Dear NACS members in Europe, interested in Europe or working with Europe,
I hope you and those close to you are safe and well and that business keeps moving during these unprecedented times. We certainly all feel a stretch in our ways of working, our daily lives and even the simple things like shopping or communicating with family. Our industry is strong though and has proven multiple times that it knows how to navigate through the troubled waters of recessions, disasters and global crises—only to emerge stronger than before.
And to help with the information flow during travel-restricted times, let me say: Welcome to the first edition of our new member-exclusive quarterly newsletter: the NACS European Convenience Briefing.
The Convenience Briefing offers a global radar screen of the convenience industry, where NACS measures and monitors three areas globally:
- Strategic industry issues that keep us awake
- Current and future impacts of those issues on our industry
- Best practices from around the globe
Usually all this is available to you and your teams through personal presentations by our colleagues and regional representatives. Now, we are adding a new benefit: an e-newsletter that features the latest industry updates and market data from across Europe.
Each quarter, you will hear from our regional representatives based in Europe about what is happening in their part of the continent. They are deeply entrenched in the convenience industry and have a heightened awareness of the small and big changes taking place. Surely, we will get some very good insights on the state of the European convenience market right now. I look forward to it.
In addition, I am happy to announce a partnership with our Global Supplier Council member, Nielsen. For the first time ever, Nielsen is producing a cross-country European database with harmonized categories and comparable channels that fall under “convenience retail.” Some of that data will be available to NACS retailer and Global Supplier Council members in this newsletter as an exclusive member benefit. This data will give you critical directional insight into where the European convenience market is heading. You’ll also receive expert analysis and interpretation from Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at Nielsen UK. Mike will share the story behind the numbers—what they show (or hide).
Finally, the newsletter will spotlight an expert guest contributor each quarter, who will dive into a relevant strategic industry issue. Our first edition features John Eichberger, executive director of the Fuels Institute. John offers a glimpse into the future of transportation energy in a post-COVID world.
I hope to see you soon—perhaps in Las Vegas, Nevada, in October for the 2020 NACS Show.
All the best and stay safe,
Mark