2026 NACS Show Special Digital Edition by NACS Magazine

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

EDITORIAL Jeff Lenard VP of NACS Media & Strategic Communications jlenard@convenience.org Ben Nussbaum Publisher & Editor-in-Chief bnussbaum@convenience.org Michelle Cassidy Managing Editor mcassidy@convenience.org Lauren Shanesy Senior Editor lshanesy@convenience.org Austin Fuller Senior Writer afuller@convenience.org Noelle Riddle Editor/Writer nriddle@convenience.org Chrissy Blasinsky Digital & Content Strategist cblasinsky@convenience.org

CONTENTS 2

From the Editors The NACS Media team shares highlights from the 2026 NACS Show.

NACS Show Takeaways The mighty pickle has been dethroned by protein, and other observations.

12 State of the Industry What does the industry’s operational scorecard show about the first half of 2026?

The Next Generation Industry leaders explore how to win Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.

Top 10 Cool New Products See the most-scanned items from the Cool New Products Preview Room.

20 Designing for Foodservice

Great foodservice is about more than the menu—it’s also about the space.

26 The Flavor Forecast Dig into the tastes that defined food and drinks at the NACS Show Expo.

30 To Win Trips,

Put Fundamentals First Read the latest insights from the NACS CocaCola Retailing Research Council.

34 The Future of Tech To prepare for emerging technologies, retailers need a solid foundation.

35 NACS Show

by the Numbers

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Steve Holtz

DESIGN Ji Ho Creative Director jho@convenience.org Lisa M. Zilka Senior Graphic Designer lzilka@convenience.org David Marvin Graphic Designer dmarvin@convenience.org

ADVERTISING Alison Wong Director, Advertising Sales & Media Operations (703) 518-4265 awong@convenience.org Jennifer Leidich National Advertising Manager/ Northeast (703) 518-4276 jleidich@convenience.org Ted Asprooth National Sales Manager/Midwest, West (703) 518-4277 tasprooth@convenience.org

PUBLISHING Logan Dion Digital Media & Ad Trafficker (703) 864-3600 ldion@convenience.org Advertising production: production@convenience.org Contents © 2026 by the National Association of Convenience Stores

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

FROM THE EDITORS The NACS Media team shares one thing that stood out to them about the 2026 NACS Show. the Walking Expo w o h S NACS ularly as partic n floor, I w y the innovatio nt ed b ipme s u s q e re p e im AI servic ple: How to food related ing. One exam ove a roller g b a a k and pac vision perched plenishment. r re compute anage hot dog ing old dogs m ch grill can now about tea AI with the I don’t k ks, but pairing ly a new new tric rill was certain . g roller g a hot do trick for Fuller, —Austin riter W r io Sen

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While talking to a colleague about what we’d seen af ter a day the Expo on industry ve floor, she said an t once told her “Thing are a fad u asked a no ntil they’re a trend.” s velty item I ex the next b ig thing w hibitor what o uld be af te squishy to r ys predict th . “You can’t exactly at, but it ’s going to b whatever e consu want to be mers decide they popular o n social media,” he told us. —Lauren S han Senior Ed esy, itor

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

RELIVE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2026 NACS SHOW MORE THAN 25,000 PEOPLE GATHERED IN LAS VEGAS IN October for the convenience industry’s biggest event. The video above offers a glimpse into this year’s NACS Show: innovative new products, insights from industry leaders and excitement on the Expo floor. Want to dive deeper? Five brand new Ideas 2 Go videos premiered during the General Session on October 8, featuring retailers who are reinventing convenience. You can watch them all at convenience.org/ideas2go.

PLAN AHEAD 2027 NACS Show October 5-8, 2027 Georgia World Congress Center Atlanta, Georgia Head to NACSshow.com for more information about attending or exhibiting at next year’s NACS Show.

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35 YEARS

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

7 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NACS SHOW BY JEFF LENARD

way!)—but the predominant theme was protein, protein, protein. Only one thing was in more booths— energy, not specifically related to the category, but related to overall excitement. The NACS Show was simply pulsing with energy, whether at receptions and networking events, the packed General Sessions and Education Sessions or on the Expo floor. Here are a few of the big trends seen and heard by the 25,572 attendees at this year’s NACS Show.

fter two years of seemingly being everywhere on the NACS Show Expo floor, the pickle has been overtaken by another “P” word: protein. At this year’s NACS Show, it felt like you couldn’t turn around without seeing a booth that featured protein in some way. There were still a lot of pickleflavored products on the Expo floor— including new ones like a pickle slushie, a Chamoy pickle gummy and a spicy dill pickle sausage (all were delicious, by the

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

1. Protein Flexes Its Muscles Fitness and active-life consumers have long embraced proteinpacked products, and now so has the rest of the population. One reason is likely the increased use of GLP-1 medications for weight loss. NACS President and CEO Frank Gleeson noted in the October 8 General Session that one in seven Americans has tried a GLP-1. People on the medication often replace meals with snacks and gravitate towards foods high in protein. “But that isn’t necessarily a huge headwind. After all, we are the channel that is known for snacks. And a quick walk through the Expo floor will show you how many options are there for you to discover,” said Gleeson. For protein-enhanced snacks, there were donuts, energy bars, popcorn, sour candy, gummies, cookies, tortilla chips, pretzels, wafers and pudding. To wash it down, there was water, kefir, soda or coffee with extra protein. And if protein was still lacking, there were also protein-rich syrups that could be squirted into a beverage for an extra boost. Even traditional protein-laden products have jumped into the protein craze. Many cheese, jerky, peanut butter and egg products touted new packaging that hyped the protein that these products always had. While meal-replacement was likely a leading reason for the emphasis on protein, renewed interest in wellness was another driver behind the growth.

