Education Session Preview: What Top Retailers Do Differently
Get a closer look at the NACS State of the Industry data that shows how the top quartile of retailers performs.
Sep 30, 2026 | 2 min read
Using insights from the NACS State of the Industry (SOI) Report®, the 2026 NACS Show Education Session "What Top Retailers Do Differently," taking place Wednesday, October 7 at 8:00 am, will take a deeper look at consumer spending patterns, operational variables, and what separates the top quartile from the bottom quartile within the data.
We talked to Jayme Gough, NACS director of research and development, about the session.
What insights can attendees gain from the SOI report and its data?
The SOI report provides a comprehensive industry overview—it helps retailers understand the big picture with data and analysis on economic, market and shopper dynamics, including comprehensive regional data and a deep dive into merchandise categories, with mainline and subcategory performance data across a broad spectrum, including motor fuels, grocery, tobacco, foodservice and more.
What can convenience retail companies learn from the top-performing operators? What is setting them apart?
Benchmarking against the top performers in the industry can help retailers see how their fuel and in-store strategies differ, and see where top companies are investing to generate the most return on investment. Top operators (those who generate the most store operating profit per store), typically operate large stores with robust foodservice programs. They invest heavily in foodservice equipment, employees, etc., but make large returns on that investment.
Strategies for top operators can vary: It's not all about foodservice. Sometimes top operators focus on fuel volume, sometimes it's other revenue streams like car wash.
What should attendees take away from this session?
Attendees should bring their own company financials and be prepared to compare how they fall into the decile rankings. Then, they should go back to their business with one idea for something to change to either control expenses, invest in a new program or diversify revenue to break into the next highest decile. You're not going to go from seventh decile to top decile in a year—it's about moving up one by one by making small tweaks over time.
You'll have the opportunity to connect with a NACS research expert after the session and get more involved.
