The Small Operators Vision Group (SOVG) has released its inaugural Vision Report, “Vision Check: How Small Operators Are Seeing the Road Ahead,” examining the economic pressures facing convenience retailers with 15 stores and fewer, who identified loyalty programs, direct sourcing, and foodservice as the clearest paths forward.

The inaugural SOVG virtual meeting, held on May 21, 2026, was facilitated by Roy Strasburger, CEO of StrasGlobal, president of Compliance Safe, and Vision Group Network co-founder, and featured a presentation by Tom Weinandy, Ph.D., principal research economist at Upside, followed by an insightful discussion with SOVG members.

Key takeaways in the report include:

  • The Fragile Resilience of Today’s Consumer: Foot traffic gains are masking a more troubling reality, as consumers are making more frequent trips but buying fewer fuel gallons and fewer items per visit, with actual volume running below prior-year levels. “There was a time I remember when just about everything in the store was guaranteed and now it’s like almost nothing is guaranteed anymore. And that’s just one example of a cost shift that has been occurring across our industry especially since the start of COVID. So how do we make up for that because it just keeps adding up,” shared Steve Kimmes, Owner, County Stores of Iowa.
  • Higher-Income Spending Masks a Deeper Fragility: A K-shaped economy has split the convenience retail customer base, with higher-income shoppers spending freely while lower-income households cut back on fuel, food, and in-store purchases. “It’s how steep that K-shaped economy is turning out to be right now. There are people who have a ton of disposable income and they have one reality. But a lot of our customers are definitely going through a lot of changes and having to rationalize and justify things or make sacrifices to afford one thing versus the other,” said Lonnie McQuirter, director of operations, 36 Lyn Refuel Station.
  • Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness With Food and Products: Small operators who go direct-to-vendor or build relationships with smaller delivery partners are getting trending products to shelves faster and at lower cost than traditional broadline distribution allows. “It would be great if the voice of the SOVG could help influence the way things have been done for years with the big boys, i.e. Frito-Lay, Dr. Pepper, Coke. And what they do today is they treat their business model like they treated it ten  and twenty years ago for small operators and they’ll bend over backwards for the large chains and give them just about anything. But for the small operators, it’s take it or leave it,” said Steve McKinley, CEO/Founder, Urban Value Corner Store.
  • A Significant Opportunity for Loyalty Programs: With 86% of shoppers saying loyalty programs matter but only 38% to 49% of convenience and fuel shoppers regularly using one, the gap represents one of the most actionable competitive opportunities available to small operators today. “For whatever reason, either they’re not being offered [sufficient incentives to use the program] or there’s enough friction to using that loyalty program [to inhibit use]. Whether it’s a difficult sign up or a consumer not wanting to have 20 apps on their phone,” Weinandy said the gap is a significant opportunity that operators should focus on,” said Thomas Weinandy, Principal Research Economist, Upside.

This new online Vision Report format includes the must-read SOVG Views summary, easily digestible Key Takeaways, and Tom Weinandy’s presentation video and slides.

To download this and other Vision Group Network Vision Reports, please CLICK HERE.