There were two reasons why Frank Gleeson wanted to be the next National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) CEO.
No. 1, he loves the industry. And No. 2, he likes the way associations add value to the industry, and he thinks NACS is highly effective and efficient in representing its members.
Gleeson, former president and CEO of Aramark Northern Europe and the 2018-2019 NACS chairman, succeeded Henry Armour as CEO of the Alexandria, Virginia-based organization on Jan. 1. Gleeson is only the fourth CEO in the association’s 64-year history.
“I'm looking forward to following in [Armour’s] footsteps because what he's built is an organization with really clear purpose and clarity,” Gleeson told CSP Daily News during an exclusive interview on Jan. 7. “And the culture he's built here in NACS, high-performance, high-trust culture, that's the foundation of any organization. And I will continue that legacy.”
Former NACS CEO Henry Armour (left) is pictured with new NACS CEO Frank Gleeson. | NACS
But that doesn’t mean everything at NACS will stay the same.
“I can bring a lot of new things because I've had an extensive career in foodservice, particularly with my 10 years with Aramark where I ran operations across all sectors of business,” Gleeson said.
He was president and CEO of food, facilities and uniform services provider Aramark Northern Europe from 2017-2024. There he oversaw a team of more than 20,000 employees across 2,800-plus locations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Aramark provides food services and facilities management to hospitals, universities, schools stadiums, convenience stores and other businesses around the world.
Before that, he was retail director at Topaz Energy Group, the largest importer, distributor and retailer of transportation fuel in Ireland with more than 330 c-stores and services stations, NACS said.
In addition to foodservice, Gleeson also plans on advancing the technology NACS brings to the industry, like continuing the expansion of digital age-verification product TruAge.
How to win in foodservice
Gleeson, who is Irish and recently moved to D.C., said his first convenience-store journey in the United States was 25 years ago on a trip to Pennsylvania.
While there, he visited chains like Sheetz and Wawa, known for their successful foodservice and beverage programs. Over the years, he saw how Europe was learning from the U.S. in terms of c-stores, and vice versa.
“We're becoming a global economy and a global industry that are learning from each other,” he said. “But there's no one-size-fits-all.”
Both Europe and the United States have great stores, and stores that need improving, Gleeson said.
“The opportunity exists for everybody in all jurisdictions to be better. And my job at NACS is to create that opportunity for people to learn from each other, for us to advocate for our members and create the environment where we can win more market share from QSRs,” he said.
Gleeson emphasized a phased approach for c-stores entering foodservice. He advised starting with categories that can be executed well, such as coffee and bakery.
“Be consistent, deliver that excellent cup of coffee, the good condiment area and some bakery program that works,” he said.
Once established, c-stores can expand by adding grab-and-go items like pre-made sandwiches. These incremental steps help build customer trust.
He highlighted top-performing chains, which are renowned for their foodservice and signature items—Casey’s General Stores’ pizza being a prime example.
“I think the clever retailers have developed signature foodservice, and then they’ve communicated that we have multiple things we can help you with on customer trips,” he said.
Gleeson plans to spend much of his first year as NACS CEO traveling to different c-stores around the country. And there’s one foodservice item he’ll be sure to try at his stops.
“I've had chicken fingers in nearly every c-store I go to because it tells me how serious they are about their programs,” Gleeson said.
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