2. Good for You Is Good for Business In 2019, the nonprofit Partnership for a Healthier America named NACS its Partner of the Year because the industry had embraced offering better-for-you items in c-stores. The momentum stalled a year later when the pandemic hit and disrupted distribution channels, especially for fresh items. Consumers’ interest shifted from healthy options to just protecting their health. The NACS Show Expo showed that interest in wellness is back in a big way. That interest was on display through, of course, protein-enhanced products, but also other better-foryou offerings. There were organic yerba maté drinks and other caffeine-based beverages positioned around natural energy, chips made with shiitake mushrooms, hydration sodas with electrolytes, functional beverages with adaptogens and plenty of bottled waters that touted their purity. Education Sessions also showcased the renewed interest in wellness, including “Food and Beverage Trends Shaping Convenience in 2027.” The session was led by Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides Inc., who said that wellness is one of the major factors shaping consumer buying decisions, along with value, exploration and emotional reward.

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

3. Use Your Noodles

5. Nic at NACS

Asian c-stores are renowned for their robust selection of heat-and-eat noodle offerings, from ramen to udon. In the United States, ramen has also grown in popularity—and it was unavoidable at the NACS Show Expo. Traditional ramen purveyors were on the floor and ramen was trending in chip form. Kraft Mac and Cheese Cheesy Ramen is set to launch in early 2027. The noodles are the brand’s first new product in 20 years and garnered considerable attention at the NACS Show—both with the national media and as the top-scanned product in the Cool New Products Preview Room.

4. From Freeze-Dried to Just Plain Frozen Remember those old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials in which two people bump into each other? One says, “You got chocolate on my peanut butter!” The other says, “You got peanut butter on my chocolate!” Let’s modify that TV commercial for 2026. It would now air on TikTok, of course, and might go a little something like, “You got your freezer in my candy aisle!” and “You got your candy aisle in my freezer!” because candy and frozen treats seem to be swapping positions. Baby Ruth and 100 Grand bars, among others, now come in ice cream form, while Lemonheads and Trolli candies are now ice pop flavors. Meanwhile, Popsicle is now a lollipop and Creamsicle is a candy twist. Remember last year when the big candy trend was freezedried? That trend hasn’t gone away, but it’s been joined by frozen candy treats.

When e-cigarettes were introduced less than a decade ago, it seemed like the two main options for smokers going forward were cigarettes or vaping. But times have changed with the emergence of modern oral nicotine, which grew more than 22% in sales last year according to NielsenIQ. The category has grown so quickly that NACS Managing Director of Research Chris Rapanick noted “NACS has begun to view cigarettes and other tobacco products (OTP) in aggregate as ‘nicotine.’” On a legislative front, NACS Senior Vice President of Government Relations and General Counsel Doug Kantor said that the U.S. market has been flooded with illicit and unregulated vape products, largely from China, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval pathway for legal nicotine products has been arduous and opaque. To date, the FDA has received more than 26 million premarket tobacco product applications for review. Of those products, the FDA has authorized just over 60 to be on the market. “We need FDA to provide regulatory clarity of what can and cannot be on the market, clear the backlog of all outstanding premarket tobacco applications and act on new ones quickly and increase enforcement measures so that law-abiding retailers have a level playing field,” said Kantor in a panel discussion during the October 8 General Session.

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

6. Fueling In-Store Sales The total number of in-store transactions during the first half of this year fell 4.5% from the same period in 2025, noted Rapanick in “State of the Industry Updates,” an annual Education Session that always attracts a large audience. Too many customers are “not even considering the fact that they could go inside the store to purchase something,” he noted. But a plethora of fueling dispensers on the Expo floor aimed to change that. Many dispensers on the market now feature interactive touchscreens and cloud software that allow customers to order food, snacks or car wash services directly at the pump while they fill up. Some dispenser manufacturers also showcased broader advertising opportunities on the pump. With giant screen displays that show not just the price, but in-store offers—plus no more paper pump toppers and added lighting for security—we’ve come a long way from the dispensers that ushered in self-serve fueling in 1964. But what about maintenance or grime on the touchscreens? Two manufacturers took a different approach to my question and pounded the nozzle against the shatterproof-glass display. “Ballistic glass,” they noted.

