Podcast: The evolution of convenience with Henry Armour
Few people have watched convenience retail evolve from as many angles as Henry Armour. In this episode, recorded at UNITI expo 2026 in Stuttgart, he looks at the transitions reshaping the industry globally, and what to expect from NACS European Convenience Summit in Warsaw.
In this episode recorded at UNITI expo 2026 in Stuttgart, we speak with Henry Armour, Chairman Emeritus and Head of International at NACS, about the major transitions reshaping convenience retail globally. Drawing on nearly 20 years as NACS President and CEO and decades of visiting operators across the US, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, Henry offers a panoramic view of an industry in the middle of multiple simultaneous shifts: from fuel to convenience, from convenience to food, and from c-store to full restaurant competitor.
We also look ahead to the NACS European Convenience Summit in Warsaw, where Henry promises a showcase of some of the most forward-thinking retail formats in Europe today — from Żabka's rapid expansion to unmanned Nano stores, a hot dog-making robot, and a Shell Cafe concept that transforms from coffee shop to cocktail lounge after dark.
Henry Armour
Armour is Chairman Emeritus and Head of International at NACS, the global association for the convenience and fuel retail industry. He served as President and CEO of NACS for nearly 20 years, during which the organization expanded its global footprint significantly, establishing summits across the world. A former convenience store operator himself, Armour brings a rare combination of hands-on retail experience and decades of high-level industry leadership.
"The leading players around the world are moving from convenience to really being a restaurant — and the competition there is not convenience retailers, the competition there is QSRs.”
“If you look at China, the transformation is breathtaking. Family Mart China is doing all sorts of super interesting things. In China they innovate first and then they regulate. That's exactly why this innovation could come so quickly."
