The 6 Signals From NACS 2025 That Should Shape Your 2026 Store Roadmap
If NACS Show 2025 had a headline, it was this: convenience retail is shifting from product-first to experience-and-systems first. What showed up: AI use cases (shout out to Coca Cola’s Chatbot Gen Z), coffee program playbooks, retail media, security, and a sea of new protein/functional formats, points to a year where design, data, and disciplined execution will separate leaders from everyone else.
1) Coffee is a profit system - design it like one
Let’s talk about the coffee program development: quality, consistency and cues of freshness, supported by operational standards. For BDL Partners, that translates to sightlines to brewers, proximity to pastry/RTD adjacencies, and lighting/merchandising that signals “premium” without slowing speed to serve. Done right, the coffee zone becomes the daily habit that unlocks basket growth.
2) AI is moving from buzz to practical use cases
Multiple sessions and floor demos emphasized AI for loss prevention, inventory accuracy, demand sensing, and staff efficiency. The design implication: plan for hardware placement, camera/sensor coverage, and power/data pathways now - retrofits are costlier and visually messier later.
3) Crime & shrink mitigation is a design brief, not just an ops problem
Workshops spotlighted theft reporting, store safety, and inventory controls. Layout, lighting, counter positioning, and clear sightlines all reduce risk while protecting customer experience. Materials and fixture choices matter too - durable, easy-to-clean, tamper-resistant.
4) Retail media is coming to the c-store aisle - be ready
CSP’s editors flagged retail media momentum alongside nicotine pouches, protein, and other fast-moving categories. If brands will pay to be seen in your environment, your environment needs screen placement, power, dwell-time zones, and uncluttered lines of sight that actually deliver impressions (and conversion).
5) Food-forward keeps winning, but execution beats aspiration
Across the week, foodservice was a constant: flavor trends, menu expansion, equipment innovations. The winner’s playbook combines clear production flow, queue logic, hot/cold adjacency planning, and seating moments that feel intentional. The floor buzz captured it well: technology + health innovation + retail strategy all converging around a food-led experience.
6) Know your fast movers: protein, functional, and “new news” snack
Protein-forward items and functional formats had a major presence at this year's NACS. That means endcap storytelling, vertical blocking, and “grab path” merchandising at eye/hand level near coffee, coolers, and the last 10 feet. Tie this to inventory visibility so you never front an empty story.
What BDL Partners recommends (post-NACS action list)
Design coffee as a daily habit loop.
Anchor premium cues (materials, warm lighting), easy self-serve ergonomics, and immediate pastry/RTD adjacency. Measure attach rate weekly.
Blueprint for AI now.
Even if you’re piloting later, pre-wire and pre-plan device sightlines, cable runs, and secure equipment zones in 2026 remodels so you avoid disruptive rework.
Make safety visible (without feeling policed).
Open sightlines to counters, brighter entrances, and de-cluttered queues lower perceived risk and speed decision-making - both for customers and associates.
Create retail-media-ready touchpoints.
Reserve clean, high-dwell zones with power and mounting for screens; pair them with premium facings and simple offer logic so paid media equals paid off baskets.
Engineer food flow.
From order point to pickup, every step should shorten time and heighten trust. Back-of-house circulation and front-of-house visibility are design variables, not afterthoughts.
Merchandise the “now” categories.
Protein/functional needs clear blocking and cross-sell near coffee/energy and fresh. Use small format displays in the last 10 feet—curated, not cluttered.
Why this matters now
The channel’s near-term softness in core staples underscores the need to win on experience, systems, and higher-margin missions. What we saw and read from NACS confirms that 2026 growth will belong to retailers who integrate design + data + disciplined operations into one plan.
BDL Partners designs c-stores to sell more - by making coffee habit-forming, food frictionless, tech invisible, and the last 10 feet unmistakably clear. If you’re translating NACS inspiration into a 2026 prototype or remodel roadmap, we’d love to help you turn these signals into store-level ROI.