailers representing 344,000+ employees across the full range of job titles across the Executive Team, Operations, and Store-level employees, and recruitment & turnover data by position and store size. Make data-backed decisions and compete with confidence. www.convenience.org/talent/ NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 147

GAS STATION GOURMET

Ingenuity in the Kitchen

Dayne Green built his convenience store to fulfill his community’s needs—and it took some creativity.

BY AL HEBERT

I

f you’re road tripping along I-10 in south Louisiana, you might find a little culinary treasure when you take Exit 115 and head north to Cecelia.

It’s a fun rural ride to a cute town on the Bayou Teche and a c-store called T’ Cochon, which means “little pig” in Cajun French.

“At the time I built the store, there were no convenience stores in Cecelia.

The hardware store had shut down and you had to drive to Breaux Bridge to get hardware,” said Dayne Green, owner of T’ Cochon. Because of that, the c-store is also a full hardware store.

Green owned Cecilia’s Piggly Wiggly grocery store, so he felt it made sense to build T’ Cochon next door.

“I had 1,000 square feet of hardware in the grocery store. We increased the inventory when we moved it to T’ Cochon,” he explained.

T’ Cochon has almost anything customers might need in the way of hardware. “We have all the PVC you need, collars, connectors. We have shovels, pond dyes, tools, hand tools, cordless tools, frog lights,” he said.

“We have every nut and bolt you can imagine, including Grade A bolts. This is a stronger bolt for bolting plows. I have cane farmers who have charge accounts at my store.”

148 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Dayne Green, owner of T’ Cochon, found that making chicken patties efficiently was difficult. He came up with a solution that he made himself: the Cajun chicken patty maker.

“We don’t have lumber. You can’t build a house, but if you have a broken waterline at six in the morning, we can get you out of that jam.”

CAJUN CREATIVITY Of course, the food is the main event.

Cracklins are a c-store staple in Cajun Country, and it’s no surprise that they are the most popular menu item at T’ Cochon. They are made with hog fat that’s cut into small pieces and deep fried in hog lard.

“I cook 420 pounds a week,” Green said. “They come out of the pot like popcorn.”

The profits don’t stop there. A byproduct of the process is hog lard, and customers want it.

“We can’t keep up with the hog lard.

We cannot make enough to put on the shelf. We sell them in gallon jars for $40.

In one batch of cracklins, we get four gallons of hog lard and 21 or 22 pounds of cracklins. It takes about two and half hours. It’s clear like vegetable oil.”

It’s not all pork here. The chicken burgers get a lot of attention from local folks.

“We smoke our chicken burgers at the Pig [Piggly Wiggly] and bring it over to the store. We make them with course chicken thigh meat,” he explained.

Like a lot of Cajun cuisine, there’s a backstory to making these patties that involves a bit of Cajun ingenuity. Green made his own Cajun patty makers, inspired by a similar idea at Babineaux’s slaughter house. He took a 20-foot piece of pipe and cut it down into multiple 18-inch pieces. Then, he buffed the inside and outside of the pipe smooth.

To make the patties, T’ Cochon staff seal one end of the 18-inch pipe with plastic wrap. Then, the seasoned ground chicken meat is packed tightly into the pipe and put in the freezer. The next morning, employees run some water on the outside of the pipe so that the meat will come out. Individual patties are cut with a saw.

Employees at T’ Cochon cook 420 pounds a week of cracklin, selling both the cracklins and the hog lard they were cooked in.

In addition to the chicken patties, the smoked pulled pork at T’ Cochon is a source of pride. T’ Cochon makes its own barbecue sauce. Green describes it as “somewhere between Jack Miller’s and Sweet Baby Ray’s. I got the handwritten recipe from the guy who originated it. It called for ‘two bloops’ of Worcestershire sauce,” Green said.

The store also sells Hunt Brothers Pizza, which Green said is especially popular during the school year. “Kids come in and get pizza before school.

Sometimes the school orders 30 or 40 pizzas. I do a lot of donations to the school. I sometimes loan the school a pizza oven if they have a special event,” Green said. “During Lent we do a shrimp pizza. People still want them after Easter.”

Green is always tweaking the store.

