Unlike the first day of the 2024 NACS Show, day two brought what most attendees came for: the gargantuan show floor, featuring thousands of exhibitors from around the globe and gobs of salty snacks, sour candy and fried chicken.
I certainly relished in the expo, but still took advantage of the insightful education sessions earlier in the day, which included an astute presentation from the world’s largest c-store retailer on hiring efforts as well as a rundown of how this year’s presidential election will impact the industry. I also managed to grab a top executive from one of the hottest c-store retailers this year for a conversation.
Here’s what I took away from day two of the NACS Show.
Don’t hold back on hiring events
Hiring in the c-store industry will always be a challenge. Despite this hurdle, c-stores are actually pretty good at holding regional hiring events for prospective employees. These events work, especially if executed properly, Rachel Allen, senior director of talent acquisition for 7-Eleven, said during her presentation on Tuesday.
Allen shared that 45% of retail workers said they’ve attended a hiring event in the past five years, including job fairs, employer-specific open houses, career workshops and networking events.
At these events, it’s key that retailers cut to the chase and tell attendees what they want and need to know, Allen said. Nearly two thirds (61%) of retail workers said hourly wage is the most important piece of information they want to learn at a hiring event, she noted. This is followed by benefits offered (56%), work location (43%), skill requirements (42%) and work-life balance policies (41%).
“When there’s these in-person events, [candidates] get the information they need,” Allen said. “They may have been frustrated trying to find this in other places, but in person, they can get to the stuff that’s important to them to make the decision that they want to make.”
This election will bring change to the c-store industry
The majority of Americans believe that the upcoming presidential election will determine the fate of U.S. democracy. But what’s often overlooked is the significant impact this election could have on the convenience store industry.
U.S. policies concerning credit card swipe fees, taxes, fuel and electric vehicles, tobacco and labor regulations — all of which are crucial in the c-store industry — are likely to change depending on if Kamala Harris or Donald Trump is elected president, Anna Blom, director of government relations for NACS, said during her presentation.
For example, NACS is pushing to extend the ruling in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that allows a deduction of up to 20% of qualified business income for various business owners, Blom said. Republicans may be amenable to this, while Democrats “may try to put revenue limits on it,” she noted.
Regarding EVs, if Trump is elected, he may roll back some of the regulations the Biden administration enacted last year, Blom said. Meanwhile, “it’s safe to say” that Harris would “double down” on these policies if she wins, Blom noted.
FEMSA wants to expand across the Sun Belt
Fomento Económico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA), parent of the Oxxo convenience store brand, shocked the c-store industry this summer when it acquired Delek US Holdings’ 249 locations for $385 million. The deal, which closed on Oct. 1, marked FEMSA’s long-awaited arrival in the U.S. — and the company has big plans underway, Constantino Spas, CEO of FEMSA’s Americas and Mobility division, said in an interview with C-Store Dive during the show.
The c-stores that FEMSA acquired are located across Texas, Arkansas and New Mexico. Although the company plans to take its integration slowly — Spas confirmed FEMSA will rebrand Delek’s DK banner to its Oxxo brand — FEMSA envisions its brand not just in those three states, but across the entire Sun Belt region of the U.S., Spas said.
“We have a preference — I would say, spanning from the Southwest all the way to the Southeast, up to the Carolinas [and] Virginia,” Spas said. “We think that should be our core…. we’ll find out if we need to readjust or not, but that is our initial intent.”
Snacking brands are venturing outside their comfort zones
A quiet new development at this year’s NACS Show is that snacking brands are beginning to branch out from their core product lines.
For instance, meat snacking giant Jack Link’s launched its first-ever beverage product earlier this year with its new Bloody Mary mix. The concoction, which comes in three flavors — original, dill and habanero — was front and center at the company’s booth at the NACS expo.
Other food and beverage brands that are stepping into new areas include Dave’s Killer Bread, which is adding protein bars and nut clusters; Quest Nutrition, which is debuting a brand-new “Bake Shop” line that includes muffins and brownies; and popcorn and pretzel maker Pop Daddy, which introduced its first line of kettle chips at the expo.
A shocking development at KKC — and a new longest line at the expo
In a stunning turn of events, the line at Krispy Krunchy Chicken was nearly nonexistent on Tuesday. Maybe I got there at a slow time, but my early prediction that it would take me 18 minutes to get my chicken thigh and biscuit was horrifically off. I waited in line for less than two minutes, and the food was just as good, despite barely waiting for it.
At least for Tuesday, there was a new champion for “booth with the longest line.” That title belonged to Monster Energy, which saw its line spread past multiple other displays as attendees anxiously waited to kibitz with NFL legend and Monster Energy ambassador Rob Gronkowski.
