2025 was the year when convenience stores finally became a serious topic in the Brazilian retail conversation. A year full of silent shifts, bold moves, unexpected outcomes, and a consumer who changed faster than most operators could keep up with. And all of that shapes what is coming in 2026 which is already set to be one of the most intense years for anyone who lives from selling practicality, experience, and sensation.
The year started loud with Raízen stepping out of its partnership with the OXXO group. That move alone was enough to wake up the market to the real complexity of running convenience stores in Brazil. On my own blog one out of five articles throughout the year touched on the pains and struggles of the convenience landscape. And even with all this noise we still do not have something basic that every mature market has. A real statistical map that tells us how many stores exist, how many opened, how many closed, and how this universe is moving.
But it was not a lost year. Actually it was the opposite. As Brazilians understood the power of proximity retail fuel retailers finally began to realize something I have been saying for a long time. The consumer does not want to just buy. They want to feel. They want to live a moment. They want experience. And that explains a lot of what happened all year long.
The biggest milestone of 2025 was the launch of Shell Café by Raízen. And that is no exaggeration. The new layout the new atmosphere and the decision to treat coffee as a full experience and not just a drink shook the entire franchise market. It was a huge win. A brilliant marketing move. A real case of sensitivity and design. I expected other franchises to react fast and bring similar concepts but the reaction did not come at the speed the market anticipated. At least not in 2025.
If there is one behavior that shaped the market this year it was the explosion of healthy habits. Whoever bet on high margin healthy products is already seeing above average returns. And right next to that we saw a massive boom in energy drinks and non alcoholic beverages especially zero alcohol beer. Many people blamed this shift on stricter drunk driving checkpoints but that is not the truth. What really changed was the lifestyle of Gen Z and Millennials. They simply do not drink like past generations. And this new habit boosts traffic increases ticket size and brings more life into the store.
On the tech side PIX the instant payment system celebrated its five year mark and remains a major turning point for our sector. Paper money dropped dramatically and average spending went up. Back office and management systems quietly evolved and today they are one of the strongest weapons a retailer can have. There is still a huge journey ahead regarding artificial intelligence but the door is open and whoever adopts it early will walk into 2026 with a competitive advantage.
Sustainability however is still a weak spot. ESG is not yet part of the strategic core of the Brazilian convenience and fuel market. There is little focus on efficiency waste management or environmental impact. And this will catch up quickly. The consumer is changing and will demand this sooner than many expect.
One of the biggest movements of the year was the growth of private label convenience stores. Better margins lower purchase costs operational freedom and no franchise fees turned this model into a powerful path especially for the new generation of fuel retailers who finally understood the real value of convenience inside the station’s ecosystem. It is not an easier path but it is a more controlled and more profitable one.
Among the success stories of 2025 I need to highlight Estrela Conveniência in Porto Velho. A Shell branded store that understood social media better than most big networks. Two kids try products in fun creative videos and engagement exploded. A live lesson in how to use Instagram to sell without turning your feed into a price billboard. Innovation is not always about technology. Innovation is doing something new that makes your business better.
Looking ahead 2026 will be massive. Brazil will have presidential elections a World Cup an unusual number of holidays during the week and more tourism and movement than usual. All of this combined with a more impatient and more conscious consumer creates an explosive scenario for retail. Growth expectations remain positive ranging from three to seven percent in gross revenue according to NACS research comparing 2024 and 2025.
The biggest technological wave for 2026 will be the modernization of loyalty programs. More personalized more relational less transactional. The future is simple. The more your customer connects with you the more sense it makes to reward them.
Food service will play a decisive role for those wanting more traffic and more margin. In the United States food service is the main revenue driver for convenience stores. In Brazil this potential is still underused and needs to take center stage. Digital sales channels are still shy but the opportunity is huge for whoever manages to speak to the right customer at the right moment.
The focus for 2026 is one word. Connection. Stores must stop using social media as a promo wall and start using it as a relationship channel. Instagram friendly spaces segmented campaigns regional insights and sensitivity to seasonal events. All of this will matter more than ever.
And the tax reform begins to roll out in 2026 bringing the biggest regulatory shift of the decade. Many retailers still underestimate the impact of this change and that is dangerous. In a recent event in Roraima it became clear that a significant part of the market does not fully understand what is coming. If the fuel retailer is not ready imagine the convenience store operator. Ignoring this means losing reaction time.
2025 made one thing very clear. Convenience stores are much more than shelves and snacks. They are about behavior sensation and experience. And 2026 will belong to those who can read the consumer beyond the purchase. Those who understand rhythm emotion and context will lead. Those stuck in the past will lose space without even noticing.