“Behind the store, I had to put a retention pond. I want to build a deck and canopy so people can sit down and eat lunch. It’s big, it’ll be 30 x 70 feet.”

This is also hurricane country. Green is always prepared for a storm during hurricane season. “I have a warehouse where I can store nine 18-wheelers full of water. Summer is here and we might have a hurricane. I buy truckloads of water softener (for water wells), paper towels and lots of bottled water.”

When there is a natural disaster, it’s all hands on deck. “When we have a hurricane or freeze, it’s busy. It’s 20hour days when we have storms. My wife, kids and employees come and help out. I want to help the people in my community.”

ALWAYS ADAPTING T’ Cochon is always there for the 3,000 residents in the area. It’s a big store for a small, rural town. That means always evolving the store to be a better fit for customers.

Al Hebert is the Gas Station Gourmet, showcasing America’s hidden culinary treasures. Find him at www.GasStationGourmet.com.

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 149

CATEGORY CLOSE-UP HOT DISPENSED BEVERAGES

Big Business (Still) at the Beverage Bar Hot dispensed beverage sales slow down but a hot cup of coffee remains an essential c-store staple.

BY PAT PAPE

$4,057

The average gross profit dollar contribution from hot dispensed beverages per store, per month.

Source: NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data

C

offee is the king of the hot dispensed beverages category, which also consists of cappuccino and specialty coffee, refills, hot chocolate, other hot dispensed beverages, coffee club mugs and hot tea.

Together, these beverages form the third-largest c-store category behind prepared food and cold dispensed beverages. Last year, hot dispensed beverages generated 8.4% of c-store foodservice sales, a slight decrease from 8.5% in 2023, according to the NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data.

“The gross margin percentage increased very slightly from 63.53% to 63.87%,” Emma Tainter, research manager at NACS, said. “Sales also increased slightly from $6,207 to $6,353, while gross profits increased from $3,944 to $4,057. Sales grew by 2.3%, but that was not enough to beat inflation.”

NielsenIQ (NIQ) data confirms that hot coffee is slowing down, with an 8.8% unit decline year over year as July.

The price of coffee beans is another challenge. Weather issues in 2023 caused coffee crop failures. In November, the cost of wholesale coffee beans jumped 30%, and the industry is still recovering.

According to the NCA, 77% of consumers want to customize a c-store beverage, and they want it to be easy.

All that said, coffee is still a beloved American drink. Over the past five years, consumption of specialty coffee has increased nearly 18% (consumed by 46% of American adults during the past day as of January 2025, compared to 39% in 2020). Past-day consumption of non-espresso-based beverages (frozen-blended coffees, cold brew and nitro) shot up almost 42% between 2020 and 2025. Consumption of traditional coffee held steady over that same period (consumed by 42% during the past day as of January 2025 as compared to 43% in 2020), reported the NCA, which also notes that coffee is 8% of the entire U.S. foodservice sector.

Customers continue to turn to c-stores for the coffee fix. Cumberland Farms and the eight other EG America c-store brands recently sold 99-cent cups of coffee to loyalty members at select stores.

“At Cumberland Farms, we prioritize offering value and convenience to our guests,” said Shauna Seidenberg, category manager for dispensed beverage at EG America. “Offering 99-cent coffee to rewards members is a way to deliver value while also showing appreciation to our most loyal guests. While rising coffee costs are a factor industrywide, we understand the importance of our relationship with our guests. We want them to know they can rely on us for a great cup of coffee at a great value.” The promotion was so well received that EG America extended the offer.

MANDATORY BEVERAGE BAR According to the National Coffee Association (NCA), 77% of consumers want to customize a c-store beverage and they want it to be easy. “This shift is driven by a desire for variety, personalization and café-style indulgence that extends beyond the morning daypart,” said Jason Worby, sales vice president, coffee, at Keurig Dr Pepper.

Industry Sales

% of In-Store Sales

2.5% 2.5% 2023

2024

Avg. Sales/Store

$6,207 $6,353 2023

2024

Gross Margin %

63.53% 63.87% 2023

2024

Source: NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 151

CATEGORY CLOSE-UP HOT DISPENSED BEVERAGES

Hot Dispensed Beverages Jan. 2022-Mar. 2025 n 2022 n 2023 n 2024 n 2025

$5,587 $6,000 $5,000 $4,000 $3,000 JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Source: NACS CSX Convenience Benchmarking Database

The Power of CSX Data CSX, the engine behind category metrics and NACS State of the Industry data, provides current and customizable tools for financial and operational reporting and analysis in the convenience industry.