7. Discover How You Can Be Discovered More than any other competing retail channel, convenience stores have moved from conducting transactions to creating experiences, especially around new trends. Several booths featured products that were hot on TikTok, notably squishies of all shapes and sizes, from the classic stick of butter to a giant chicken wing. Blind boxes like the mystery dumplings inside boxes designed to look like steamer baskets also were hot. Many of the items had backstories or fortunetelling elements added to further build interest. The NACS Ideas 2 Go videos that debuted during the October 8 General Session reinforced the trend that “if you can squeeze it, they will come.” Reeder’s of Tulsa, Oklahoma, announces special drops of hot new squishy products on social media and finds that some customers race from home in their pajamas to get the prized new offerings. The Cool New Products Preview Room also featured products that were trending on social media, including ice cream that is molded to look like hyperrealistic mangoes and peaches. A few other interesting novelties were gummy mystery cubes, in which you peel a gelatin cube to reveal a hidden animalshaped gummy, audio lollipops that play a song in your head while you enjoy them (it really works!) and fidget keychains featuring clicky keyboard keys. General Session speaker Lindsay Shookus had an even more bold idea for the industry’s future as a relaxing destination when she showed her AI-created rendering of the new Wawa Resort and Spa, which honestly could fit right in on the Las Vegas Strip. To be clear, this was her concept, not anything Wawa has in development … yet. While squishies and other offerings may not be the answer for everyone, the trend of making your store a destination is not going away. As one exhibitor told me, “You can decide if you want to be the place where people discover new things or you can be left behind.”

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

Plus So Much More

still looming, set to go into effect on December 11.) In the Education Session “The Next Wave in the Cold Vault,” Diana Eberlein, chair of the Coalition for Adult Beverage Alternatives, said regardless of what happens in December, THC beverages will be back. “THC beverage has demand. The consumer wants it. The wholesalers, the retailers want it.” Ultimately, success in retail comes down to understanding what your customer wants and your special sauce in serving them. As NACS 2025-26 Chairman Annie Gauthier noted in her speech at the October 6 General Session, “We solve problems. We make life easier. But we all have a different approach to how we make life convenient. Prioritize what’s important to you and your business.” Or, as one exhibitor told me about how c-store snacks and drinks can reframe how drivers think about long trips: “We can take what they dread and make that fun. After all, isn’t that also convenience?”

There is no way that one person can truly cover everything that takes place at the NACS Show—there were 1,090 booths, 56 Education Sessions, three General Sessions and countless receptions and parties. That’s why so many companies send teams to extract all the learnings they can get from the NACS Show. There were plenty more trends to be seen at the NACS Show. With foodservice becoming an increasingly large part of the convenience industry, ideas for how to build and improve a foodservice offer were a big part of the Education Session schedule and the Expo floor. There were also AI-based solutions for everything from back-office management to loss prevention. THC-infused products were another big trend, but their future remains in doubt unless Congress takes steps to reclassify them. (At press time, a federal ban on hemp-derived THC was

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

Lonnie McQuirter, 2026-27 NACS Chairman

INSIGHTS AND CONNECTIONS THREE GENERAL SESSIONS OFFERED PRACTICAL IDEAS, A LOOK AHEAD AND INSPIRATION.

Annie Gauthier, 2025-26 NACS Chairman

Frank Gleeson, NACS CEO and President

Lindsay Shookus, former SNL producer, took the stage on Oct. 6 and interviewed Jason Sudeikis on Oct. 7.

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY UPDATE What does the industry’s operational scorecard show about the first half of 2026?

consumers tend to buy less fuel per visit. Subsequently fuel volume increases because customers are visiting the forecourt more frequently to stretch their dollars. “The environment in 2026 has vetoed that thought,” he said, noting that consumer sentiment may be low enough that people are cutting back on driving in general, or they may instead be eliminating other discretionary expenses that are non-fuel related. Inside the store, the average basket value for the first half of 2026 grew by 46 cents, and peaked in May at $9.22. At the NACS State of the Industry Summit in April, Rapanick highlighted the importance of driving basket value—one item at a time. The same holds with inside transaction counts down 4.5% for the first half of the year. Rapanick suggested that uncertainty inside the store and on the forecourt will likely continue no matter what happens in the fuel markets. He also stressed that across-the-board price increases are not a strategy for growth. Instead, look to increase basket item count or mix to grow in-store metrics.

hris Rapanick, managing director of NACS research, reviewed topline per store, per month industry performance, operational and financial metrics from the proprietary NACS CSX database at the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas. Taking a mid-year pulse on industry benchmarks, Rapanick keyed in on what’s impacting profitability and managing expenses. As expenses continue to grow and the c-store business becomes more complex, the industry is also faced with fuel demand declines. The conflict in Iran impacted the price of fuel—in April, the average price of gasoline went over $4 per gallon for the first time since July 2022. Average fuel margins held at 40 cents to over 50 cents per gallon through January-June 2026, Rapanick said, noting that it will remain to be seen how the year wraps up with the inside business being affected by higher fuel prices. For the first six months of 2026, Rapanick noted that transaction counts suggest consumers are behaving differently at the pump. He said that typically when gas prices go up, fuel transactions increase because

