Convenience stores offer speed of service to time-starved consumers who want to get in and out of the store quickly. These shoppers recognize this channel of trade for its convenient locations, extended hours of operation, one-stop shopping, grab-and-go foodservice, variety of merchandise and fast transactions.
NACS has held an annual meeting since it was founded in 1961. These first meetings actually were called “annual meetings,” as opposed to being known as the “NACS Show.” Attendance quickly blossomed from 50 the first year to 195 the following year, and reached 1,000 in 1970.
The number of U.S. convenience stores grew 1.2 percent over the past year and stands at 146,341 as of December 31, 2010, according to the NACS/Nielsen TDLinx 2011 Convenience Industry Store Count.