Kayak has the highest average weekly can velocity of all major Branded Discount MST Brands.
KAYAK TUBS LEAD THE WAY IN VALUE
Kayak tubs are among the fastestgrowing tubs on the market, with a growth rate of over 60% YTD.
CATEGORY LEADING SKUS
Kayak’s portfolio includes some of the highest-performing products in the Branded Discount category.
WINNING WITH ADULT CONSUMERS
Kayak is the adult consumer’s #1 most preferred Branded Discount MST.
WHAT’S NEXT IN CONVENIENCE AND FUEL RETAILING
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
A RECORD-SETTING CLASS OF TOP WOMEN IN CONVENIENCE IS BEING HONORED THIS YEAR
A MIDYEAR REPORT CARD FOR THE INDUSTRY
Personalization+ provides personalized value offers on PMUSA, USSTC, and Helix products to Retailers’ select loyalty IDs
Allows select loyalty IDs to receive ATOC offers right through your retailer app
Altria Tobacco P+ offers are based on ID
Altria Tobacco Operating Companies’ (ATOCs’) P+ offers are based on loyalty ID purchase history
Stackable offers with ATOC Price and offers
Stackable offers with existing ATOC Price Promotions, including multipack and loyalty offers
ENHANCE YOUR LOYALTY PROGRAM FOR YOUR BOTTOM LINE
Personalization+ gives Digital Trade Program Tier 3 participants the ability to provide additional value on ATOC products to select loyalty IDs through your retailer app by using personalized value offerings and content.
Contact your AGDC Representative to learn how Personalization+ can help enhance the digital experience of your ATCs 21+.
Protect your business, prevent underage access to tobacco products, and help ensure that retail remains the most trusted place to buy tobacco products with Age Validation Technology (AVT).
AVT reduces the likelihood of selling tobacco products to underage individuals. It’s simpler for associates to execute rather than manually entering in date of birth.
EXECUTE
The AVT system saves on transaction times.
AVT protects the future/viability of innovative products and harm reduction.
Records Are Made to Be Broken
The 2024 Top Women in Convenience class achieves two milestones
AS I’M WRITING THIS, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are in full swing — the first Olympics in history to achieve numerical gender parity, with the same number of female and male athletes participating in the world’s largest sporting event. Day after day, previous Olympic and world records are being shattered as competitors reach new heights in their sport.
It’s fitting that this year, the convenience store industry is also breaking a record in women’s advancement. The 2024 Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) awards program is recognizing the largest class in the competition’s 11-year history, comprising 107 established and emerging female leaders who are advancing the U.S. c-store industry. The previous high was 91.
From a record number of entries and after much deliberation, our judges selected five Women of the Year, 44 Senior-Level Leaders, 43 Rising Stars and 15 Mentors from across the industry’s retailer, distributor and supplier communities to be honored this year (see page 26).
They were chosen based on nominations received from their companies and peers, drawing from achievements over the previous 12 months. Words used to describe this year’s winners include strategic visionary, respected collaborator, servant leader, role model and pioneer.
A ceremony held against the backdrop of the 2024 NACS Show will give these exceptional women their moment on the podium. The Top Women in Convenience Awards Gala and After Party will take place the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas hotel.
Along with being the largest TWIC class yet, this year’s group also breaks the record for having the most honorees in the Mentors category. It’s wonderful to see that as women keep rising up the ranks in this industry in increasing numbers, they are putting forth the time and effort to lift up the next generation — nurturing the future Top Women in Convenience.
With so much support, who knows what records will be broken next.
For comments, please contact Linda Lisanti, Editor-in-Chief, at llisanti@ensembleiq.com.
EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS (2016-2024)
2021 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award Finalist, Best Infographics, June 2021
2018 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award Finalist, Best Editorial Use of Data, June 2017
2023 American Society of Business Press Editors, National Azbee Awards
Silver, Data Journalism, January/April/June 2022
2023 American Society of Business Press Editors, Upper Midwest Regional Azbee Awards Gold, Data Journalism, January/April/June 2022
Bronze, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, March 2022
2016 American Society of Business Press Editors, National Azbee Awards Gold, Best How-To Article, March 2015 Bronze, Best Original Research, June 2015
2016 American Society of Business Press Editors, Midwest Regional Azbee Awards Gold, Best How-To Article, March 2015 Silver, Best Original Research, June 2015
2020 Trade Association Business Publications
Intl. Tabbie Awards
Honorable Mention, Best Single Issue, September 2019
2016 Trade Association Business Publications
Intl. Tabbie Awards Silver, Front Cover Illustration, June 2015
2023 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine
Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, September 2022
Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, March 2023
2022 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine
Winner, Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, March 2022
Winner, Business to Business, Food & Beverage, Series of Articles, October 2021
Honorable Mention, Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, September 2021
2020 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine
Business to Business, Retail, Series of Articles, September 2019
2018 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine
Business to Business, Retail, Website
Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, October 2017
Business to Business, Editorial Use of Data, June 2017
2017 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine
Winner, Business to Business, Retail, Single/Series of Articles, May 2017
Honorable Mention, Business to Business, Retail, Single/Series of Articles, June 2016
2016 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine
Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, October 2015
Business to Business, Retail, Single/Series of Articles, August 2015
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Laura Aufleger OnCue Express
Richard Cashion Curby’s Express Market
Billy Colemire Stinker Stores
Robert Falciani ExtraMile Convenience Stores
Jim Hachtel Core-Mark
Chris Hartman Rutter’s
Faheem Jamal CPD Energy Corp./ Chestnut Markets
Ruth Ann Lilly GPM Investments LLC
Vito Maurici McLane Co. Inc.
Jonathan Polonsky Plaid Pantries Inc.
Greg Scriver Kwik Trip Inc.
Roy Strasburger StrasGlobal
Dollar Stores, Drugstores, Who’s Next?
Some competitors turn out to be more of a paper tiger than a real threat
JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, dollar stores were among the fastest-growing retail channels in the United States. Some analysts predicted they’d be a major competitor to grocery stores as they added more and more food items to their assortments. Convenience store retailers were wary of the growing sales of tobacco, beverages and other convenience items in the rapidly expanding segment.
Dollar stores, however, have fallen on hard times. Dollar Tree announced it was shuttering 1,000 of its Family Dollar stores. 99 Cents Only is closing its 371 stores. Dollar General’s growth has slowed from earlier analyst projections. All this is going on at a time when dollar stores should be thriving.
The lesson for convenience store retailers is: Don’t get too comfortable.
In today’s inflationary environment, dollar stores should appeal to budgetconscious consumers. I’ve got to think that low-priced supermarkets like Walmart and Aldi have hurt dollar stores. And the channel doesn’t seem to have closed the gap on c-stores’ huge advantages in location, convenience, foodservice, fuel, product assortment and cleaner, well-lit stores.
It was 10 years ago when Dollar Tree outbid Dollar General for Family Dollar, spending $8.5 billion for the former largest dollar store chain. Now, Dollar Tree is looking to sell off what has become an albatross around its neck.
According to one former dollar store shopper quoted in a CNBC report, “They lost their focus on who exactly their customer base was.” She claimed dollar store prices have risen, and they are plagued with chronic staff shortages and expired goods on the shelves. “On any given day, you had to maneuver around boxes in aisles, and items were not placed where they should be,” she said.
I remember it was only a few years ago, at one of Convenience Store News’ retailer roundtables, that convenience store merchants expressed concern that drugstores had emerged as a more female-friendly place for conveniently purchasing all sorts of c-store related merchandise, from cold drinks to candy and snacks, and even in some places, sandwiches.