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

A MID-YEAR CHECK-IN:

What Do the SOI Numbers Show? The NACS Operational Scorecard Metric (Per Store, Per Month)

Jan-Jun 2025

Jan-Jun 2026

Change

Breakeven Pool Margin

23.11

24.60

1.48 CPG

In-Store Transactions

4,677

23,570

(4.5)%

Average Basket Value

$8.35

$8.81

0.46¢

$(7,411)

$(8,583)

$(1,172)

Wages and Benefits as a % of GP$

31.6%

29.2%

(2.4) pts

Non-Manager Turnover (annual)

109.6%

95.3%

(14.3) pts

Manager Turnover (annual)

29.5%

33.2%

(3.7) pts

In-Store GP$ per Labor Hour

$35.45

$36.38

0.93¢

In-Store Operating Profit

Source: NCS CSX Convenience Benchmarking Database

Average Basket Value

Rising basket value peaked at $9.22 in May. Rising Basket Value Peaked in May at $9.22 According to Chris Rapanick, managing director of NACS research, retailers should focus not on the dollar value of the basket but on why it is growing or shrinking. $9.50

$9.22 $9.22

$9.00 $8.50 $8.00

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Source: NACS CSX Convenience Benchmarking Database

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

Industry Site Count Grew in the First Half of 2026 January 2026

June 2026

Independent 91,535

Independent 91,789

Chain 60,440

+254 Stores

Chain 60,403

-37 Stores

Source: NACS/NIQ TDLinx Convenience Census

Sites Without Fuel Continue to See Pressure January 2026

June 2026

With Fuel 122,620

With Fuel 123,193 +254 Stores

Without Fuel 29,355

-37 Stores

Without Fuel 28,999

Source: NCS CSX Convenience Benchmarking Database

Fewer Trips Lead to Unit Declines Avg. Selling Price

EQ Unit Count

Cigarettes

5.0%

(6.6)%

Packaged Beverages

3.0%

(4.4)%

Other Tobacco Products

3.7%

(4.4)%

Beer

0.0%

(5.7)%

Candy

8.4%

(7.3)%

Salty Snacks

0.9%

(5.0)%

Alternative Snacks

4.8%

(3.6)%

General Merchandise

1.3%

(4.5)%

Packaged Sweet Snacks

2.9%

(5.8)%

Milk

0.4%

(10.5)%

Year Over Year Change

Source: NCS CSX Convenience Benchmarking Database

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

WINNING THE GEN Z AND GEN ALPHA CONSUMER

uring the Education Session “What’s Convenient Now? Gen Z and Gen Alpha Weigh In,” industry leaders explored what drives younger consumers to convenience stores and how retailers can earn their loyalty. Gen Z alone represents an estimated $6 trillion in c-store spending over its lifetime, according to data presented by Jason Zelinski, session moderator and vice president for North American retail at NielsenIQ. Gen Alpha is expected to have similar influence, putting a combined $12 trillion in potential spending at stake over the next 30 years. For retailers, capturing that spending starts with understanding how intentional younger consumers are about their choices. “They want what they want. They’re very decisive in their product selection,” said Weigel’s President and CEO Doug Yawberry. Interviews with Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers revealed a mix of traditional convenience favorites and emerging priorities. Candy and snacks remain popular, particularly among younger shoppers, while older teens cited energy drinks, protein shakes, hydration beverages and other functional products. This

creates a balancing act for retailers. “We have to be a lot of things to a lot of people,” said Maverik CEO Crystal Maggelet. “You have to provide variety with all of these different brands and flavors and tastes to meet the consumer’s desire to always be on trend.” Foodservice represents another opportunity. Younger consumers expect convenience, but they also want quality and variety. “This is a very exciting time, a golden time, I think, for convenience stores if you’re in the food business,” said NACS President and CEO Frank Gleeson. Even though younger consumers value technology, retailers cannot allow technology to overshadow the fundamentals of hospitality. “Technology should enhance hospitality, not replace it,” said TXB Stores CEO Kevin Smartt. “Yes, technology is important, but we have to continue to execute on the basics, especially for this generation.” At the same time, digital experiences must be intuitive. Gen Z and Gen Alpha have grown up with smartphones, digital payments and other technologies, making frictionless experiences an expectation rather than a novelty.

EDUCATION SESSION INSIGHTS Younger shoppers value variety, and they are intentional about their purchases. Foodservice with high quality and global flavors presents a major opportunity. Technology should enhance hospitality, not replace it.

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

THE COOLEST NEW PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR

ne of the buzziest spots at the NACS Show is the Cool New Products Preview Room, where the future of convenience is on display. The space is filled with everything from the latest packaging solutions and merchandising displays to exciting flavor trends, new technologies, innovative products and beyond. There were more than 300 products on display in the Cool New Products Preview Room at this year’s NACS Show. Attendees were able to scan the labels to get more information about the products that caught their attention and create a shopping list for booths to visit later. After almost 100,000 total scans, these were the items attendees were most interested in.

