A look at the key factors that could affect gas prices over the summer-drive season and the second half of the year—and how prices affect consumer behavior both at the pump and inside the store. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard Jeff oversees internal and external communications at NACS. He has conducted over 6,000 interviews with reporters, mostly about fuels-related issues.
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21:45
Big Ideas in Convenience Retail From Europe - Episode 498
Store tours and discussions during the 2025 NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Copenhagen revealed opportunities for retailers to consider, no matter where they do business. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Mark Wohltmann, Director, NACS Global Mark is responsible for the strategic development of NACS Global, a worldwide network that supports convenience retailers and their businesses. He has more than 20 years of experience in research and consulting, with a focus on FMCG/CPG and retail. Mark began his career in the advertising industry, focusing on trade marketing and sales advertising in impulse retail channels at Dorland in Berlin and at Grey and BBDO in Duesseldorf.
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27:59
The Latest on Credit Card Swipe Fee Reform - Episode 497
Credit card swipe fees are a huge pain point for retailers and the customers they serve. Hear how the Credit Card Competition Act can bring competition to a broken system. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel Doug has served as legal counsel for NACS for more than 20 years, originally as a partner with the law firms Collier Shannon Scott PLLC and Steptoe & Johnson LLP. He has been NACS in-house counsel since 2021. Doug also served as special counsel and deputy chief of staff in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Anna Ready Blom, NACS Strategic Advisor, Government Relations Anna serves as a policy advisor to the NACS government relations team. During her 10-plus years at NACS, she led numerous advocacy campaigns and has been recognized as one of “The Hill’s Top Lobbyists” for three years in a row. Anna previously worked on Capitol Hill for members of Congress from her home state of South Carolina.
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29:54
The Snacks Customers Crave - Episode 496
Consumer preferences are constantly changing. Hear insights from a snacker panel on what your customers want now and where snacking is heading. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Rachel Krupa, Founder, The Goods Mart and Krupa Consulting In 2018, Rachel founded the highly curated better-for-you, socially conscious convenience store concept, The Goods Mart, based in New York City. She also is the founder of Krupa Consulting, a public relations and brand-building agency. Dana Kim, Founder and CEO, Highlight Dana founded Highlight, the first and still only end-to-end agile product testing platform, that enables the efficient collection of scaled product performance data. It is a top SAAS platform in the product testing space.
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How Eliminating the Penny in 2026 Affects Retailers - Episode 495
The U.S. Treasury will officially stop making pennies and phase out the one-cent coin from circulation. Here are four things retailers need to know, recapped from a February 2025 podcast. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard
Whether it’s for food, fuel, drinks or snacks — about half of the U.S. population is at a convenience store every day. We sell 80% of the country’s fuel and we are 4% of the total U.S. economy. We’ll talk about what we see at stores — and what the future may hold — as long as it’s convenient.
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