NACS - National Association of Convenience Stores

NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, serves 160 million customers daily—half of the U.S. population—and has sales that are 10.8% of total U.S. retail and foodservice sales. NACS has 2,100 retailer and 1,750 supplier members from more than 50 countries.

NACS Advocacy for the Industry

NACS is the industry's voice in the federal government — to the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Its issues are as varied as the industry it represents, from motor fuels to credit card fees to labor to taxes. These include:

Motor Fuels: NACS is the industry's leading advocate on motor fuels policy and represents 80% of the country's retail fuel sales. NACS recognizes the unique role of the convenience store retailer within the motor fuel system and represents the industry's interests before Congress and the administration.
Credit Card Fees: Credit card fees are the convenience and fuel retailing industry's top pain point. In 2008, credit card fees surged another 10.5% to reach a record $8.4 billion — nearly three times the level just five years ago — an amount more than $3 billion greater than convenience store industry pretax profits.
Labor and Health Care: The convenience store industry employs 1.8 million Americans, and labor and health-care costs are the largest expense category for the industry. NACS is working with Congress so that retailers can control their costs and not have to make the choice between offering benefits and hiring new employees.
Tobacco: The number one in-store item for the industry is tobacco products. This is also one of the most regulated products that the industry sells. NACS remains a stalwart defender of the industry's right to sell legal products responsibly and continues to advocate for a level playing field for all channels of trade.
Other Issues: Convenience and fuel retailers are subject to a large number of other legislative and regulatory initiatives, and NACS works to ensure that their interests on these issues are well represented. NACS is engaged in a number of issues areas, including food safety, menu labeling and tax policy, to name a few.

NACS Products

NACS produces a variety of products to help retailers grow their businesses, from research and marketing to human resources support to category management. NACS also has several industry-specific reports and programs that define the industry's performance:

NACS State of the Industry Report: The industry's premier benchmarking tool and the most comprehensive collection of firm-level, store-level and category data and trends based on the industry's annual performance.
CSX: The largest industry-specific online database of financial and operating data.
NACS Magazine: Features thought-provoking and insightful articles that focus on trends, best practices, metrics and analysis for the decision makers and leaders of this dynamic industry.
Consumer Tracking Program: A store-level shopper entry and exit research and insight program.
Annual Retail Fuels Report: NACS shares details on the retail fuels market and explains how retail fuel prices are determined.

NACS Events

NACS develops a host of targeted events, designed facilitate interaction between suppliers and retailers, increase industry awareness with regards to legislative developments in the industry, and encourage an exchange of ideas about new products and best practices. Signature events hosted by NACS include:

NACS Show: Drawing more than 24,000 attendees and 1,100 exhibitors, the NACS Show rotates among three cities: Las Vegas, Chicago and Atlanta. The event also features over 50 educational sessions and general sessions and numerous opportunities for networking.
NACS State of the Industry Summit: The event delivers a thorough review of trends and opportunities by dissecting comprehensive industry data.
NACS Leadership Forum: A world-class event that brings together a broad base group of retailers and suppliers to provide thought leadership relevant to our industry, strengthen existing relationships and build new business relationships.
NACS Government Relations Conference: Participants learn directly from members of Congress, Administration officials and government experts about policies that can affect the convenience and fuel retailing industry, then meet with their elected members of Congress to explain how current and proposed legislation impacts their business.