Today, drugstores have largely abandoned some of the c-store categories — most notably, tobacco — as they’ve focused more on becoming wellness centers. Now, drugstore giant Walgreens is planning significant store closures. Its CEO said the retailer anticipates weaker consumer spending for the remainder of this year. The chain could close up to 25% of its 8,600 stores. Meanwhile, its chief competitor CVS has been closing stores since 2021.
The lesson for convenience store retailers is: Don’t get too comfortable. Things could change quickly, as they did for dollar and drugstores. Complacency is the enemy of progress.
Smart c-store retailers are already strategizing about how to defend against the next threat to their business. What do you think that will be?
For comments, please contact Don Longo, Editorial Director Emeritus, at dlongo@ensembleiq.com.
FIJI Water is committed to sustainability and is proud to have launched its 330mL and 500mL bottles made from 100% recycled plastic* in 2022. This change replaces nearly 70% of FIJI Water’s plastic bottles in the U.S.**
FIJI Water is available direct. Contact your FIJI Water representative at 888.426.3454 or at FIJIWater.com .
FEATURES
COVER STORY
26 Reaching New Heights
A record-setting class of Top Women in Convenience is being honored this year.
AUGUST 2024 CSNEWS.COM
MIDYEAR REPORT CARD
102 A Downward Turn
Halfway into the year, key c-store product categories are seeing increasingly negative results.
NACS SHOW PREVIEW
108 Betting on the Future of Convenience
The 2024 NACS Show embraces the 24/7 nature of the industry as it returns to Las Vegas.
DEPARTMENTS
E DITOR’S NOTE
VIEWPOINT
4 Records Are Made to Be Broken
The 2024 Top Women in Convenience class achieves two milestones.
6 Dollar Stores, Drugstores, Who’s Next? Some competitors turn out to be more of a paper tiger than a real threat.
12 CSNews Online 24 New Products
INSIDE THE CONSUMER MIND
130 Fueling Fundamentals
Price isn’t the only factor motorists consider when choosing where to fill up.
93 Navigating the Ins & Outs of
There’s much more to the process than just figuring out ingredients and
98 Optimizing the Mobile Experience C-store retailers are finding new ways to engage customers and provide a more convenient shopping experience using their mobile phones.
8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 225, Chicago, IL 60631 (773) 992-4450 Fax (773) 992-4455 WWW.CSNEWS.COM
BRAND MANAGEMENT
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT-GROUP PUBLISHERUS GROCERY & CONVENIENCE GROUP Paula Lashinsky (917) 446-4117 - plashinsky@ensembleiq.com
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Linda Lisanti llisanti@ensembleiq.com
This marks the first time the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued marketing granted orders for nontobacco flavored vapor products through its premarket tobacco product application pathway. The marketing orders are specific to four NJOY applications.
Kwik Trip Begins Construction on Second Distribution Center
The retailer broke ground on the site in DeForest, Wis., on July 10. The planned 80,000-square-foot facility will service 350 Kwik Trip convenience stores upon opening.
Pump N’ Pantry Sells to United Refining Co.
With the sale, the company exits the convenience store industry. Pump N’ Pantry’s 14 stores will be rebranded and integrated into United Refining’s Kwik Fill/Red Apple chain.
7-Eleven Hawaii Celebrates 46th Anniversary With Special Offers
The chain offered free Slurpees and limited-edition tote bags on July 11. Since opening its first location in 1978, 7-Eleven Hawaii has grown to operate 67 locations in the state.
1 3 4 5 2
RaceTrac Continues Expansion Into Indiana
The retailer opened its second convenience store in The Hoosier State at 3109 W. Morris St. in Indianapolis. The 5,000-square-foot location features a wide selection of on-the-go food and beverage favorites.
