LAS VEGAS -- Despite, or perhaps because of the lingering economic recession, senior executives of several of the c-store industry's most prominent publicly traded companies talked Tuesday about further consolidation, the continued decline of cigarettes as profit generator, the rise of foodservice and the state of the convenience channel. Representing parts of what could be a c-store all-star team, the officials headlined the first-annual Morgan Keegan 2009 Convenience Store & Distributor Conference.

LAS VEGAS -- NACS and the retail community in general gained an unexpected ally this week in its fight against unfair credit-card interchange fees: Anheuser-Busch. While noting that the beer company typically stays out of the political and legal matters facing wholesalers and retailers, Joe Vonder Haar, vice president of the convenience channel for A-B, said this is an issue that has been around too long to ignore.

LAS VEGAS -- Calling for a "grassroots fire" involving petitions in every c-store in the country, NACS president and CEO Hank Armour unveiled a major initiative, an advocacy campaign that he said will integrate industry and consumer frustration over outrageous credit-card interchange fees with congressional action, during the opening general session at the 2009 NACS Show yesterday.