Retailers can measure their company by any of the myriad metrics generated via our live database.

Contact Chris Rapanick at (703) 518–4253 or crapanick@convenience. org for a complimentary executive walkthrough.

152 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

That’s why c-stores need well-stocked beverage bars that encourage customization and creativity, said Art Lopez, vice president of marketing at Finlays Solutions, which creates proprietary beverage flavors and additives.

“It’s essential to treat it as a strategic priority,” Lopez said. “That means designing a dedicated, visually compelling area tailored to the customer experience and supported by strong, consistent signage. Staff engagement, live demos, organized traffic flow and sampling are powerful tools to draw attention and build habits. When done well, it becomes a destination within the store and a key differentiator.”

“Adding inspiration, such as recipes and ingredients like dairy alternatives, unique flavored syrups, rotating seasonal flavors and toppings to the coffee bar helps fuel the beverage customization customers crave,” said Worby.

“The consumer wants to be able to play,” agreed Jennie Jones, senior vice president convenience and retail at Seb Professional.

Cold foam toppings are “a huge trend in cold coffee now,” said Kristen Hjelm, senior director of business development at Bunn-O-Matic Corporation. “There is a lot of innovation on the West Coast,

Retailers should ask themselves: Can customers personalize their drinks? Is the setup clean, fast and easy to navigate? such as a crème brûlée latte with a crispy sweet topping or a cherry cold foam chai with cherry sprinkles on top. For convenience stores aiming to compete with coffee shops, it’s important to offer these options.”

Spencer Turer, vice president of Coffee Enterprises, urges retailers to stay current on new coffee add-ons.

At a recent specialty coffee expo, he sampled a plant-based milk made from corn. Produced by Maizly, the milk is dairy and gluten free. “It’s perfect

CATEGORY CLOSE-UP HOT DISPENSED BEVERAGES Hot Dispensed Beverages Subcategory Data, same firm sample, per store, per month Percent of Sales

Avg. Sales/Store

Avg. GP$/Store

Gross Margin %

2023

2024

2023

2024

2023

2024

2023

2024

Coffee

69.2%

67.8%

$4,301

$4,305

$2,863

$2,891

66.57%

67.16%

Cappuccino/ Specialty Coffee

20.2%

21.0%

$1,252

$1,334

$721

$774

57.60%

58.01%

Hot Chocolate

4.1%

4.6%

$253

$293

$132

$155

52.11%

53.08%

Refills

4.1%

4.0%

$257

$255

$175

$178

68.33%

69.65%

Other Hot Dispensed Beverages

1.9%

2.2%

$118

$138

$42

$49

35.03%

35.25%

Coffee Club Mugs

0.4%

0.3%

$22

$21

$9

$8

40.89%

36.93%

Hot Tea

0.1%

0.1%

$5

$7

$2

$3

35.60%

40.06%

Total

100%

100%

$6,207

$6,353

3,944

$4,057

63.53%

63.87%

Half of Gen Z adults consider ‘high protein’ a dietary essential.

In response, some retailers are enhancing their coffee offering with protein add-ons.

for baking or adding to coffee, a good source of calcium and vitamins, and it actually tastes good,” Turer said. “It has a sweet tinge to it.”

Retailers should regularly review their beverage bar set up, advised Vicky Jones, director of contracts at Brisk Coffee Roasters. “They should ask themselves: Can customers personalize their drinks? Is the setup clean, fast and easy to navigate?” she said.

Jones praised a store she visited recently that struck the right mix of options and simplicity. “The merchandising is phenomenal. The signage is phenomenal. You walk in the door and you see a sign. It’s simple, but the consumer sees that this retailer is in the beverage business.”

GOOD FOR YOU A survey by the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association found that three-quarters of Gen Z adults (ages 18 to 23) worry about possible ill health, a higher percentage than other generations, including Boomers. Fortunately,

154 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Over the past five years, consumption of specialty coffee has increased nearly 18%.

drinking java is healthy in moderation, which the FDA defines as 400 milligrams of caffeine a day or about two or three 12-ounce cups of coffee.