Maximizing Revenue From EV Chargers
Installing an electric vehicle (EV) charger is an investment that can pay dividends. Based on data collected from hundreds of FreeWire EV chargers installed across the United States and Canada, it’s clear that a strategic marketing campaign during the first three to six months after an EV charger is installed — the “Discovery Phase” — is key to maximizing its revenue potential, both from charging and increased in-store sales, writes Connor Botkin, director of marketing at FreeWire Technologies. Once people know there is a reliable place they can charge their vehicle, they return and spread the word. The analysis found that promotion in these critical first weeks can more than double the long-term utilization of — and revenue from — new charging stations compared to less advertised stations.
Finding Opportunities in Shuttered Dollar Store Sites
Despite recent upheaval, dollar stores remain a competitive force in the brickand-mortar sector, according to Sujeet Naik, an analyst with Coresight Research, who noted that c-stores may find openings for themselves in regions where dollar stores have departed.
“Both convenience stores and dollar stores … attract busy individuals on the go who need to grab something fast,” Naik said. “Customers who shop at both are likely to show similar shopping behaviors, such as making frequent, small purchases and looking for immediate solutions to everyday needs.” Marketing and outreach can help quite a bit if a c-store is looking to bring former dollar store shoppers into their locations, he added.
For more exclusive stories, visit the Special Features section of csnews.com.
MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT
Kool-Aid & Warheads Rock Candy Sticks
Hilco Sweets partnered with Kraft Heinz Co. and Impact Confections to create two new products based on iconic brands: Kool-Aid and Warheads Rock Candy Sticks. The Kool-Aid sticks are based on the brand’s traditional Tropical Punch flavor, while watermelon is the base for the Warheads sticks. Each pouch contains a two-pack of individually wrapped rock candy sticks. The products ship in four 12-count displays per case. Kool-Aid and Warheads Rock Candy Sticks come with a suggested retail price of between $1.99 and $2.49.
The future’s looking up for adult tobacco and nicotine consumers looking for spit-free, smoke-free nicotine satisfaction. ZYN makes 23 of the nation’s top 25 selling nicotine pouches which makes your top shelf the most logical place to find it.
Sellmorewith
Alimentation Couche-Tard to Welcome
New CEO Chief Operating Officer Alex Miller will take the reins in September
ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD INC. will see new leadership come late summer.
After 25 years with the Laval, Quebecbased convenience store operator, President and CEO Brian Hannasch is retiring. Upon his retirement, Alex Miller, current chief operating officer, will step into the lead role at the company.
Hannasch is not completely stepping away from the business; he will remain as a special advisor to Miller and Alain Bouchard, founder, former CEO and executive chairman of Couche-Tard’s board of directors. The changes take effect Sept. 6.
With this move, Miller will become only the third CEO in the company’s history. “It is important to us that our next CEO comes from within the business and fully embraces our values, culture and growth-oriented mindset,” Bouchard said. “For those reasons, we have the utmost confidence that Alex is the best person to be our next president and CEO.”
Miller has been working with Hannasch and the board on transitioning to a future chief executive role for the past year and half.
“I am humbled and honored by this
appointment, and I want to thank Alain, Brian and the entire board of directors for their confidence,” Miller said. “Working with Couche-Tard — its board of directors, leadership, shareholders, team members and customers — has been the highlight of my career. I firmly believe that we are just at the beginning of our journey to become the world’s preferred destination for convenience and mobility, and I have full faith that with our engaged people and culture and long-term strategic plan, we will continue our incredible growth trajectory as we take market share and create lasting value.”
Hannasch began his journey in the convenience channel after working in finance and Big Oil, eventually joining Johnson Oil Co. Inc. He became a part of the Couche-Tard family after the company acquired 225 Bigfoot stores from Johnson Oil in 2001. The acquisition marked Couche-Tard’s entry into the United States.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to be Couche-Tard’s CEO for the past 10 years and a leader of this company for the past 25,” Hannasch said. “I am so proud of the lasting value that we have created and the commitment and passion of our team members to serving our customers and communities. I know Couche-Tard is in great hands with Alex as he has been one of my closest business partners for well over a decade, and we are working as one team during this transition period.”
Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and mobility, operating in 31 countries and territories, with more than 16,700 stores, of which approximately 13,100 offer road transportation fuel.
FAST FACTS
37%
Operators in the 90th percentile of loyalty transaction share see loyalty penetration reaching 37% and beyond.
— Paytronix
60% 62%
Nearly 60% of consumers say they would be happy to pay a markup on c-store products if it meant making only one stop on a road trip.
— Vontier
62% of Americans make a point to stop at businesses with clean and wellmaintained bathrooms.
— Bradley Co.
Federal Judge Rejects Swipe Fee Settlement
Retailer groups applaud the move and call for long-term relief
U.S. DISTRICT COURT Judge Margo Brodie formally rejected the proposed $30 billion settlement of a class-action antitrust lawsuit over credit and debit card fees charged to merchants. She issued her ruling on June 25, less than two weeks after stating she was unlikely to approve the settlement.
Judge Brodie’s decision could force the parties to negotiate a settlement more favorable to merchants or continue to trial. Industry advocates have criticized the settlement for providing short-term relief and freeing Visa and Mastercard to raise swipe fees without limit thereafter.
“We appreciate that there was recognition of the fatal flaws that would have made the settlement a bad deal for Main Street rather than a correction of credit-card industry violations of the antitrust laws,” said Christopher Jones, executive committee member of the Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) and senior vice president of government relations and counsel for the National Grocers Association.
The MPC is again urging Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act.
“Visa and Mastercard wanted a settlement
that would let them keep price-fixing swipe fees and blocking competition,” Jones added. “Thankfully, the judge made the right call in recognizing what a bad deal this would have been for Main Street merchants and their customers. It’s extremely unusual for a judge to reject a settlement at the preliminary stage, so this shows how far Visa and Mastercard’s proposal missed the mark.”
The National Retail Federation joined in applauding the dismissal, calling the settlement a “backroom deal” that stood in the way of relief from the constant fee increases that drive up costs for small businesses and costs for American families.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) stated that while the settlement agreement proves that merchants deserve injunctive relief, the ensuing rule changes must level the playing field for all parties. “The proposed settlement did nothing of the kind. Leading retailers are relieved the settlement deal has been rejected so that the next steps in this long-fought legal battle can move forward,” RILA said in a statement.
“And while the wheels of justice continue to churn in this case, make no mistake that today’s rejection of the flawed proposed rules changes doesn’t in any way lift Congress’ responsibility to fix the anticompetitive credit card market,” RILA continued. “The credit card payment system will remain dysfunctional until federal legislation is passed. Congress should not allow this case to be a distraction from passing the Credit Card Competition Act to bring true competition to a broken market.”
Thorntons opened its 94th store in Illinois, located at 739 N. Lake St. in Mundelein.
The 4,400-square-foot facility is set on 1.8 acres and offers self-checkout, an onsite kitchen and 24 auto fueling positions. The chain now operates 74 stores in the Chicagoland area.
RaceTrac Inc. opened its second convenience store in Indiana at 3109 W. Morris St. in Indianapolis. The location boasts more than 5,000 square feet of store space, a large outdoor patio, front-canopy fueling stations and a seating area.
bp inked a deal for its global electric vehicle (EV) charging business, bp pulse,
to install and operate EV charging gigahubs on 75 sites with Simon Property Group. More than 900 ultra-fast charging bays will be installed through the partnership.
Love’s Travel Stops surpassed the milestone of 400 dog parks across its network. The dog parks feature fully fenced yards measuring approximately 50 feet by 100 feet; turf, grass and gravel surfaces; and pet waste stations with bags.
Army & Air Force Exchange Service opened a $15.7 million, 24-hour Mojave Express at Fort Irwin in California. The 14,000-squarefoot store includes a Hunt Brothers Pizza and Chopz quick-serve restaurant, a food truck plaza and 20 gas pumps.
