The Next Gen C Store Is a Kitchen, a Media Network, and an Energy Hub, What That Means for Store Design

Walk into a great convenience store in 2025 and you can feel the shift immediately. It is not just a quick stop for fuel and a drink. It is a real food destination, a place where digital screens shape what shoppers notice and buy, and increasingly, a site that supports EV charging and longer dwell time.

That evolution changes one thing more than anything else: the physical environment has to do more work. Layout, fixtures, foodservice zones, signage, and workflow now determine whether these trends turn into higher basket size and repeat visits, or into operational pain.

Here is how to translate the biggest convenience store trends into practical store design decisions, with specific execution moves you can apply in existing footprints and new builds.

1) Kitchen first thinking, because foodservice is the main destination

Foodservice is not “something extra” anymore. Many leading operators are competing directly with QSR on speed, consistency, and perceived freshness. That creates a design challenge: you need to deliver real food while keeping convenience store throughput.

What changes in the store

• Foodservice moves from the back corner to a primary destination zone.

• Ready to eat and made to order require separate flows, separate holding logic, and separate merchandising.

• Customers want confidence, and confidence is visual. If the store looks clean and organized, food feels fresher.

Execution moves that matter

1. Build two clear food zones, hot and cold, with a simple path between them.
   Hot and cold zones should not compete for the same customer space. Shoppers should be able to browse quickly, decide quickly, and move on without backtracking.

2. Design for attachment, not just the entree.
   If pizza, chicken, or sandwiches are the draw, the profit is often in sides and beverages. Place high velocity add ons where the hand naturally goes next. Think chips, dips, desserts, and chilled beverages within one or two steps of the food decision.

3. Make clean visible, and make cleaning easy.
   Materials, surfaces, and access points should support fast wipe downs and quick resets. A store that stays clean during the rush hour feels safer, and that feeling drives food conversion.

A practical rule
If foodservice is a destination, then the food zone must be designed like a retail department, not like an afterthought.

2) The store is now a media network, retail media changes sightlines and flow

Retail media is growing, and in store digital screens are becoming part of the shopping experience. That is a revenue opportunity, but only if the store layout supports it. Poor placement creates clutter and cognitive overload. Great placement increases discovery and drives impulse without slowing traffic.

What changes in the store

• Screens compete with physical signage, product packaging, and human attention.

• Campaigns rotate, which means modular signage and consistent mounting matters more than custom one offs.

• The “path to purchase” becomes measurable, so fixture placement is no longer just aesthetics.

Execution moves that matter

1. Place screens where shoppers naturally pause, not where they rush.
   High value screen locations are typically the queue, the beverage wall, and the foodservice decision point. Avoid placing screens in purely transitional corridors.

2. Design fixtures and merchandising to support changing content.
   If digital screens promote limited time offers, the promoted product must be easy to locate immediately. That usually means an endcap, a nearby merchandiser, or a clearly labeled shelf zone aligned with the screen content.

3. Treat sightlines like a system.
   Too many visual messages reduce impact. Decide what the store wants to say in each zone, then make sure fixtures, signage, and screens are telling the same story.

A practical rule
Retail media works best when the physical environment makes the promoted product feel inevitable to purchase.

3) EV charging turns dwell time into a merchandising advantage

As more sites add EV charging, the shopper relationship changes. Charging can turn a five minute stop into a fifteen to forty minute visit. That is either a missed opportunity or an entirely new kind of revenue. The difference is how you design the store experience around dwell time.

What changes in the store

• People staying longer want comfort, clarity, and reasons to browse.

• Food and beverage attachment rates can rise if the shopper journey is frictionless.

• The store has to serve two modes, fast in and out shoppers and dwell time shoppers.

Execution moves that matter

1. Create a “dwell zone” offer strategy.
   Even small stores can do this. The goal is to give EV customers a clear reason to come inside, with obvious solutions for hungry, thirsty, or need a break moments. That can be a tight food bundle and a strong beverage wall experience.

2. Use modular merchandising near the most likely entry points.
   EV customers often enter from different sides compared to fuel customers. Plan merchandising that can be moved or reoriented as traffic patterns become clearer over time.