FUMANG PROPITIOUS MANGO

3 Frazil

Forest Food / Ultimate Sales & Services

Frazil, a familiar name in frozen dispensed, is entering the carbonated frozen dispensed world. Frazil FIZZ is launching with eight flavors, including classics like Cola Freeze, Cotton Candy and Verry Cherry and others familiar to Frazil fans, like Tiger’s Blood.

These frozen confections have gone viral on TikTok. The ice cream takes the shape of a mango or a peach—with the flavor to match—and is then covered in a white chocolate shell and colored with soft gradients that look shockingly close to real fruit.

Kraft Heinz

Rather than the classic elbow-shaped macaroni, this product features ramen noodles in a cheesy sauce. It comes in chicken, pork and spicy variations, and is set to launch in the United States in early 2027.

FRAZIL FIZZ

2 ICE CREAM & TAOQI PEACH

BREEZE ICE CREAM

KRAFT MAC AND CHEESE CHEESY RAMEN

SELF-SERVE

4 BAKERY DISPLAY

Palram 4U

These bakery displays from retail merchandising provider Palram 4U feature clear tempered glass, easy-access drawers and built-in LED lighting.

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

PRETZILLA SOFT

5 PRETZEL BITE GRAB

BAKERY SELF-SERVE

6 COUNTERTOP DISPLAY

CIGARBROS HUMIDOR

7 WITH FRESHBOX

AND GO CUPS

CASE – 18 SKU

CigarBros USA Inc.

Designed in small plastic containers that can fit into a cupholder, these little pretzel bites offer a salty snack on the go. They come with two options for dipping: nacho cheese and cinnamon bun icing.

This countertop model has six drawers, each of which contains two flavor compartments as well as an optional additional halftray, allowing it to hold up to 18 unique items. The front doors are made of tempered glass.

The FreshBox is a cigar-storage system designed to preserve cigars at peak condition and maintain optimal humidity. It can help maintain freshness for 12 months or more, so the products retain their quality through delivery and long-term storage.

Pretzilla

RETAIL READY

8 FUDGE AND NUTS

Palram 4U

READY HIGH

9 PROTEIN BAR

LITTLE JOE

10 AIR FRESHENERS

Fudgeamentals

Ready

Little Joe - Drive Int. USA

These prepackaged fudge bites come in more than 20 flavors, from classics like chocolate and peanut butter to fun seasonal flavors including key lime and snickerdoodle. They come in single containers and larger multiflavor platters.

These bars come in chocolate chip cookie dough and caramel crunch flavors, each of which has 20 grams of protein per bar. The company also offers other clean protein bars, protein puffs and protein water.

These compact figurines clip onto a vehicle’s air vent to freshen the air. Typically retailing between $1 and $5, they’re impulse purchases. Little Joe (and his companions Little Dog, Little Cat and Little Duck) come in a wide variety of colors and scents.

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

DESIGN THAT PUTS FOODSERVICE FIRST

BUILDING AROUND FOOD The result was a two-story stone structure characteristic of a classic Maine ski lodge, with ample seating, a fireplace inside and a fire pit outside. The food-forward layout features fresh coffee, an open kitchen, multiple open-air coolers and signage calling out craft and local products.

“We aren’t putting food into a building, we are building the location around the food,” said Carmen Santillanes, director of capital projects. She described the goal of the building design as providing “freshness you can see, quality you can smell [and] comfort you can feel.” “With our Gen 2 store design, we set out to create a brand that was clean, fresh, craft and local,” said Koch, who talked through the effort with three leadership team members during the Education Session “Designing a Store With Foodservice in Mind.” CREATING CRAFT PRODUCTS Michelle Lizotte-Shea, executive chef and category manager, has been with Rusty Lantern Markets from the beginning. She joined when the retailer opened its first store in 2015 and created its food menu. “Our goal was always to create a foodservice offer that started with a high-end, handcrafted deli,” she said. With no commissary or central kitchen, Rusty Lantern Markets’ food is made in-store. All but two locations include in-store kitchens.

EDUCATION SESSION INSIGHTS Know your business and clearly define your customer value proposition. Foodservice is a team effort: balance outside expertise with your team’s knowledge. Keep in mind that the quality of the food is the foundation.

Photos courtesy of Paragon Solutions

“W

hen I started in the business, we sold tires, batteries and filters. I never thought I’d be worried about how much mayonnaise to put on a lobster roll.” With that statement, John Koch kicked off a discussion with members of the Rusty Lantern Markets leadership team about developing a next-generation store design. The first of the retailer’s updated locations debuted in 2023. “We wanted a building that was distinctive and would define our brand,” said Koch, founder and CEO of the Brunswick, Mainebased retailer. “We literally designed a building with foodservice in mind.”

