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From capitalizing on emerging opportunities to accommodating queuing systems and adjusting to category upheaval, making every square foot count is more important than ever To say that this year has been challenging would be an understatement.

As frictionless experiences become the new norm, 7-Eleven is embracing the trend - the company’s proprietary 7NOWdelivery app is now giving U.S. customers the option to order and pay for items ahead of time, thereby minimizing time spent in stores.

Operator Harsha Nimrani is making a strong play with the opening of her latest business in London, Ont.

Devin Mahaffey, president of the CTM Design, has seen a lot of changes first hand in the c-store space.

  Look, no hands: Convenience shoppers prefer to tap and pay Cash is no longer king, having been dethroned by shoppers opting for contactless payments at the c-store level.  Fittingly, a primary driver is overall convenience, as shoppers seek quick and easy ways to pay, whether in store or at the pump, according to Convenience Store News Canada’s proprietary research report C-store IQ: A National Shopper Study.  C-Store IQ is the first convenience and gas specific study that delves into the wants, needs, perspectives and habits of Canadian consumers.  Of course, these days contactless isn’t just the word for tapping to pay with a credit card, debit card or mobile app—it’s a strategy to help combat the spread of COVID-19.  According to C-store IQ research, the definition of convenience, for most shoppers, is an experience that ultimately saves them time and effort: 41% of those surveyed said it purely comes down to having a “convenient” experience and 34% define this as a “quick stop/in and out.”  This need for speed extends to the checkout experience, where tap and pay rules.

As the coronavirus reaffirms the value of convenience stores to communities across the country, those same stores are grappling with an unprecedented upheaval to one of their core channels business: plain packaging.

Six months ago, who would have predicted that a virus would sweep the globe, forcing the closure of schools, restaurants and workplaces across Canada for months?

On Monday, Loto-Québec reopened its sales terminals and resumed lottery ticket sales at c-stores across Québec.