Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is NACS? – NACS is the association for convenience retail and petroleum. The mission of NACS is to represent the industry and to assist retail members in increasing their current and future effectiveness and profitability.
2. What is the value of NACS to Supplier Members? – (For full details, please refer to the Benefits at a Glance)
· Access to retailers: We provide the means to have meaningful interactions at multiple events throughout the year to help facilitate strong, lasting relationships.
· Benchmarking data: NACS develops the industry standard in data essential for those interested in benchmarking performance. Gain access to industry statistics, category/subcategory trends and other operational and financial metrics.
· Education programs: With resources and support that span the entire industry, NACS offers an array of learning opportunities that enable members to improve their effectiveness and profitability. Specific programs cover areas such as category management, technology, consumer trends and executive level education.
· Industry information: Stay competitive with industry information including NACS Magazine and our NACS Daily e-mail and as well as a variety of industry white papers.
3. How much does it cost to become a NACS Supplier Member? – The annual membership fee for all NACS supplier members is $750 per company.
4. How can I join NACS? - Submit an application online (regular suppliers only) with a credit card, or print the Regular Supplier Membership Application (PDF) or the Hunter Club Application (PDF) and mail in with a check.
5. Is there a way to renew/access my NACS dues invoice online? - Yes, renew online with a credit card by going to www.nacsonline.com/renew and entering your 6-digit member ID number.
6. What is the Hunter Club? - Hunter Club membership is a distinct category of membership in NACS that provides numerous exclusive benefits. Some of those benefits include greater access to retailers, exclusive access to several key events throughout the year, advance selection of convention exhibit space and complimentary show attendance lists. Industry suppliers who support NACS at a higher dues level also receive year round recognition for their extra commitment to the overall objectives of NACS.
Dues are tiered with the highest tier being the most exclusive. The tiers are as follows: Gold Level: $65,000, Silver Level: $30,000, Bronze Level: $15,000.
7. Do you have any Global Supplier Members? – Yes, this membership category provides unique benefits to supplier companies that do business globally and is in addition to the current supplier membership categories that are in place today (Hunter Club Gold, Silver and Bronze and Regular Supplier Member).
The benefits included in this category do not overlap in any substantive way with existing membership options, however, Global Supplier Members receive all relevant benefits included in a basic supplier membership (i.e. NACS member pricing on products, exhibit space, etc.) Additionally this membership category has its own unique benefits that are not available to any other membership category. The key benefits of this category include exclusive access to data, information, education and networking events and the ability to contribute global knowledge and support. Members in this category also have exclusive access to the Global Forum at the NACS Show.
Current Gold Level Hunter Club: $15,000 (total dues: $80K)
Current Silver Level Hunter Club: $20,000 (total dues: $50K)
Current Bronze Level Hunter Club: $25,000 (total dues: $40K)
All others $30,000
8. How do I log into the website? - If you need a login: On the NACS Online homepage under "NACS Member Login", click on "Need a login" to create a username and password (NACS does not issue usernames and passwords for members to sign-in to the website). If you have a login: On the NACS Online homepage under NACS Member Login, enter your username and password.
9. If I join NACS will I receive a copy of your Membership List? – When you join you will receive a PDF of our membership lists – both supplier and retail. However we do have an excel list available for purchase at the cost of $500 for members - $900 for non-members. This list contains the company name, key contacts, title, address for headquarters, phone number, zip codes, & number of stores. This information is the same for suppliers and retail members. The Suppliers' list will have web address and product category. Non-members are not included so only if the company is a member will it be listed. What it doesn’t have is individual location of retail stores and email address for retailers.
Other sources: Directory of Convenience Stores, Trade Dimensions, www.tradedimensions.com
10. What is NACS 365? – NACS365 is an updated and more robust version of our online Buyer’s Guide. Supplier members are encouraged to create a listing for their company that can include product descriptions, product lists, testimonials, and contact information. This site is run by our vendor partner, BDMetrics, and upon joining, you will receive an e-mail with instructions for logging in and updating your company’s listing.
For more information on NACS365 please contact Anne Nagel at (240) 367-6742 or at anagle@bdmetrics.com
11. What is CSX? - CSX is an online, benchmarking application created for the convenience and petroleum retailing industry. Using CSX, subscribers gain meaningful insights from their operational and financial performance at the store and firm level. CSX provides valuable benchmarking using monthly P&L and operational data collected from over 130 convenience store chains operating more than 6,000 stores across the USA. The data can be easily uploaded into the CSX database using Excel or CSV file formats. CSX’s user-friendly business intelligence application provides a secure hands-on decision support tool to both retailers and suppliers.
In addition to retailer subscribers, the CSX subscriber base includes key manufacturers like Anheuser-Busch, Boyds Coffee, Coca-Cola, Nestle Waters, Swedish Match and US Smokeless Tobacco, among others. The financial and operational data in CSX complements syndicated data for category insights for effective decision making. Recently CSX expanded its database to also provide select shipment data from two of the largest U.S. wholesale distributors, McLane and Eby-Brown. Additionally, CSX is the engine that drives the NACS State of the Industry database.
For more information on CSX, contact Vicki Kristoff, Manager of Quality Assurance at (919) 249-6335 or at vkristoff@csxllc.com.
12. What is Consumer Research Insight? NACS has partnered with him!, a retail consultancy firm in the U.K., to launch the Convenience Tracking Program (CTP) a consumer insight research program to NACS retail and supplier members in the U.S. this fall. him! has over 11 years experience in the field of market research and CTP is already well-established in both the U.K. and Australia, with most large retailers and suppliers participating in it.
CTP is a store-level shopper entry/exit research, insight and consultancy program. The program is full disclosure, meaning each retailer can benchmark their shopper feedback with other chains’ shopper feedback. It provides participants insights into shopper behaviors, which can be leveraged to provide action points and priorities to fill any gaps in performance.
Both retailers and suppliers can use the CTP findings to focus what is important to their customers, benchmark their performance with other retailers, validate marketing strategies, confirm or eradicate industry myths and develop best practices and grow sales and profits.
Please contact Neerja Kathuria at NACS at (703) 518-4216 or nkathuria@nacsonline.com to find out more about CTP and to subscribe.
13. Can you direct me to industry research?
A. For the Top 100 Convenience Stores:
http://www.csnews.com/csn/images/pdfs/top1002007.pdf
B. For the NACS State of the Industry Report
C. Other Industry Questions: call our Helpdesk at 1-800-966-NACS (6227) for more information regarding: number of convenience stores by state; consultants for various aspects of store operations; vendors for different products; state specific data; customer traffic; sales data; distributors; credit card info; NACS products; job descriptions; zoning information; product codes; insurance; opening a convenience store; or selling a store.