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

“Great foodservice is not just about the menu. It’s also the store design, the hiring, the facilities, the equipment, the promotions.” — JOHN KOCH Founder and CEO Rusty Lantern Markets

REACHING FLOW STATE While working with designers at Paragon Solutions, Koch and his team took into account everything from market position and value proposition to the menu, kitchen equipment, cleanliness and how people would move through the space. “Flow matters,” said Santillanes, both on the retail floor and in the kitchen. The retailer positioned kitchen equipment in a triangle, creating easy movement between refrigeration, the prep area and cooking equipment. On the store floor, Jim Francoeur, vice president of retail, kept operations and customer service in mind. “We take great pride in providing a great customer experience,” he said. “Our food-first model is a high-touch and high-cost operation where we invest in the customer experience.” That means maintaining a budget to invest in people, training and benefits, and developing career paths that give employees a reason to commit to their jobs. “Great foodservice is not just about the menu,” Koch said. “It’s also the store design, the hiring, the facilities, the equipment, the promotions. … If customers don’t have confidence in your staff, your store, your cleanliness, they’re not going to try your food.” Currently, eight of the 33 Rusty Lantern Markets locations are the Gen 2 design. The results show success on the bottom line. The average food sales percentage across all stores is 26%; in Rusty Lantern’s Gen 2 sites, it’s 30%— approximately 20% higher.

Photos courtesy of Paragon Solutions

Lizotte-Shea admits that it’s a laborintensive approach, but one that delivers quality, fresh food. “We’re creating craft products,” she said. “Products that are distinctive to Rusty Lantern Markets.” That includes a lobster roll, a lynchpin in the foodservice program. “If you can find something—for us it was the lobster roll—that’s really relevant to your store, and it’s fresh and distinctive, that’s a potential value for your brand,” she said.

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

THE FLAVOR FORECAST

N O D S T O N O S TA L G I A In hard economic times, consumers tend to crave comfort foods and familiar flavors, according to a representative from Rich Products, maker of f’real’s new orange-flavored Creamsicle Milkshake. Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides Inc., posited that consumers are looking for “newstalgia”—nostalgic flavors with a modern twist.

BY LAUREN SHANESY ODE TO THE SODA SHOP Some form of a soda float dominated releases from the top packaged beverage brands, perhaps related to the ongoing dirty soda trend. Coca-Cola launched Strawberry Float, Keurig Dr Pepper debuted Ice Cream Float and C4 Energy will have a Root Beer Float Flavor out in 2027. THC beverages got in on the trend too: Foundry Nation’s Two Scoops line featured Orange Creamsicle and Root Beer Float. Frazil showcased a Root Beer Float frozen beverage, while Stacker 2 had dirty energy sodas in multiple flavors.

mong the whirlwind of fried chicken, pizza, customized drinks, exciting new candy and endless snacks on the Expo floor, several flavor profiles stood out that signal where the industry is going.

COOLER CROSSOVER Two retro flavors originally from the freezer stood out this year in the pack bev space—orange creamsicle

and rocket pop. Orange creamsicle showed up in foods as well as beverages, like TruBar’s I Scream for Orange Cream protein bar in collaboration with Orangetheory Fitness, and Creamsicle Candy Twists. Liquid IV has a new Firecracker popsicle electrolyte flavor, C4 showcased Frozen Bombsicle, and in candy, HiChew introduced its Retro Remix pack with Root Beer Float and Crunchy Rocket Pop flavors. SHIRLEY TEMPLE Pack bev brands are bringing back this old-school mocktail in canned form— Bloom showcased its Shirley Temple soda, Olipop has a new Shirley Temple flavor, and Keurig Dr Pepper will release 7UP Shirley Temple for the holiday season.

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

G L O B A L F L AVO R S

F R U I T F O R WA R D

Gen Z is one of the most well-traveled generations. As the rising generation with the most spending power, its zest for discovery, exploration and new experience is driving an increase in flavors inspired by global food and drink. A handful of new flavor profiles stood out this year.

Simple fruit flavors held their own. Strawberry, banana and tropical flavors dominated new releases, from drinks to nicotine pouches. Whether combined with other fruits, spicy notes or inspired by desserts, fruit-flavored products popped at the Expo.

CHILI LIME Combos of spicy, sweet, sour and tangy appeared across releases this year, particularly in Tajín or chili lime flavors. There was Modelo’s Chelada Pepino Limón, Spicy Tequila Lime Chicken Roller Bites, Tajín Bugles from General Mills and Doritos Dinamita NKD Chile Limón.

SEEING STRAWBERRY This berry was at the forefront with new releases such as Pepsi’s Strawberry Shortcake soda, Coca-Cola’s Strawberry Float soda, Bloom’s Strawberry Shortie Sparkling Energy drink, General Mills’ Strawberry Protein Cheerios, Pop Daddy Pretzels’ Strawberry Shortcake pretzel sticks, Strawberry Pop-Tarts Peeps, the Core Power protein shake from Fairlife in Strawberry and Strawberry Clean Energy Gummies from Proper Wild.

