Inside the 2026 AACS Down Under Study Tour, South East Queensland
South East Queensland turned on its best spring weather last week for our AACS Down Under Study Tour, and across two days, 81 delegates worked their way through thirteen convenience stores from the inner north of Brisbane to the southern end of the Gold Coast.
The tour ran on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September, based out of The Alva Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Two coaches ran each day on different routes which allowed both groups time to speak with each of the retailers and explore the stores.
AACS CEO Theo Foukkare commented that “the retail visits showcased some of the latest innovations that are being implemented in Australian convenience retail today. Technology showcased included in store self checkout, various loyalty programs, customer led data segmentation strategies, point of sale operating systems, online ordering platforms & in store retail media networks to name a few. Foodvenience was on full display from full kitchens preparing food on site, to hot box activations serving the ready to go market, prepared meals, salads, sandwiches, hot savouries, sushi, pizza, burgers, health conscious ranges to localised community tailored meals.
Foodvenience is taking many different formats from QSR partnerships to private label food ranges to supporting well known brands – clearly different options are being developed to cater for the different customer needs. Store formats varied from full travel centre, highway, suburban to inner CBD locations – all designed to deliver on the customer missions at different day parts. Logistics solutions were also showcased highlighting the need for retailers to unlock supply chain capabilities to ensure that fresh options can be delivered to suit the retailers strategy. Th most impressive element of the visits were the people in store, knowledgeable, kind, friendly with a lot of smiles”.
On the first day, eight sites were visited with a deliberate spread of formats, from the inner north through the CBD and out to the Ipswich growth corridor.
• 7-Eleven Bowen Hills
• Caltex Wilston
• Ampol Hamilton
• EzyMart Brisbane
• Ampol Riverview
• OTR Swanbank
• 7-Eleven Collingwood Park
• NightOwl Karawatha
On the second day, five stores were visited running south down the M1, with a very different flavour.
• Caltex Chandler
• Metro Petroleum Ormeau Hills
• bp Coomera
• Zeneldin’s IGA Local Grocer Coomera
• The Fox’s Pantry, Tugun
The strength of the group was in its breadth. Retail was represented by 7-Eleven, Ampol, Bowser Bean, bp, Caltex, Viva Energy Australia, APCO, EzyMart, NightOwl, Metro Petroleum, AA Petroleum, United Convenience Buyers and Urbanista Cafe & Convenience. On the supply side the tour brought together Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, PepsiCo, Suntory Oceania, Red Bull, Mars Snacking, Nestle, Lactalis, Sanitarium, Patties Food Group, The Handmade Food Co, KG Foods, Imperial Brands, IPL Retail Group, Pacific Optics, Melitta Professional Coffee Solutions, Cossiga, Sodexo and The Lottery Corporation. Wholesale and distribution were well covered by Metcash, The Distributors, PFD Food Services and Lineage, with CMA, Consult Group, C&I Media and our colleagues from NZACS also along for the two days.
For all the value in the stores themselves, the feedback since has been near-unanimous on one point. The peer-to-peer networking was the standout. Two days in each other’s company gave retailers and suppliers the time and the setting for the kind of candid, practical conversation that simply does not happen on a conference floor. The decision to reshuffle the coaches across the two days meant most people finished the tour having spent real time with a different group of industry peers.
The social side worked just as hard. The meet and greet on the Tuesday evening got people talking before the tour had even started, and the tour dinner at the award winning Hellenika gave everyone the chance to compare notes on what they had seen that day.
Our sincere thanks to every retailer who opened their doors, to the store teams who fielded a very large number of questions, and to the delegates who made the two days what they were. Planning is already turning to where the Down Under Study Tour heads next.
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