In addition, half of Gen Z adults consider “high protein” a dietary essential, reported Morning Consult, a consumer insights platform. Other U.S. adults do too, but Gen Z places a premium on protein’s benefits.

In response, some retailers are enhancing their coffee offering with protein add-ons.

In June, Starbucks announced that five U.S. stores are testing a bananaflavored cold foam topping with 15 grams of protein. Scooter’s Coffee sells protein-enhanced shakes and will top coffee with vanilla protein cold foam upon request. Dutch Bros has a protein coffee menu, including a protein latte, vanilla protein latte, Hopscotch protein latte and Hopscotch protein mocha. All drinks are made with “protein milk” and are available in regular or sugar-free versions. Dutch Bros also features protein-enhanced LTOs and seasonal beverages.

“Functional beverages have always been on fringe of the coffee industry,” said Turer. “But if you can improve the healthfulness, it’s a plus for the consumer.”

KEY TO COFFEE Developing or upgrading a hot beverage operation is challenging, but turnkey programs can be the solution.

Widely available, turnkey programs can simplify operations by providing everything from equipment and maintenance to coffee products, training and marketing support.

CupZa! from McLane, a complete hot and cold beverage solution, features coffees, teas and lemonades. “We simplify the process. If a customer wants whole bean coffee for bean-to-cup units or frac packs for regular coffee brewers, we can supply that,” said Javier Carro, senior product manager for coffee and beverages for McLane.

“CupZa! is a flexible program, and retailers can use our CupZa! branding or their own,” he said. “We also have

energy products and RTDs, along with LTOs and new innovative flavors, that we’ll launch throughout the year. We help customers expand their portfolio to fit consumer preferences. We’re constantly showing our customers new products ranging from iced cold brew, espresso-based drinks, premium and energy lemonades to refreshers. And we have access to a lot of research to support these trends.”

Keurig Dr Pepper offers proprietary solutions with customizable blends, along with equipment, marketing and R&D capabilities. “Retailers should regularly assess their dispensed coffee programs to ensure customer satisfaction,” said Worby. “Today’s coffee drinkers—especially Gen Z—seek more than just a caffeine fix. They want personalization and seasonal variety.”

Brisk Coffee Roaster’s program can provide retailers with proprietary, branded blends.

“Convenience-store coffee is trending toward functional upgrades, bold flavors and higher-quality beans,” said Denise Reddick, president of Brisk

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 155

CATEGORY CLOSE-UP HOT DISPENSED BEVERAGES

From 2023 to ’24, hot beverage sales grew by 2.8%, but cold beverages grew by 4.7%.

Coffee Roasters. “Flavor innovation is strong. Options like churro, brown sugar and seasonal blends are gaining popularity. There’s also a clear shift toward premium, café-style offerings using better beans to meet rising expectations for quality. Partnering with a reputable roaster is the fastest way for convenience stores to elevate their coffee program.”

Jones, for her part, says don’t disregard the importance of the machines. “What I’ve learned is the integral part that the equipment plays in the hot beverage category. I think a lot of times people just buy what’s cheap, or they don’t understand that that is a marketing tool for them. It’s not just equipment. That equipment now, with our newest machine, is a marketing tool.”

COLD STAYS HOT NCA research shows that nearly half of all coffee consumed by 18–24-year-olds is cold, and 82% of cold coffee consumed away from home is flavored.

Experts at Bunn advise retailers to offer customers both hot and cold brews.

NACS State of the Industry data showed that other cold dispensed beverages, a subcategory of cold dispensed beverages that includes iced coffee, iced cappuccino, iced latte, cold brew coffee and more, experienced growth from 2023 to 2024. Average sales per store, per month increased from $1,889 to $2,324, and gross profits increased from $1,201 to $1,400.

“A recent Technomic study found that cold beverages are outpacing hot in both sales and volume increases,” said Chairil McClain, vice president of product strategy at Bunn-O-Matic

156 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Corporation. “From 2023 to ’24, hot beverage sales grew by 2.8%, but cold beverages grew by 4.7%. This isn’t just coffee. This is everything under that umbrella purchased away from home for immediate consumption.”

