About National Convenience Show
The National Convenience Show is a UK trade event for independent and symbol group convenience retailers, organised by William Reed at the NEC Birmingham. It is aimed at retailers who want to boost footfall, increase basket spend and strengthen their competitive position.
Exhibitors include food and drink brands, wholesalers, symbol groups, refrigeration and shopfitting specialists, EPoS and payment providers, and service suppliers. Visitors are store owners, forecourt operators, buyers and category managers looking for new lines and ideas to grow margin.
Convenience retail is made up of thousands of independent businesses, which makes reaching them one by one slow and costly. The show brings many of those decision makers into a single hall, giving suppliers access at scale and the chance to stand alongside major brands and symbol groups that retailers are comparing.
The National Convenience Show is part of The UK Food & Drink Shows, so one free pass also covers Food & Drink Expo, the Farm Shop & Deli Show, the Forecourt Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions. That cross-traffic is particularly relevant for forecourt shops, which share many suppliers with convenience stores.
Convenience retailers think in terms of space, margin and rate of sale, so stands that show products in a realistic shelf or chiller setting, with clear information on pricing, promotions and planogram support, tend to perform best. Equipment suppliers often build a compact store environment so owners can picture a refit. Stand Between can match exhibitors with builders who know the NEC.
Next edition
National Convenience Show 2027: what to expect
The National Convenience Show 2027 runs from 12 to 14 April 2027 in Hall 4 at the NEC Birmingham, open 10am to 5pm on the Monday and Tuesday and 10am to 4pm on the Wednesday. The organiser describes the show as refreshed and refocused for its return, and brands confirmed for 2027 include Lavazza, Shell, Spar, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Pernod Ricard and Kellanova. William Reed is targeting more than 30,000 visitors and over 1,500 exhibitors across the five co-located shows.
Show deals are a common draw for independent retailers, so make any offers highly visible from the aisle, and plan a seated area where store owners can talk through orders or refits.