Ha ner’s, the c-store brand of Energy North Group, celebrated the opening of a newly rebuilt location in Gilford, N.H. Serving the Lakes Region, the 24-hour store houses a Dunkin’ Donuts and Anchor Deli, and offers fuel services, including nonethanol gasoline, diesel and off-road diesel.
The first locations will open to the public in early 2026.
Retailer Tidbits
Six convenience store industry players earned a spot on the 2024 National Retail Federation’s Top 100 list. The companies are 7-Eleven Inc., Alimentation CoucheTard Inc., Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Casey’s General Stores Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Shell Oil Co.
Sheetz Inc. added beer delivery across its store network in Pennsylvania. Customers can now order beer via DoorDash from Sheetz’s 269 locations in the state.
Onvo is bringing enhanced digital technology to 22 travel plazas with the launch of Relay Payments’ fraud-free fuel
ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS & CONNECTIONS POWERING BUSINESS GROWTH
EnsembleIQ is the premier resource of actionable insights and connections powering business growth throughout the path to purchase. We help retail, technology, consumer goods, healthcare and hospitality professionals make informed decisions and gain a competitive advantage.
EnsembleIQ delivers the most trusted business intelligence from leading industry experts, creative marketing solutions and impactful event experiences that connect best-in-class suppliers and service providers with our vibrant business-building communities.
payments. The partnership will eliminate card-skimming fraud, offer fuel discounts to Relay customers and allow drivers to pay for more over-the-road expenses via Relay’s mobile app.
EG America teamed up with WEX to give the existing network of WEX EDGE customers access to fuel discounts at more than 1,500 EG America locations. The WEX EDGE savings network includes pre-negotiated fuel discounts.
Love’s Travel Stops is integrating gamification technology to increase operational efficiency in its restaurant business and enhance the customer experience. The system features three 27-inch monitors that track key performance metrics in real time, such as greet times and order processing times.
Woodman’s Markets chose Warren Rogers Precision Fuel System Diagnostics as its fuel system compliance, wetstock management and forecourt diagnostics provider. In addition to tracking inventory, the pact provides customized auditing and operational reports.
The retailer first teamed up with DoorDash in December 2021 to provide ondemand delivery of convenience essentials.
Supplier Tidbits
Altria Group Inc. plans to expand distribution of NJOY vapor products following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s market authorization of four NJOY menthol products.
PepsiCo Inc. selected eight finalists to participate in the second year of its Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) Edition. The program focuses on elevating consumer packaged goods food and beverage brands, and products inspired by Hispanic flavors and culture.
McLane Co. Inc. announced that Padma Lakshmi, acclaimed culinary expert and “Top Chef” personality, will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 McLane Engage
tradeshow. Educational lineup topics will include artificial intelligence, the future of c-stores, and foodservice innovation and safety.
The SEAL Awards named Reynolds American Inc., a British American Tobacco Group subsidiary, as the recipient of its 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award in the Environmental Initiative category. The company was recognized for its WaterHubSM project, which is under construction in Tobaccoville, N.C.
GSTV entered into a partnership with Big Machine Label Group, a subsidiary of HYBE America, to deliver exclusive musical content to GSTV screens. The collaboration provides brands with the opportunity to work with the label group’s artists and music on unique activations and opportunities for brand integrations.
P97 Networks secured a $10 million line of credit from Wells Fargo. The company plans to use the funds to focus on global expansion, including energy transition, electric vehicle charging, logistics/fleet management and digital marketing/data analytics.
The two NJOY ACE and two NJOY DAILY applications were the first menthol submissions to receive marketing granted orders from the agency.
