NACS Video: Convenience Stores Look to NOSH With Companies Big and Small

It’s not easy being artificial in convenience stores anymore.

That was the message that a quick spin around the recently-concluded annual Expo presented by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) in Las Vegas.

Inspired by the growth of entrepreneurial, healthy brands in other channels, sellers of all kinds pointed out their healthy, organic, and sustainable bona fides, with everything from protein-heavy snack bars to frozen organic pizzas testing the willingness of gas stations and their ilk to provide shelf space.

This video survey shows some of the brands and trends influencing convenience store retailing, and looks to John Mackey, the co-CEO of Whole Foods for an indication of where the future of the channel might lie.

As convenience gets bigger and the footprints of Whole Foods gets smaller via its 365 stores, who knows which will come first: filling your tank at a your natural foods market, or grabbing a chia bar at the local 7-Eleven?