We take a look at some of the up and coming trends across convenience retailing, both here and across the world.
The news is full of stories about AI becoming too smart and the need to rein it in. And we’ve all seen the movies where the robots take over. In Germany, the robots are not taking over but they are helping serve up food to go.
REWE, one of the largest grocery retailers in Germany, is using Circus Group’s CA-1 cooking system to run its Fresh & Smart food concept in store.
Circus Group believes this is the future of food to go. A spokesperson told Forecourt Trrader: “Retailers want a food-to-go offer that feels like their own and we give them the technology to run it without a kitchen team.”
They say the theatre part – watching robot arms make your dinner – is a vital part of the concept. “Customers watch the meal being cooked fresh in front of them, which turns a grab-and-go shelf into a destination. For the retailer it is a way into in-store foodservice without the cost and staffing headache of a conventional kitchen. It lifts revenue per square metre, brings people back more often and does something for the brand at the point of sale. Food waste also drops sharply, because the system portions on demand from AI-based forecasting rather than pre-cooking.”
REWE has had the robot cooking in stores since late last year and beyond retail, Circus Group’s systems are operating across several countries with customers including those in the defence sector.
The company is certain the system could work in the UK: “The system is designed to be market agnostic: menus, ingredients and branding are set by the operator, so a UK forecourt or convenience format would run its own offer on the same technology. Forecourts are a natural fit, limited space, no kitchen and customers who want a proper hot meal rather than a sandwich. We are in conversations with our global customers and the UK is very much on our map.”
Domino’s pizza – from a machine
Sticking with food to go and we turn to Domino’s Pizza, which dominates the world pizza market with global retail sales of over $20.6bn a year (year-ended June 14, 2026). This means all eyes are on the company whenever it makes a new move. And one of its latest moves has been in Spain with the launch of the Horno 24/7 vending-style oven format, which has been installed at two petrol stations in the Madrid region.
Obviously pizza vending machines are not new but when a behemoth like Domino’s does them, it’s worth taking note. The company has a stellar reputation for pizzas and charges a lot for them, so we should expect the vending machines to be good.
The machines are in units at a Moeve site in the Carabanchel district and at a Ballenoil station along the M-515 motorway near Pozuelo.
Four core menu items (Four Cheese, Meat Feast, Ham and Cheese, and Barbecue) are baked fresh at the moment of purchase, served up to customers in under three minutes. Sounds great…can we have them here?
Delivery to your car
A survey by global tech firm Vontier of more than 600 US drivers has found that nearly half (47%) of respondents want to be able to purchase snacks, beverages and everyday essentials directly at the fuel pump or EV charger.
Vontier says this service marks the rise of what it calls the ‘Amazon‑ification’ of the forecourt, where every pump is expected to behave like a drive‑thru without the lane, the window or the wait.
We all know that what happens first in the US usually comes here, however Top 50 Indie Park Garage Group (PGG) is already offering this service.
Following the initial launch of its click-and-collect service at its EV hubs, PGG has further partnered with Madic UK, to soft launch an innovative collection-and-delivery service – from the EV charging area of the forecourt. Two outdoor ordering kiosks by the chargers allow drivers to choose Bakery 79 goods to be delivered to their car or collected from the store.
PGG director Manoj Tandon says: “We’re excited to offer this next level of customer service. It’s particularly great for people with kids in the car or those with mobility issues. They don’t have to come in-store to take advantage of our offering. They can also collect loyalty points via our Bakery 79 app. We’re proud of delivering this innovation. Our partnerships with tech companies Madic, Altaine and Ubacart have made it possible.”
Faster food
Everyone’s got used to having things delivered direct to their door but things are ramping up with the rise in popularity of rapid delivery solutions which deliver in minutes rather than hours.
Tesco Whoosh is going full speed ahead, with sales up 51% to over £400m (preliminary results 2025/6), with growth in both basket size and new customers. And Booker’s Scoot rapid delivery service is doing well with over 300 retailers now offering it.
There’s definitely demand but sometimes that demand can seem a bit ridiculous. We can all be lazy but ordering something to be delivered from your petrol station convenience store when you live just a few doors away is probably the height of sloth-like behaviour.
But that’s what happened to Goran Raven who owns Ravens of Abridge in Essex. He was the first retailer to trial Scoot and it’s going well. Regarding the next-door delivery he says: “People are intrinsically lazy but with that order it would have been quicker if I walked it to the customer rather than get in our van.”
Raven says having your own van is key to success with rapid deliveries. “Having our van plus a fair size team is how we make it work. If the stars align, we can accept the order in 60 seconds, take two to three minutes to pack it and deliver it within 10 minutes.”
To ensure speedy delivery, the store only delivers as far out as 3.5 miles. “We’ve tried to make rapid delivery our point of difference. We charge people the standard shop price for products and add a delivery fee of £1.99. Obviously the size of the order matters, if it’s an enormous order it will slow things down but if it’s a four-pack of beer and some crisps then we can do it quickly.
“The weird thing is that I have spent years trying to make ours a destination business but now I am encouraging people to stay at home. But some people will always prefer to come into the shop.”
Smarter solutions
The use of smart cabinets in stores, to house high-value items, is increasing with Waitrose the latest retailer to announce that it will be using them for Champagne and premium spirits.
Typically shoppers have to pre-authorise their debit or credit card at the unit, open the cabinet door and select their items. Things like CCTV, weighted shelves and the pre-authorisation of a card help ensure that people only take what they are paying for.
Madic UK is hoping to bring this AI tech to the UK with help from Reckon.ai in Europe. Adrian Felton, managing director at Madic UK, says the units are really taking off in mainland Europe: “They are great for unattended sites, out-of-hours selling or protecting high-value items from theft; as the user taps their card to preauthorise their purchase. We are looking to offer them to the UK market – allowing retailers to capitalise on this Ai innovation.”
What’s big in Japan?
Finally we head East to see what’s happening there.
Some forecourt stores here in the UK – and convenience stores – might sell gloves and thermal socks in the winter, but I doubt there are any that are known for their clothing.
However in Japan, convenience store clothing is a big thing.
In 2021, c-store chain FamilyMart hired a Tokyo-based fashion designer to develop a clothing range called Convenience Wear. The gamble paid off and the rest, as they say, is history.
Socks were created with stripes in the company’s brand colours – and they were a massive hit. Today whenever new lines are launched, it makes the headlines. And other Japanese chains such as Lawson and 7-Eleven have followed suit.
Meanwhile, in a bid to attract younger customers, Seven-Eleven Japan Co has introduced areas in-store where customers can touch up their makeup. The spaces have illuminated mirrors and people can rent hair straighteners too. These are in convenience stores rather than petrol forecourts but if you trade in an area with a busy nightlife it might be worth considering. Obviously many of you already offer toilet facilities but could this be an add-on?
Another draw for customers in Japan are claw game machines. You see this type of thing at motorway services here but not generally in convenience stores. As of June this year, c-store chain Lawson Inc had claw crane game machines in more than 1,300 outlets and reported that they were good at drawing customers in. Plush toys are offered as prizes, including toy versions of Lawson Inc’s Kara-age Kun fried chicken.
It’s all rather interesting. Perhaps PGG will start selling more Bakery 79 merch!
