LAS VEGAS -- The Opening General Session of the National Association of Convenience Stores annual convention yesterday morning took on a decidedly international theme, as NACS chairman Scott Hartman and CEO Hank Armour discussed the growing influence of retailing in other countries and the desire to include them in NACS programs and outreach efforts.
NACS must include international involvement, said Armour, as he discussed the disappearing trade barriers that have prevented such collaboration in the past. It's about learning about best-practices, wherever [image-nocss] they may be.
This was one of three themes Armour hit on during his talk. He also stressed NACS' continuing government relations advocacy efforts, not the least of which is the goal of changing the outrageous way credit-card fees are assigned and collected. This is a hidden tax on American consumers, he said, noting the $5.4 billion in fees collected from the c-store industry in 2005. We are aggressively fighting to change all of that.
Armour said NACS is also focused on increasing the variety of its program offering with a goal of making the association more inclusive to retailers in the United States and abroad. It's all about providing the knowledge, connections and advocacy you need to succeed.
Part of that includes an updating of the NACS mission, which Armour announced is now: The association for convenience and petroleum retailing, adding a new emphasis on petroleum retailing as that end of the business continues to be a growing part of what we do.
For Hartman, international growth took on a more personal tone as he discussed the over 100,000 miles he spent on the road in his year as NACS chairman. From those trips, he brought back ideas that he said will permeate the c-store industry worldwide in the years to come. Among them:
Changing consumer demand. All around the world, a fresh presentation (of food and other product) is what consumers are seeing as they enter stores, especially in Europe, he said. People just want shortcuts to simplify their lives. New ways to use technology. The cell phone you have today acts nothing like the ones you see in Japan and Korea, he said, noting that cell phones are used as credit cards, coupons and billboards overseas. The in-car c-store billboard is closer than you think. Continuing government intervention. Noting strict bans and marketing restrictions on alcohol and tobacco products in some other countries, Hartman echoed Armour's call for continued industry advocacy with the government. Fighting bad policy-making is one thing, he said. Shaping god policy is much more difficult.The NACS Show 2006 continues through Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
[For more NACS Show news, see left column.]
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.