ATLANTA -- NACS President and CEO Hank Armour is thinking big.
At the 2016 NACS Show in Atlanta, Armour presented three initiatives the association wants to accomplish as it looks toward the future.
“We think to truly succeed you have to think big,” he said.
Those initiatives are:
1. Refresh the convenience-store industry's image
NACS launched reFresh, an initiative to help convenience retailers address topics important to their business and create positive perceptions of the industry. The program is in its initial phases, but NACS is already seeing success: Sixty percent of consumers and 71% of millennials say c-stores are offering healthier and nutritious products.
“That’s a five-point increase in just a couple of years,” Armour said.
Additionally, 77% say they are favorable to a new convenience store being built in their community.
NACS is also developing a Great Neighbors program, which will provide c-store operators with tools to enhance their community involvement.
“C-store doesn’t just stand for convenience store, it also stands for community store,” Armour said.
He said 56% of all consumers would frequent a c-store more often if they knew it cared about the community, and “the good news is you do care.” (About 64% of c-stores support five or more charities.)
2. Enhance state and local advocacy
NACS is also developing a new state and local advocacy program that will provide associations with issue tracking, data, relevant research and messaging to use in regulatory campaigns.
“It showcases the best our industry has to offer at the state and local levels,” Armour said.
The program is a continuation of the NACS In-Store program, which invites congressmen and senators to work in c-stores.
3. Harvest global best practices
NACS will hold a Convenience Summit in Europe in 2017, visiting Zurich, Switzerland and London, and will hold a similar summit in Asia, visiting Sapporo and Tokyo, Japan.
“It’s critical to listen and learn about what’s going on across the world,” Armour said.
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.