Senior Merchants share what’s next for the convenience channel at ECRM/retailmediaIQ Summit

DESTIN, Fla. — Senior merchants from BP, Casey’s, and 7-Eleven joined NIQ and Retail Cities yesterday to share insights on where the convenience store industry is headed during the ECRM/retailmediaIQ Convenience Leadership Summit, held during ECRM’s Convenience Session in Destin, Fla.

The all-star lineup, assembled by ECRM SVP of Retail Wayne Bennett, highlighted a future defined by health-forward assortments, digital retail media, and a transformation into true food destinations as sales shift away from traditional “vice” categories toward functional nutrition and destination-driven guest experiences.

Finding new ways to entice shoppers

Chris Costagli, VP of Food & Beverage Thought Leadership at NIQ, opened the summit by highlighting a significant shift in consumer behavior. While 90% of c-store industry sales currently come from tobacco, grocery, and alcohol, the traditional anchors that bring shoppers through the door are changing. As cigarette usage declines and alcohol consumption hits new lows, Costagli emphasized that retailers must find new ways to entice shoppers.

“We have to consider what the consumer is looking for as they moderate and change what they’re ultimately purchasing,” said Costagli. “We’re choosing impulse items less often. We are actively trying to find a way to save money.” He noted that while price increases have driven dollar growth, unit sales are down in nine of the top 10 categories.

The rise of GLP-1 medications and health-tracking technology is further accelerating this trend. Costagli noted that consumption patterns among GLP-1 users are shifting toward muscle health and digestive aids, and away from candy and sweets. 

Elevating the Guest Experience

For Derek Gaskins, Head of Guest Experience at BP, the industry’s evolution is about being “customer-obsessed” across its brands, including Thorntons, am/pm, and Travel Centers of America. He noted that while the channel was once considered recession-proof, the competitive landscape has changed as e-commerce giants like Amazon and Target redefine convenience for consumers.

BP is leaning into “Food Forward” strategies, leveraging the legacy of the Thorntons brand to compete with quick-service restaurants. “This business is fueled by the ‘ine’s.’ Gasoline, nicotine and caffeine were once major profit centers, traffic drivers and destination categories.”

However, competition and fuel-efficient vehicles have led to a decline in trips for these items, Gaskins noted.”I think being food forward is one of the ways that you can try to stave that off.” 

BP’s Epic Goods private-label platform is central to this strategy, focusing on high-quality, differentiated products that meet unmet needs, such as banana split lattes and chocolate-covered gummy bears.

Functional Nutrition and the Pizza Crown Jewel

Casey’s is also doubling down on its food identity, currently standing as the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country. Lee Wilburn, Senior Director of Packaged Beverages at Casey’s, told attendees that guest counts and door swings are the primary priorities driving the company’s strategy.

The retailer is increasingly focused on functional nutrition, looking for products that offer more than just calories. “In our beverage assortment, some new items, whether it’s functional teas and prebiotics, rapid hydration and protein, will enter our beverage sets in 2026,” Wilburn said.

To manage its rapid scaling, Casey’s uses a direct distribution model to “control its own destiny,” ensuring that innovative brands have a direct line to the shelf, and its annual Innovation Summits, conducted in partnership with RangeMe, help discover these new brand superstars.

The Innovation Pipeline at 7-Eleven

At 7-Eleven, the focus is on discovering the next big brand through its 7-Ventures and Brands with Heart programs. Matt Bunevich, Manager of 7-Ventures & Business Development, explained that his group is empowered to bring emerging brands to the national stage.

Bunevich warned that while 7-Eleven offers massive scale, brands must be ready for the complexities of a franchise-heavy system. “I want to hear the story and how you’re connecting with people, he said. “You have to drive traffic, but you also have to be marketable to our core consumer. That overlap is where we’re living right now. It will shift slowly towards the new consumer, but right now, if you’re not marketing to our core consumers, you’re going to leave something on the table.”

7-Eleven is also regionalizing its approach, drawing 826 different planograms for the cold vault alone this year to meet the specific traffic patterns of its 12,000-plus locations.

Retail Media: The Last Great Channel

Brian Owens, a consultant with Retail Cities, highlighted the massive untapped potential of retail media in the convenience channel. With 165 million daily transactions, convenience stores offer four times the brand recall of other retail environments.

Owens urged brands to shift their mindset, noting that “the store itself becomes the last great media channel” as AI-driven shopping agents begin to erode digital funnels. He recommended that challenger brands focus on regional players first to build a case study before scaling to national giants.

“The convenience channel gets four times the brand recall than other places do,” he said. “So if you’re trying to brand your product, I look at Celsius as a really good example of that in the convenience channel.”