Stop Watch Archives is a regular column that features highlights from a Stop Watch article from our archives. Stop Watch, NATSO's bimonthly magazine, provides in-depth content to assist NATSO members in improving their travel plaza business operations and provides context on trends and news affecting the industry. Delivery of Stop Watch is a member only benefit. Join NATSO today to receive a copy of Stop Watch every other month.
Three years ago, Pamela Hayes, NATSO's vice president of strategic partnerships, visited 40 European retail facilities in six different countries. As she wrote in her article, "In today's global economy, the search for new ideas doesn't stop at the water's edge. Companies in the U.S. looking for their next great idea or seeking new ways to cut costs can find inspiration in the experience of businesses overseas."
Looking for clues to anticipate the future course of our industry, she offered these four takeaways from her trip:
- Fuel no longer represents a primary profit center across Europe;
- Paid parking and paid restrooms are standard European amenitities;
- Highly secure parking is in high demand as the European Commission seeks to reduce cargo theft and illegal immigration; and
- Diversifying revenue streams is viewed as essential to growth.
Read the original full article on european truckstops.
/// Want to gather more intelligence from European truckstops? For the second year, NATSO is partnering with Insight to offer NATSO members a phenomenal learning trip to Europe. This year's International Study Tour will be held Sept. 24 - 28. The tour begins in Oslo, Norway, with hosted retail study tours, transitions to the ‘Future of Convenience’ conference and exhibition in London and ends with an optional trip to Paris for a day of hosted retail visits.
Register for the International Study Tour through NATSO to receive the NATSO member discounted rate of GBP 1680 plus VAT tax (estimated $3,158) by submitting the registration form or contacting Darren Schulte at dschulte@natso.com or (703) 739-8562.
/// Photo courtesy of The Murphy Group
Subscribe to Updates
NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
