NACS Daily published more than 1,500 stories in 2023, covering everything from industry trends, new store openings and store concepts, mergers and acquisitions and breaking news.
Here’s a look at the top five most-viewed stories of the year.
1. A Wawa Plot Twist
Following a remodel, Wawa reopened a Philadelphia store with a major plot twist: no shelves. The location only accepts mobile and kiosk ordering. Customers are able to order from Wawa’s regular foodservice offerings as well as request items from store inventory, which an employee will retrieve from the back.
2. Maverik Voted the No. 1 C-Store Chain for Food
Foodservice is the top sales and profit driver in convenience stores. USA Today explored why: People love the food, noting that “Gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops are more than just a place to grab a quick bite when you’re on the go.” Readers of USA Today voted Maverik as the top convenience store for food, with QuickChek and Kwik Trip closed behind in the news source’s top 10.
3. Why America’s EV Chargers Keep Breaking
In a long feature story, Politico asks readers to “Imagine living in a world where the gas station has trouble providing gasoline.” That’s somewhat the scenario facing EV charging, especially when chargers are broken, and is a reason many drivers feel it’s still a risk to buy EVs. One of the reasons fast-chargers keep breaking is because of the complex technology.
4. Menthol Ban Is Delayed
Following lobbying from critics, the Biden Administration will delay its ban on menthol cigarettes until March. The Administration initially planned to finalize the rule in August 2023. Officials noted that the agenda is not binding, and the White House could elect to finalize the ban prior to March.
5. C-Store Disco Bathroom Goes Viral
Hop Shops convenience stores found success on Tik Tok for its unique bathroom. The frog-themed c-store offers what it calls a “disco bathroom” in its Verona, Kentucky location. TikTok user @sydgnome noted in their video that it was “probably the coolest bathroom I’ve ever been in,” and the video has over two million likes, 9,000 comments and nearly 185,000 bookmarks.
Thank you for letting NACS Daily keep you up to date with the latest industry news, and see you in the new year!