ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Convenience stores are well-positioned to compete with grocery stores, delivery services and restaurants with respect to foodservice and fresh and healthy items, according to retail expert Phil Lempert, otherwise known as “the Supermarket Guru.”

In this week’s Convenience Matters podcast episode, “Talking Show with the Supermarket Guru,” cohosts Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives, and Carolyn Schnare, NACS director of strategic initiatives, talk with Lempert, who serves as editor of SupermarketGuru.com and cohost of his own podcast, “Lost In The Supermarket.”

Lempert suggests that meal kit and foodservice delivery services are popular trends now, but that it will be difficult to maintain the momentum because these services might ultimately be price prohibitive on a long-term basis.

“Unlike restaurants or delivery companies, convenience stores specialize in two things: Options, such as healthy yogurt in the morning and end-of-day beer in the evening; and time—giving the gift of precious time to get almost whatever you want when you want it. Phil gave a great overview of how trends line up with each channel’s unique qualities,” Schnare said.

A new Convenience Matters podcast will be released every week, focusing on topics related to convenience stores. Episodes of Convenience Matters can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and at convenience-matters.com. The show has been downloaded in more than 70 countries, and total downloads per week have doubled over the past year.