NACS Show Spotlights Opportunities for Deli and Grab-and-Go

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

The 2026 NACS Show held Oct. 6-9 in Las Vegas, NV, highlighted the growing opportunities for deli suppliers, prepared-food manufacturers and specialty food brands in the convenience retail channel.

The show brought together a broad range of food manufacturers and suppliers whose products connect with the deli and prepared-foods business. Companies included Brooklyn Cured, Greenridge Naturals, DePalo Foods, Wholly Guacamole, Bake’n Joy Foods, General Mills, Rich Products and Broaster Company, among others.

Their presence reflects opportunities for deli-related products in convenience retail. Cured meats and packaged deli items, meat snacks, dips and spreads, bakery products, chicken and other prepared foods can help retailers expand beyond traditional packaged snacks and develop more compelling food-to-go assortments.

Rich Products highlighted a range of foodservice solutions at the show, including fully topped pizzas, flatbreads, calzones, breakfast pizza and portable snack offerings.

Broaster Company’s focus at the show on chicken and foodservice solutions reflects the continued importance of hot, prepared foods in convenience retail. Meanwhile, bakery and specialty food suppliers, such as Bake’n Joy Foods and Brooklyn Cured, represented additional ways retailers can build out grab-and-go offerings, from baked goods to deli-style products.

Overall, 25,572 attendees from 74 countries were at the 2026 NACS Show. This year’s tally was more than 400 attendees higher than last year, making this the second-highest-attended NACS Show ever. It also was the third consecutive year that NACS Show attendance topped 25,000.

Organized around five broad categories (in-store merchandise, technology, facility operations, fuel equipment and services, foodservice), the 442,600-net-square-foot Expo featured 1,090 exhibitors, including 173 exhibitors in the New Exhibitor Area.