ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Texas is home to 10% of the convenience stores in the United States, which means it often leads in driving innovation. To hear which companies are leading the charge and why, listen to the latest Convenience Matters podcast program.

In this podcast, co-hosts Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives, and John Eichberger, executive director of the Fuels Institute, discuss some of the trends they have noticed in travels this year on the episode titled “Texas Convenience Store Tour.” The program can be downloaded on iTunes by searching for “Convenience Matters.” It is also available at www.nacsonline.com/podcasts.

Texas dominates the convenience store industry. It is where the industry began in Dallas in 1927 with the Southland Ice Company. (Southland evolved into 7-Eleven and also celebrated its “birthday” this week on July 11, or 7-11 Day.) Today, Texas is home to more than 15,600 convenience stores, or one in every 10 convenience stores across the country.

“The ideas and the execution also make Texas unique, from stores with delicious tacos and even lobster bisque, to innovative designs and some very unique offers,” Lenard said.

A new Convenience Matters podcast will be released every week, focusing on topics related to convenience stores. NACS Daily announced the podcasts in late January.