NACS

SOCi, Inc.’s 2023 Local Visibility Index found that brick-and-mortar brands struggle to keep up with online expectations for engagements, and that this digital “invisibility” is costing the U.S. retail industry $2.4 billion every year.   “The most visible local brands drive four times as many consumer actions (clicks, calls, direction requests) through local digital channels as the average business. Again, ghosting your consumers leads to lost customers and, ultimately, a loss in revenue,” notes the whitepaper.   Whether you’re operating one retail location or 500+, THRIVR, powered by SOCi, can help you drive foot traffic and growth at your convenience stores with easy search, social and reputation management. Make your business visible—learn more about THRIVR and contact Jennifer Johnson to set up a demo today: https://lnkd.in/eB4bwHrU

We are hiring! Come join our Retail Engagement Team and help us drive and support member engagement. #WeAreConvenience Click below to learn more and apply. https://lnkd.in/eusGnagb

Calling all Clover customers –TruAge is ready for you!  TruAge is the most advanced digital age-verification tool available today. Protect your employees, your business and your customers’ privacy so you can focus on what’s important - delivering exceptional customer experiences. Simply download Age Verification Professional on your Clover device to get started! To learn more about TruAge visit mytruage.org NACS

Swipe fees are crushing small businesses. These fees are non-negotiable, and for many convenience retailers, the swipe fees they pay exceed their pre-tax profits. These fees represent their second-highest operating cost—less than labor but more than rent and utilities. While the credit card industry makes record profits from these hidden fees each year, American businesses and their valued customers pay the price. Share your story and help our industry for change: https://lnkd.in/eQHVimKU Doug Kantor | Anna Ready Blom | Margaret Hardin Mannion | Lyle Beckwith | Leenah H. | Merchants Payments Coalition

In August, the NACS Research & Technology Committee toured the Kwik Trip, Inc. campus in La Crosse, Wisconsin.   The Committee’s first stop was the blow mold facility, which can make over 130 bottles per minute and are quickly filled with Kwik Trip’s Natures Touch® brand of dairy products, water, and flavored drinks. (Fun fact: each bottle is stamped with Kwik Trip’s signature “smiley face.” See if you can spot it in the second pic).   The Kwik Trip bakery was busy making bismarks—328 bismarks per minute, to be exact. These and other baked goods like muffins, cinnamon rolls, long johns, and their signature Glazers® Donuts, are made daily.    Kwik Trip was founded in 1965 and is still family-owned today. Dr. Scott Zietlow, CEO of Kwik Trip, upholds the values established 59 years ago: To make a difference in the lives of their customers every day. Lori Stillman | Christopher Rapanick | Emma Tainter | Jayme Gough, PMP | Jay Lee | Christopher Wise

The 2024 #NACSShow will be here before we know it. Now's the time to plan your NACS Show experience, beginning with useful tips we've curated from industry veterans and NACS staff inside the September issue of NACS Magazine. You'll also find information on new ideas for merchandising, Sunrise 2027, and how to recruit, train and retain neurodiverse employees. Check out all the great ideas inside this pre-NACS Show issue of NACS Magazine! https://bit.ly/3XwkiFt Ben Nussbaum | Lauren Shanesy | Noelle Riddle | Leah Ash | Logan Dion | Nancy Pappas | Jeff Lenard | Chrissy Blasinsky | Stacey (Darrell) Dodge | Ted Asprooth | Jennifer Nichols Leidich | Stephanie Sikorski

Stephanie Stuckey is building a brand. It all started when her dad’s former business partners offered to sell her their shares of Stuckey’s in 2020. Six months later, her dad sold her his shares and she became the sole owner. “How often do you get the chance to buy back your family brand? I consider myself blessed to be given this opportunity,” Stuckey said in the July 2021 issue of NACS Magazine, adding, “Stuckey's was always a safe place to stop. ‘Every traveler is your friend’ was my grandfather’s motto, and I strive to honor his legacy every day.” After thousands of road trip miles, NACS Show presentations, keynote speaking, publishing a book and rolling up her sleeves to continue her family’s legacy, Stephanie is clear on her revitalization goals. “The bigger picture is that you need to have consensus on what your brand represents. Often you can go in a lot of different directions, but it's important to lead with something integral to what you represent and what you're passionate about, and what you can be super good at—all of that matters … and you should be able to make a profit on what you're passionate about, too.” Hear more from Stephanie on our weekly podcast, Convenience Matters: https://bit.ly/3z7dggK (clicking this link will start the podcast)

Alimentation Couche-Tard reached a definitive agreement to acquire GetGo Café + Market from supermarket retailer Giant Eagle, Inc. https://bit.ly/3yRf9OD "As we learn more about the GetGo business, it is clear that it has built a strong and passionate customer base with high-quality stores staffed by talented and engaged teams working to deliver a great experience. ...We look forward to growing together as we learn from and continue GetGo's innovative approaches to serving its local customers and communities," said Brian Hannasch, president and CEO of Couche-Tard. "We are energized by the potential for both Giant Eagle and GetGo as a result of this transaction," added BIll Artman, CEO of Giant Eagle. "This enhances our focus on our core supermarket and pharmacy businesses, strengthening Giant Eagle and better enabling us to make strategic investments in our people, stores, and value proposition while matching GetGo with the perfect partner in Couche-Tard." GetGo operates approximately 270 convenience retail and fueling locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana. Couche-Tard also made an acquisition proposal for Seven & i Holdings, which operates 7-Eleven.

On August 14, 1961, NACS was founded. Speedee Mart founder Henry Boney called on 17 owners, presidents and general managers of convenience stores to attend a meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, because he felt "sufficient growth of convenience food stores throughout the country was such that it warranted the formation of an association to cover that segment of the food industry." Attendees agreed, and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) was born. During that three-day meeting, the early NACS pioneers hammered out the newly created association's objectives and elected its officers and Board of Directors. Boney was named president of NACS; Leon Melvin was named vice president; W. C. Metzger became secretary-treasurer; and Frank Kerr, John Gillett and John Roscoe were elected directors. They also asked Harry Hunter, secretary of the San Diego Grocers Association, to become the first executive director. Happy 63th Birthday to NACS and to everyone who continues to inspire and deliver convenience around the world! 🎂 🥂 💙 💚 #WeAreConvenience

Are you ready? We are! Register today for our industry's biggest and most anticipated event of the year: the NACS Show! Join more than 24,000 industry professionals for four days of networking, education, and exploring hundreds of new products and services that deliver excitement to your c-stores. Join us! #nacsshow