What Will the Biggest Stories of 2022 Be?

As we near the end of 2021, I reviewed our website content scoreboard to see which CSNews.com articles garnered the highest degree of pageviews and engagement over the past year.

It is no surprise that through November, the articles with the most pageviews pertain to merger and acquisition activity. 7-Eleven’s $21-billion deal to acquire Speedway was announced in August 2020, but every story tracking the progress of the sale — from FTC reviews, to the divestitures of stores, to the actual closing of the deal in May 2021 — garnered tremendous engagement from our audience.

Acquisitions by GPM Investments and BP taking full ownership of Thorntons were other M&A articles that attracted high readership. And reports that EG Group, the U.K.-based owner of the former Kroger and Cumberland Farms c-stores in the U.S., is up for sale spiked page visits in September.

Among non-acquisition stories, it seems everyone is interested in what the 800-pound gorillas are cooking up. Circle K’s launch of its “Sip & Save” subscription program for fountain drinks, slushies, coffee and tea, and 7-Eleven’s rapid expansion of its quick-service restaurant dining options were heavily read articles.

Of course, stories spotlighting innovation are well-read, too, with Wawa’s opening of its first drive-thru-only store making our yearlong top 10 list. 

Our compilation of The Latest Industry News Around COVID-19 made our top 10 story list nearly every month this year. That’s one content feature I hope we can discontinue next year.

For a little fun, the Convenience Store News editorial team thought we’d try to predict the top headlines for 2022. Or, more accurately, the headlines we’d like to see:

• January: Santa Claus & His Elves Fix Supply Chain
• February: C-stores Facing Different Kind of Labor Challenge: Too Many Applicants
• March: FDA Reverses Course on E-Cigs & Vapor Products
• May: First Pothole Filled as Federal Infrastructure Spending Finally Begins
• July: Fuel Prices Moderate as Biden Backs Off of Anti-Petroleum Agenda
• August: Small- and Medium-Sized Retailers Close the Gap on Big Chains
• October: Convenience Channel Adds to Store Count as Economy Rebounds from Pandemic
• December: C-store Retailers Close Year with Record Sales & Profits

From all of us at CSNews, we wish you a wonderful holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a happy and profitable New Year.