ASIAN INSPIRATION Asian flavors felt like one of the most prominent regional nods. Ramen inspired chip and snack products like Calbee’s Asian-Style Chips in Spicy BBQ and Tonkotsu Ramen; andBaby Star’s Ramen Snacks and Snack Bites in Soy Sauce, Hot and Spicy Chili, Red Chili and Tonkotsu flavors. Pringles showcased an Asian Zing variety. Asian inspiration spread to other categories, including a Sweet Yuzu

caffeine and nootropic pouch from Deckiez and Sweet Thai Chili cashews from Smackin’. UBE While the purple yam is a long-time favorite in Filipino foods, ube is making its way into convenience snacks. It’s showing up in products like Galerie au Chocolat’s Ube Style Truffles and David’s Cookies Decadent Ube Crystal Sugar Cookie Dough with white chocolate chips. MEXICAN STREET CORN Mexican street corn, or elote, is appearing across the snack category. Quest Protein Chips had this as a new flavor, as did Pop Daddy Pretzels’ Mexican Street Corn Pretzel Sticks and Herr’s Fire Roasted Mexican Street Corn popcorn.

BOLD BANANA Milk brand Fairlife brought back a previous fan favorite flavor, Banana, to its Core Power protein shake lineup. Joey had a Banana nicotine pouch. In candy, Fantasy Farms showcased Dark

Chocolate-Covered Banana and Coolioh! Peelz had both a Spicy Lava Banana and non-spicy Banana flavor. ALL ABOUT APPLE Apple and green apple flavors were all over the Expo floor, from appleflavored beers to a Hulk Green Apple Smash Butterfinger collab with Marvel. TROPICAL TRENDS Tropical flavors such as pineapple, mango and guava stood out on the Expo floor. Some brands stuck to singular fruit flavors while others dove into the tropical blend, such as Hot Tamales’ new Tropical Heat candy. Keurig Dr Pepper debuted its 7UP Miami Vice, “a tropical soda experience inspired by the classic frozen cocktail.”

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

S TAY I N G P O W E R Things are a fad, until they’re a trend … until they’re a mainstay menu staple. These flavors are showing that they can move beyond a viral social media moment to solidify their place in the industry. PICKLE Pickle may not be as in your face as it was two years ago, but it hasn’t lost its appeal. Heinz Pickle Flavored Ketchup was featured prominently, as were many pickle-flavored chips, Vlasic Pickle Balls, Hidden Valley Ranch’s new Pickle Ranch Dippers, Pickle Punch Takis, pickle sunflower seeds, as well as Van Holten’s Dill Pickle-flavored pickled hard-boiled eggs and even a new line of Big Papa Dill Pickle cold and frozen beverages. Johnsonville also featured a Spicy Dill Pickle Flavored Ultimate Sausage. SWEET HEAT The popular pepper of the day might change, but a spicy profile of some kind is always at the top of flavor charts. Hot honey continues to resonate. Combos debuted a Honey Sriracha pretzel, Uglies had Hot Honey sweet potato chips and Olli added Hot Honey-flavored salami to its grab-and-go charcuterie packs. Spicy flavors made their way to candy for the ultimate sweet-

and-spicy combo. Trolli released Spicy Crawlers while General Mills launched Spicy Gushers Unleashed. Skittles once again showcased Fuego gummies, Jolly Rancher had Heat Wave gummies on display and Snak Club touted Mike’s Hot Honey gummy bears. DUBAI CHOCOLATE It might not have the “it factor” (and super high price tag) that it had last year, but Dubai chocolate hasn’t gone away. The floor was filled with classic takes like Lindt’s new Pistachio Milk Chocolate line of bars and truffles, as well as new iterations, like Wonderful’s Dubai Chocolate covered pistachios and Dubai Chocolate popcorn from Belle’s. MATCHA Matcha is proliferating across the CPG space, from matcha chocolates, matcha latte popcorn and other snacks from a variety of producers to canned matcha lattes from La Colombe (and yes, strawberry is one of the three flavor options).

Keep an eye on these upand-coming flavor trends • Super spicy, like “lava” and “fuego” • Cereal flavors and breakfast flavors, from savory breakfast sausage to sweet cinnamon French toast • Blueberry, peach and blue raspberry, which has enough demand that several manufacturers are releasing blue raspberry-only packs of snacks and candies. • S’mores • Hickory barbecue • Loaded dessert flavors, like cinnamon bun, frosted cookie, strawberry shortcake, donut and chocolate mousse • Movie theater popcorn

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

TO WIN TRIPS, PUT FUNDAMENTALS FIRST

t’s getting harder for retailers to win trips. According to the latest research from the NACS Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council (NCCRRC), 25% of convenience shoppers considered going somewhere else on their most recent convenience store trip, whether to grocery stores, QSRs, coffee shops or other competitors. That consideration was even higher among some groups that are important to the channel’s future, including high-income shoppers (34%), younger consumers (37% for millennials specifically) and GLP-1 users (49%). The NCCRRC data was presented by Richard Bode, CEO, and Gavin Stoecker, principal, of Cadent Consulting Group LLC, along with Michael Sansolo, research director of the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council. But the variety of competition points to an opportunity for convenience retail. Tom Brennan, chief merchandising officer of Casey’s General Stores Inc., describes it as a “category of one”—convenience can bring all the offers of its competitive sets together, with fuel, food, beverages and merchandise in one stop. The CCRRC found that to attract customers, keep them coming back and grow sales, retailers should follow a framework based on a hierarchy of needs. At the base are fundamentals such as clean stores and restrooms, friendly employees and in-stock

