There was no fresh produce presence at the annual conference of the Association of Convenience Stores in Birmingham last week.

There were key decision makers from most of the leading players in the sector. Not to mention suppliers from most of the various sectors competing for shelf space in the convenience sector with fruit and vegetables.

Unanimously, their belief is that getting the fresh offer right will determine the success or otherwise of c-stores in the medium-term future. Whether that is fresh produce in its purest form, or in a chilled, prepared or processed product, the insinuation is there, the sector wants buy-in from its suppliers. C-store retailers freely admit they have never got to grips with fresh produce; they also recognise they need help to change that.

The potential scale of the opportunity is enormous, but it will probably only be realised if the fresh produce industry takes matters into its own hands. This includes educational programmes for c-store retailers, hand-holding exercises as stores begin to reformat to give consumers the fresh offer they desire, and perhaps most importantly, innovative packaging and merchandising ideas to fit fresh lines into the free-flowing c-store environment.

First though, it involves meeting the people that matter and going head-to-head with those in other sectors that are battling hard to keep fresh off the shelves.