In recent years, the convenience store industry has experienced fluctuations in size, with the number of locations hovering around 150,000. Despite being one of the largest retail channels in the United States, the industry is still working to fully embrace and utilize technology in its operations. Convenience stores sell a majority of transportation fuel and nicotine products, as well as a large portion of fast food, beer, and packaged beverages. This translates to servicing over 160 million consumers daily at roughly 152,000 locations across the U.S.
At the beginning of the 2024 Conexxus Annual Conference in Arlington on April 29, Executive Director Gray Taylor highlighted the fragmented nature of the convenience store industry. Despite its size and influence, the industry is considered small in comparison to other retail sectors, making it vulnerable to larger competitors. Taylor emphasized the need for resilience and unity in the industry, in order to assert its collective power and importance in the market. The goal is to show that despite being small individually, together convenience stores are a force to be reckoned with in the retail landscape.