CHICAGO — Mass Market Retailers is on the ground at McCormick Place as the 2025 NACS Show officially gets underway, bringing together more than 23,500 convenience and fuel retail professionals from across the globe for four days of learning, innovation, and industry collaboration.
While the Expo floor opens tomorrow, today’s agenda centered on education—with 18 sessions exploring leadership, technology, category management, safety, and strategy. Retailers, suppliers, and service providers filled meeting rooms for a full day of conversations on how the industry can navigate rapid transformation while staying rooted in people and purpose. Tomorrow’s agenda features 15 educational sessions covering innovation, foodservice, operations, and more.
Building Culture and Connection
The morning opened with “Connections That Launch Careers,” a roundtable where Jeannie Amerson of W. Capra Consulting Group, KC Kingsbury of NACS, and Courtney Trieger of EG America underscored the importance of mentorship, peer networks, and shared experience in developing future retail leaders.
In “Purpose in Every Transaction: How Culture Drives Performance,” Steve McKinley, CEO and founder of Urban Value Store, shared how his company’s neighbor-first ethos fuels growth and employee engagement. By embedding purpose into operations, McKinley said, retailers can drive loyalty, accountability, and long-term results.
Adapting to Change — From Social Media to Safety
At “Leveling Up Your Social Media Strategy,” Chrissy Blasinsky of NACS, Melissa McKee of Sheetz, and Nick Triantafellou of Weigel’s Stores explored how brands can harness authenticity, creator partnerships, and 24/7 social care to deepen customer connections.
Operational excellence took the spotlight in “Oops! Preventing Accidents and Keeping Employees Safe.” Aaron Nelson of CAF Outdoor Cleaning, Mark Sorine of Pilot Travel Centers, and Adam Walker of Holiday Oil emphasized that an authentic safety culture depends on leadership commitment and consistent communication at every level.
Innovation and Insight Across Categories
Category growth and changing consumer behavior were recurring themes throughout the day. In “The Snack Breakdown,” Anna Kjerrumgaard of RaceTrac showcased strategies that fueled a 55% margin increase in snacks from 2021 to 2024. Later, Sally Lyons Wyatt of Circana took a data-driven look at “GLP-1s and the New Snack Equation,” explaining how appetite-suppressing medications are reshaping snacking habits and prompting retailers to rethink portioning, nutrition, and merchandising.
Global perspective came courtesy of Mark Wohltmann, Director of NACS|Global, whose session “Major Developments in Global Convenience Retail” explored formats and technologies transforming the sector worldwide.
Technology, Data, and the Road Ahead
Innovation met behavioral science in “The Human Element of AI,” where David Schonthal of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management shared his “Friction Theory” framework for overcoming organizational resistance to intelligent technologies.
For smaller operators, “Unlocking the Power of Data for Smaller Retailers” offered pragmatic guidance from Mike Wilson, COO of Cubby’s Inc., on using existing operational data to drive smarter, faster decisions—without a dedicated analytics team.
The day concluded with an analytical outlook in “Economic Trends Shaping the Future of Retail,” presented by John Benson and Chad Lusk of Alvarez & Marsal. Their insights on inflation, spending, and efficiency underscored the need for agility and disciplined investment heading into 2026.
Momentum Builds for Day Two
As education sessions wrapped, attendees looked ahead to Wednesday’s Expo opening, where more than 1,200 exhibitors will showcase products and technologies across foodservice, operations, and digital innovation. From the Cool New Products Room to the Convenience Catalyst Showcase, NACS Show 2025 promises to deliver both inspiration and practical takeaways for every segment of the industry.