Serving only hot coffee limits customer options. “It’s the growth in cold where you can experiment more by adding espresso shots or mashed fruit or puree, a trend coming from Asia,” said McClain. “For a busy store, we recommend at least two coffee machines—one for hot and one for cold.”

TEA AND HOT CHOCOLATE Don’t overlook the supporting players.

“Now is the perfect time for c-stores to enhance their tea programs,” said Emily Wood Forehand, executive vice president of Red Diamond Coffee & Tea. “With the FDA’s recent update to its healthy labeling guidelines, tea officially qualifies as a healthy beverage in its natural state. This label reinforces tea’s role in a wellness-focused lifestyle.”

“Hot chocolate has emerged as a silent hero,” said Erica Brown, vice president of Costa Coffee Americas.

“In c-stores, it makes up 16.5% of Costa Coffee’s sales—outpacing other channels. It’s not just for kids. It’s for anyone seeking a moment of comfort and nostalgia any time of day. It also plays well in bundling—think warm drink plus an afternoon snack—and helps drive transactions during off-peak hours.” NIQ data shows a hot chocolate boom, with sales up 47.9% year over year as of July.

Pat Pape worked in the convenience store industry for more than 20 years before becoming a full-time writer. See more of her articles at patpape.wordpress.com.

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Abacus Solutions International Group..........................................................95 www.abacussg.com

FasTrax POS LLC............................................................................................90-91 www.fastraxpos.com

NACS State of the Industry Report®..............................................................146 www.convenience.org/soi

ADD Systems......................................................................................................21 www.addsys.com

Franke Coffee Systems....................................................................... 45 www.franke.com/us/en/home.html

NACS State of the Industry® Talent Insights Dashboard...........................147 www.convenience.org/Research

Altria Group Distribution Company...................... Inside Front Cover AGDCTradeRelations@Altria.com www.altria.com www.tobaccoissues.com

Good Times USA LLC........................................................................................153 www.goodtimestobacco.com

NACS TruAge.....................................................................................................130 www.mytruage.org

Goya Foods, Inc........................................................................................... 9, 144 www.goya.com/en

OWL Services........................................................................................ 75 www.owlservices.com

Grabba Leaf LLC................................................................................... 32 www.grabbaleaf.com

Placon..................................................................................................................17 www.placon.com

Aspire Bakeries................................................................................................158 www.aspirebakeries.com

Hillbilly Beverages LLC....................................................................................128 www.hillbillybeverages.com

BIC Corporation...................................................................................143 www.us.bic.com/en_us

PMI U.S............................................................................................. 11, 67 (800) 367-3677 www.smna.com

Home Market Foods..........................................................................................81 (781) 948-1500 www.homemarketfoods.com

Apter Industries, Inc........................................................................................143 (800) 441-7146 www.apterindustries.com

Black Buffalo Inc...................................................................................15 www.Blackbuffalo.com Calico Brands, Inc.............................................................................................128 www.calicobrands.com Cash Depot............................................................................111, Outsert (800) 776-8834 sales@cdlatm.com www.cdlatm.com Chester’s International...................................................................... 137 1-800-646-9403 www.chesterschicken.com Cheyenne International, LLC........................................................................... 43 (704) 937-7200 www.cheyenneintl.com Chyl Brand LLC.......................................................................................... 104-105 (404) 642-4967 www.getchyl.com Chyl Brand LLC.......................................................................................... 104-105 (404) 642-4967 Cool New Products Guide...................................................................... 142-147 www.getchyl.com www.convenience.org/Media/NACS-Magazine/Cool-New-Products

DEEL Media ....................................................................................................... 63 www.deelmedia.com Deschutes Brewery...........................................................................................141 www.deschutesbrewery.com Diageo Beer Company USA............................................................... 133 www.diageo.com DMF Bait Company........................................................................................... 73 www.dmfbait.com Dover Fueling Solutions....................................................................146 www.doverfuelingsolutions.com Excel Tire Gauge, LLC......................................................................... 109 www.exceltiregauge.com

