VGN Deeper Dive

Lonnie McQuirter recounts a visit to Żabka Group's Warsaw headquarters, examining how the Polish convenience giant built retail media, app-based loyalty, and autonomous Nano stores into new growth engines. McQuirter draws transferable lessons for independent operators, from auditing fixed assets to finding the small, unglamorous gaps in a customer's day worth closing.

Explores how bidirectional EV batteries could solve the "duck curve," the gap between declining solar production and rising evening electricity demand. Drawing on a discussion with Jose Bueno-Torre of the Center for Community Energy, Strasburger examines electricity arbitrage opportunities for both EV owners and convenience retailers.

Small operators can ease into foodservice by borrowing ideas from outside their channel like studying grocery grab-and-go sets, partnering with food bank commissaries, reverse-engineering airline food suppliers, and collaborating with food truck entrepreneurs are low-capital, lower-risk paths to building a credible fresh food offer.

Small operators can ease into foodservice by borrowing ideas from outside their channel like studying grocery grab-and-go sets, partnering with food bank commissaries, reverse-engineering airline food suppliers, and collaborating with food truck entrepreneurs are low-capital, lower-risk paths to building a credible fresh food offer.

Cliff's Local Market builds community connections through local partnerships to differentiate foodservice offers.

NACS President and CEO Frank Gleeson shared his vision for U.S. convenience retail CLVG, addressing innovation in fresh foodservice, centralized production models, and the role of e-commerce and automated delivery in reshaping the competitive landscape over the next three to five years.

As established grocery retailers with fuel programs continue building on their infrastructure, new entrants are largely sitting out. Meanwhile, H-E-B is taking a different approach entirely, converting gas kiosks into convenience stores called Fresh Bites, offering snacks, essentials, and fresh prepared meals, recognizing that convenience is now a competitive priority its largest store formats simply cannot deliver on their own.

VGN Co-Founder Myra Kressner joined CTVG Facilitator Ed Collupy on the Behind the Counter podcast, recorded live at NRF, for a candid conversation about what is holding retailers back from meaningful technology progress. From the "messy middle" of system transitions to the human factors that make or break implementations, the discussion focused on what retailers need most: seamless integration, incremental strategy, and strong AI governance.

GLP-1 usage is reshaping the U.S. food market with current estimates suggesting 12% to 15% of Americans now use these medications. Recent policy changes beginning in April 2026, will significantly broaden accessibility. The launch of oral versions removes injection barriers, while expanded prescribing increases the user base. Convenience retailers must adapt merchandising strategies accordingly.