products. Next come growth levers like curated product assortment and foodservice. At the top are experiences that can turn a store into a destination. Foodservice raises the stakes on all fundamentals. Ryan Sheetz, EVP, marketing and supply chain at Sheetz, said that when customers are considering a store for food and beverages, something as simple as a dirty restroom can lead them to question the cleanliness of the kitchen. Once the basics are covered, retailers can look more closely at whether their offer reflects changing consumer behavior. The research showed greater interest in fresh, healthy snacks among GLP-1 users. “The GLP-1 customer is not leaving us … what they’re buying might change,” said Sheetz, pointing to more snacking and increased interest in protein. Outside the GLP-1 group, today’s consumers are also looking for protein, fiber, caffeine and functionality in their food. Convenience stores have an advantage because retailers can continually adjust the assortment of products as customer preferences change, Brennan said. Retailers don’t need to tackle every opportunity at once, but instead should follow the hierarchy of needs, understand their shoppers, identify where their operation sits on the hierarchy and build from there, the panelists said.

Read the full NCCRRC report at ccrrc.org/report-directory.

EDUCATION SESSION INSIGHTS The variety of a convenience store’s offer is a competitive advantage. You don’t need to tackle every opportunity at once— make sure customers’ basic needs are covered first. GLP-1 users aren’t abandoning convenience, but what they buy is changing.

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

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2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE OF TECH

he job of Conexxus is to set the industry’s technology standards, serve as an incubator for retailers and suppliers to connect and collaborate, and ensure that the industry is prepared for the future. But as AI speeds up the rate of innovation, the future is harder to predict. It’s better, Conexxus leaders said, to lay the groundwork for the future by focusing on key capabilities rather than specific technologies. The Education Session “The 2026 Conexxus Technology Roadmap” focused on the three of those capabilities: trusted data, connected commerce and nimbleness. TRUSTED DATA “Data used to be something that we reported on, and now data is something that a machine will act on, sometimes many times, without a human as a brain,” said Robert Hampton, the chief technology officer at Yesway. If the data isn’t clean, that can lead to bad decisions at scale. “At the heart of trusted data is the Conexxus data dictionary. Even if you aren’t using our standards, if you use the data dictionary to do your proprietary APIs, it means that all of your data is consistent,” said Linda Toth, executive director of Conexxus. She shared the example of forecourt dispenser. “Some people call it a fueling point. Some people call it a pump. Some people call it a pump number or a fueling point number or a dispenser number.” Simply agreeing on

a consistent term means your internal data is much more valuable. CONNECTED COMMERCE Agentic commerce may still be more of a concept than a reality, but it’s coming. Don Emery, senior manager of payment products at CHS, urged attendees to evaluate their businesses from the perspective of a customer using agentic commerce. “Think through it how an AI agent may think through it. So how would they find you?” He encouraged retailers to map the customer journey, assess how agents might evaluate store locations and customer reviews, and determine whether their digital presence allows transactions through websites, apps and other channels. NIMBLENESS Silos, slow decisions, an inability to learn and a reluctance to fail fast are all hallmarks of companies that aren’t nimble. As IT emerges as a stronger force across the company, it needs to be willing to go all in on an idea, see it fail and be fine with that. “We need to take our learnings from what went wrong and we need to apply that to the next thing we try,” said Hampton. “It may be that this thing that failed miserably might spark an idea.” Nimbleness is where smaller operators can shine. “You have the ability, you have the control, you have the nimbleness in your hands,” said Emery.

EDUCATION SESSION INSIGHTS Adaptability may matter more than predicting specific new technology. Clean, trusted data is more important than ever. Retailers need to be visible to AI, not just consumers.

The 2027 Conexxus Annual Conference takes place January 26-29 in Newport Beach, California. Register at Conexxus.org.

2026 NACS SHOW | SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

THE WINNING NUMBERS

230

25,572 attendees

—the second-highest attendance at a NACS Show ever!

the average number of attendees per Education Session There were

56 sessions throughout the week.

Attendees came from

73 countries.

3 first responders (and 1 canine officer

5 retailers with winning ideas featured in Ideas 2 Go videos.

not in attendance) were honored on the General Session stage as the NACS Foundation’s 2026 First Responders of the Year.

1,090 exhibitors

showcased products at the Expo, including 173 in the New Exhibitor Area. 342 products in the Cool New Products Preview Room were scanned over 9,000 times. (See page 18 for more details on the topscanned Cool New Products!)

2 friends and former SNL colleagues,

Lindsay Shookus and Jason Sudeikis, took the stage for a laugh-filled conversation at the Oct. 7 General Session.

95K lbs 94,906 pounds of food was recovered by more than 76 volunteers and donated to local charities in Las Vegas.

Next year’s NACS Show will be in Atlanta, Georgia, October 5-8, 2027. See you there!

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Notify me! Conference: October 5-8, 2027 Expo: October 6-8, 2027 Georgia World Congress Center Atlanta, GA