Hormel Foods................................................................................................... 157 www.hormelfoods.com Hunt Brothers Pizza.............................................................................. 7 www.huntbrotherspizza.com IONNA.................................................................................................................117 www.ionna.com ITG Brands.............................................................................................113 (866) 328-2485 www.itgbrands.com Johnsonville Sausage Co......................................................................... 89, 144 www.johnsonville.com Krispy Krunchy Foods, LLC............................................33, 145, Outsert www.krispykrunchy.com Liggett Vector Brands LLC........................................ Inside Back Cover (919) 990-3500 www.liggettvectorbrands.com McLane Company, Inc..........................................................Back Cover (254) 771-7500 www.mclaneco.com Mike’s Hot Honey.............................................................................................. 83 www.mikeshothoney.com

Polar King International Inc.............................................................................. 3 (866) 576-7645 www.polarking.com Premier Manufacturing..................................................................................... 5 (636) 537-6800 www.gopremier.com PriceEasy............................................................................................................69 www.priceeasy.com Radius Marketing Group.................................................................................. 73 www.radiusmg.com rich’s / f’real foods............................................................................ 100 www.freal.com Sargento Foods Inc.............................................................................29 (800) 243-3737 www.sargento.com Stone Gate Foods.............................................................................. 147, Outsert (952) 445-1350 www.stonegate-foods.com Sunny Sky Products North America, Ltd.................................. 99, 146 (877) 235-6466 ww.sunnyskyproducts.com TravelCenters of America.................................................................. Bellyband www.ta-petro.com

Monster Energy Company.................................................................145 www.monsterenergy.com

Trion Industries..............................................................................19, 142, Insert (800) 444-4665 www.triononline.com

NuVue Foods Inc................................................................................................41 www.nuvuefoods.com

Xcaliber International......................................................................... 77 (888) 4-XCALIBER www.xcaliberinternational.com

NACS Future of Convenience..........................................................................125 https://www.convenience.org/thrivr www.mytruage.org

The Vita Coco Company............................................................. 139, 142 (212) 206-0763 www.vitacoco.com

NACS My Show Planner.................................................................................... 73 www.NacsShow.com/showplanner NACS Show 2025............................................................................................... 87 www.nacsshow.com

NACS SEPTEMBER 2025 159

BY THE NUMBERS

80.5%

of transacted dollars were made with a card.

Tracking Transactions

Total customer transactions in 2024 increased by 0.8%, primarily due to a

Since 2015, credit card costs have nearly doubled.

1.6% increase in inside transactions.

The smallest operators averaged $6.52 in merchandise sales per transaction, the highest of any store size.

C-size operators averaged 8,764 monthly transactions at the pump, the second highest after E-size operators

Per Store, Per Month Transaction Counts for 2024

The largest operators averaged 11,521 transactions at the pump per store, per month.

A SIZE 1-10 Stores

B SIZE 11-50 Stores

C SIZE 51-200 Stores

D SIZE 201-500 Stores

E SIZE 501+ Stores

All Firms Average

Total Customer Transactions

22,659

29,462

31,079

29,562

44,722

38,427

Transactions at the Pump Per Store

6,645

7,564

8,764

7,978

11,521

9,783

Merchandise Sales Per Customer Transaction

$6.52

$4.33

$4.66

$5.28

$4.77

$4.77

Foodservice Sales Per Customer Transaction

$1.13

$1.13

$1.02

$1.62

$2.90

$2.15

Note: Values are averaged from firms reporting each line. Where applicable, columns will not sum evenly.

2025 State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data is now available.

Please contact Raei Tesfazghi at rtesfazghi@convenience.org to purchase or learn more about the Report.

160 SEPTEMBER 2025 convenience.org

Source: NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data

! ow 4 Sh 71 S S5 AC h N ot at Bo ird to iB ver yH o Tr ead H

It’s time you heard about

the bird Say “Hi” to HiBird, an exciting new offering from McLane Fresh that delivers a delicious and comprehensive chicken program for any size C-store. While the main attractions are the flavorful chicken strips, chicken sandwiches, and signature HiBird Sauce, we also have creamy mac and cheese and thick, fluffy potato wedges. Even better, our chicken doesn’t require a fryer and comes with all the equipment and merchandising you need to hit the ground clucking.

Learn more at mclaneco.com/hibird

© 2025 McLane Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

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