Posts by theo@aacs.org.au

Deliverect’s Digital Ordering Club convened in Barcelona from 21 to 23 September, and the format lived up to its billing. This is much more than a conference, it is a powerful user event and networking opportunity with cutting edge product reveals and closed-door discussion among senior operators. Insight Research & Global Convenience CEO Dan Munford was in the room to track how the conversation lines up with our own view of the merging of convenience and foodservice. Setting the scale The headline numbers, delivered by Deliverect co-founder and CEO Zhong Xu, set the scale of what’s happening in digital ordering. Deliverect now has 110,000 committed locations, signed and rolling out, as of September 2026, and has processed 1.6 billion orders in total: it took the company seven years to reach its first billion, with a further 600 million added in just the last twelve months, while the broader hospitality market…

Aral runs around 2,400 sites in Germany, making it the country’s largest forecourt brand, and around 100 of those are Autohöfe. In June, Aral Autohof Northeim reopened as the pilot for the company’s new truck stop concept, with 20 hot meals served on proper crockery, a trucker lounge, showers, laundry and AI-supported barrier-free parking with vouchers redeemable in store. By its second month the site was running 7% ahead of comparable Autohöfe on shop sales. With Northeim entered into Best Foodvenience Store in the World 2026, Global Convenience spoke to Oliver Munnes, Head of Aral Fuel Sales, about the business case for long-dwell sites, the balance between HVO and megawatt charging, the REWE To Go partnership, and what the rest of the network can take from the pilot. Aral and the German market Oliver Munnes Aral operates around 2,400 sites in Germany and is the country’s largest forecourt brand. From…

7-Eleven has officially opened a new store in Oakleigh, Melbourne, returning to the suburb where the convenience retailer first established its Australian presence in 1977. The opening marks a significant milestone for the business as it approaches 50 years of operations in Australia, with the new store bringing 7-Eleven’s evolving convenience offering back to the community where it all began. 7-Eleven Australia CEO Fiona Hayes and Chief Retail Officer Marc Costabile were joined by City of Monash Mayor Stuart James, Steve Dimopoulos MP, Sheena Watt MP, business partners, customers and team members for the official opening. The event celebrated the retailer’s history, featuring photographs from the original Oakleigh store opening in 1977 and a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Hayes said the occasion provided an opportunity to reflect on the company’s beginnings while looking towards its future. “Oakleigh holds a special place in our history and it’s wonderful to be back in…

Under new powers, the VIPER Taskforce and Tobacco Licensing Victoria (TLV) have closed 61 stores linked to organised crime caught selling illicit tobacco in just four weeks. The new enforcement powers came into effect on 9 September under the Tobacco Act 1987 and allow TLV and Victoria Police to issue 90-day closure notices to any store found to be selling illicit tobacco. Since that date, the two agencies have closed 61 stores linked to organised crime and seized over two million illicit cigarettes, over 40,000 vapes, over 120kg of loose tobacco and over $500,000 cash. The operation is statewide, with VIPER and TLV having visited stores in Deer Park, Geelong, South Geelong, Corio, Thomson, Werribee, Colac, Forrest, Footscray and Lalor so far. The deployments will continue across the state in the coming weeks. The VIPER Taskforce is specifically targeting illicit tobacco stores linked to organised crime, including syndicates with offshore…

The surge in interest in electric cars continues, with EVs grabbing a 24.2 per cent share of the Australian new car market in September, just short of August’s record of 24.8 per cent, but the second consecutive month when EVs accounted for nearly one in four new car sales. Data released on Tuesday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show the overall new car market is growing – albeit at less than one per cent up from the previous year, but the big surge is in electric cars which outsold petrol cars for the second month in a row. FCAI acting chief executive Dianne O’Hara said in a statement the result showed that the shift towards electrified vehicles was being sustained. So far in 2026, full battery electric vehicles represent 18.9 per cent of the entire market, compared with 8.1 per cent at the same time in 2025. The…

We’re pleased to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Foton Mobility Distribution (FMD) to explore e-mobility charging solutions for electric commercial vehicles. Heavy transport presents different challenges to passenger EV charging, from higher energy demands and longer dwell times to route planning across long-haul corridors. Together, we’ll explore how AmpCharge’s public network, commercial charging hubs and private depot solutions can support the transition to electric transport, including compatibility testing between FMD trucks and AmpCharge chargers.