CHICAGO – “There has been no bigger battle and no more important one than our fight to reduce the outrageous credit card fees that we pay,” said NACS President and CEO Hank Armour today during the NACS Show opening general session. And, based on the progress made and the pressure the industry continues to put on the issue, “2009 looks to be the watershed year in which we may finally get significant relief,” he added.

“This is the biggest issue that our industry has faced in decades, and we’ve taken it head on,” said Armour. “With the tremendous help and support of many of you, we made a lot of progress this year.” The Credit Card Fair Fee Act was successfully passed out of the House Judiciary Committee (H.R. 5546), and the legislation was also introduced in the Senate (S. 3086), he noted.

“We obviously have the credit card companies’ attention,” said Armour, referencing some of the public relations stunts that Visa and MasterCard attempted this summer to deflect attention away from the issue of interchange. “While Visa and MasterCard claim they have fixed the problem, they haven’t. The only thing they fix – and they continue to do so – is the price,” said Armour to applause.

Armour cited several other significant political issues that NACS also successfully dealt with during the year:

• Mandates were defeated that would have required retailers to install E-85 fueling equipment instead of providing incentives for such installations.
• Despite record gasoline prices and multiple price spikes, price gouging legislation never made it into law.
• Legislation that will give the FDA regulatory authority over the marketing and retailing of tobacco products was significantly modified to address retailer concerns.

“While we would certainly prefer not to have FDA regulation, with the likely prospect of a more Democratically controlled Congress and the fact that both McCain and Obama are sponsors of the legislation, we cut the best deal for retailers,” said Armour. “It is not a great bill but it is way better than it was before our retail provisions were added.”

Armour also outlined a number of programs and products that NACS has developed to help convenience and petroleum retailers.

Green: On the NACS Show expo floor, NACS has designed a “congreenience store,” with the latest energy-efficient store materials, equipment, and services all built in. The area features experts who can talk about cost savings, how to be green, and even about available green tax breaks.

NACS also is launching a Green Tool Kit that makes the economic case for environmental responsibility and gives retailers nuts and bolts ideas that they can use to increase their profitability, whether building a new store or running an old one more efficiently.

Leadership Forum: In February, NACS will launch its new Leadership Forum in Miami. “It will be the premier leadership event for our members, featuring insights from leading industry executives on the current challenges and opportunities that we face,” said Armour, listing a number of high-level industry executives who have been invited to speak. “We’ll have an interactive environment to facilitate learning from each other, and plenty of time to network with the top leaders of our industry.

CTP (Convenience Tracking Program): Last month, NACS launched CTP -- the NACS Convenience Tracking Program -- a ground-breaking consumer behavior program that allows retailers to benchmark their customers’ behavior and satisfaction against others in the industry. CTP drills down to identify the reasons, by individual companies, for why people shop – or don’t shop – in stores, and identifies the specific categories in which the problems exist. “Pretty powerful stuff.  I wish I had it when I was a retailer,” joked Armour.

NACS/ECRM Foodservice Business Conference: This event, in Houston this coming February, will bring ECRM’s proven format to the foodservice industry, enabling foodservice manufacturers to conduct one-on-one planning sessions with convenience and petroleum retailers.

Whether the latest industry products or advocacy efforts, NACS will tirelessly be working on the industry’s behalf, said Armour. “It’s 365 days a year, on the road, in the halls of Congress and everywhere we need to be working for your success,” said Armour.

“But,” Armour emphasized, “We don’t do it alone ... and we can’t do it alone. We need your help.”

“Over the coming months and years, we will ask you and we’ll help you to get involved by attending important political events in your communities. We’ll ask you and we’ll help you to meet and develop relationships with your elected representatives. And we’ll ask you to support our efforts financially – such as by contributing to our Interchange Action Fund,” he said.

“When we ask, we need you to respond – for your benefit and for the benefit of our industry,” Armour stressed.