3. Connect EV with loyalty, without making it complicated.
   The physical touchpoints should support the loyalty story. Simple prompts at entry, at the beverage set, and at checkout outperform complex sign clutter.

A practical rule
If EV increases dwell time, then design must increase discovery, and discovery must feel effortless.

4) Cleanliness is not a nice to have, it is a food trust signal

Shoppers make quick judgments about food quality based on store conditions. If the store feels messy, food feels risky. If the store feels maintained, food feels fresh. That means cleanliness is not only operations, it is merchandising.

What changes in the store

• The more foodservice you sell, the more cleanliness affects sales.

• Cluttered checkout zones reduce perceived quality and slow throughput.

• Maintenance access and serviceability should be considered during design, not after.

Execution moves that matter

1. Design for fast resets.
   Choose fixtures and surfaces that support quick restocking, easy wipe downs, and low friction maintenance.

2. Reduce “visual mess” at checkout.
   Checkout should feel organized and intentional. That increases confidence and can increase add on purchases.

3. Place waste and cleaning infrastructure where it prevents problems.
   If trash and wipe access is inconvenient, it does not happen in the moment. Convenience wins, so design for convenience.

A practical rule
If the store sells food, then cleanliness is part of the product.

5) Loyalty and personalization work best when the store supports the behavior

Personalized offers and app driven loyalty can drive frequency, but only if the store experience matches the promise. The store needs to make it easy to redeem, easy to find, and easy to repeat.

Execution moves that matter

• Ensure promoted items are consistently located in intuitive zones.

• Use simple category cues, not walls of copy.

• Train the store flow so redemption does not slow the line.

A practical rule
Loyalty is not only digital, it is physical, because the customer experience happens inside the four walls.

A 30 day store upgrade plan, practical and measurable

This is a realistic way to act without overhauling everything.

Week 1, map the journey

• Note where shoppers pause, where they hesitate, and where bottlenecks form.

• Identify the top three friction points in foodservice flow, beverage flow, and checkout.

Week 2, pick three high leverage physical changes

• One change in foodservice merchandising or hot and cold zoning

• One change that improves screen alignment, signage clarity, or promotional visibility

• One change that improves cleanliness sustainment, such as surfaces, access, or clutter reduction

Week 3, build one attachment bundle

• Choose one hero food item and pair it with one beverage and one side.

• Merchandize it so a shopper can complete the bundle without asking for help.

Week 4, measure and iterate

• Watch throughput at peak times

• Track basket mix changes

• Adjust placement and messaging based on what shoppers actually do

FAQ 's

1. What are the biggest convenience store trends in 2025?
The biggest trends are foodservice growth that competes with QSR, in store retail media networks using digital screens, and EV charging that increases dwell time and changes merchandising opportunities.

2. How should convenience store layout change to support foodservice?
Foodservice should be treated like a primary retail department with clear hot and cold zones, fast customer flow, and merchandising that supports sides and beverage attachment without creating congestion.

3. Where should digital screens be placed in a convenience store?
Screens perform best where shoppers naturally pause, such as the queue, beverage wall, and food decision points. Screen content should align with nearby product placement so the promoted item is easy to find.

4. How does EV charging affect convenience store merchandising?
EV charging increases dwell time, which raises the value of discovery and attachment. Stores can win by creating simple dwell zone offers and modular merchandising that matches new entry patterns.

5. Why does cleanliness impact food sales in convenience stores?
Customers often use store cleanliness as a signal of food freshness and safety. A clean, well organized environment improves trust and can increase food conversion.

6. What is the fastest way to improve basket size in a c store?
Start with one high velocity food item and create a clear attachment bundle, food plus beverage plus side, then merchandize it so the shopper can complete the bundle in a few steps.

Closing, a partnership first way to move forward

If you are planning a remodel, a new build, or a targeted upgrade tied to foodservice growth, retail media placement, or EV driven dwell time, the fastest wins usually come from aligning the physical environment with the customer journey. The goal is not more signage or more stuff. The goal is a smarter flow that makes purchasing feel easy.

FOODPROS supports operators by helping translate strategy into the real world details, fixtures, merchandising, graphics, and equipment decisions that fit your footprint and your operational reality.