SkinnyPop Cheddar Jalapeño Popcorn
The Hershey Co.’s SkinnyPop ready-to-eat popcorn brand adds a new flavor to its permanent lineup, Cheddar Jalapeño. Now available nationwide, SkinnyPop Cheddar Jalapeño Popcorn is made with simple ingredients and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. It’s also gluten free, peanut free and tree nut free. Aimed at consumers seeking better-for-you snack options with exciting flavors, the new product is available in 1-ounce, 4.4-ounce and 6.7-ounce sizes. It can ship in 12-count case packs of 1-ounce pegs or 4.4-ounce pouches, as well as six-count case packs of 4.4-ounce or 6.7-ounce pouches.
THE HERSHEY CO. • HERSHEY, PA. • HERSHEYLAND.COM/SKINNYPOP
Lipton Hard Iced Tea Citrus Green Tea
Lipton Hard Iced Tea, produced by FIFCO USA, adds Citrus Green Tea to its offerings. The new sweet and citrus-based flavor joins the portfolio of 5% ABV noncarbonated alcoholic beverages inspired by Lipton’s traditional nonalcoholic teas. All five flavors — including Lemon, Peach, Half & Half and Strawberry — can be found in a 12-can variety pack. Citrus Green Tea, Lemon and Peach are also offered as single-serve 24-ounce cans. Lipton Hard Iced Tea is currently available at convenience stores and other retailers across 20 states with more rollouts expected soon.
FIFCO USA • ROCHESTER, N.Y. • LIPTONHARDTEA.COM
Jenny Lee Sammiches
5 Generation Bakers and Swirlee Snax LLC teamed up to create a new breakfast offering, Jenny Lee Sammiches. Available in three varieties, the individually wrapped sandwiches consist of French toasted Jenny Lee Swirl Bread, egg, cheese and either bacon or sausage. The products, in 12-unit cases, are stored and shipped frozen and come with a shelf life of up to a year frozen or 10 days in a cooler. To enjoy, customers can simply pop a defrosted sandwich in the microwave for a minute in the original packaging. Jenny Lee Sammiches also can be microwaved from their frozen state with increased time.
5 GENERATION BAKERS • JOLIET, ILL. • JENNYLEESWIRLBREAD.COM
Girl Scout Thin Mint Muddy Buddies
General Mills Convenience brings to market Girl Scout Thin Mint Muddy Buddies, a snack inspired by the famous Girl Scout cookie. The new product consists of crispy corn Chex pieces coated in a Thin Mints-inspired glaze with a powdery smooth finish. Girl Scout Thin Mint Muddy Buddies come in a 4.5-ounce package and ship seven units to a case. They are available nationwide with a suggested retail price of $4.29.
Vroom Delivery Pay360
Vroom Delivery, in partnership with Finix, introduces Pay360, the latest feature of Vroom’s Commerce360 initiative. An online payment solution specifically tailored for the convenience store industry, Pay360 provides rates nearly 25% below typical online payment solutions, while allowing for the secure online sale of age-restricted items, according to the company. By leveraging Finix’s vertically integrated payment solution combined with other third-party machine learning fraud prevention systems, Vroom is able to drive down the risk of offering agerestricted items online. Pay360 also includes a faster turnaround time for refunds, helping c-stores to more easily adjust orders due to out-of-stocks. VROOM DELIVERY • MIAMI • VROOMDELIVERY.TECH
smoodi New Flavors
Health and wellness company smoodi expands its smoothie offering with three new flavors. Joining the lineup is Strawberry Banana, a 16-ounce smoothie made from strawberries, bananas and apples, with 140 calories. Two protein smoothies are also joining smoodi’s portfolio. Magical Mocha has 10 grams of protein and features a blend of coffee, cocoa, strawberries, hemp seeds, bananas and blueberries. Peanut Protein packs 15 grams of protein with a combination of peanuts, almonds, oats, bananas, soy and dates. Using smoodi’s robotic, self-cleaning machine, consumers can prepare their own fresh, all-natural smoothies, which are crafted from raw plant ingredients.
SMOODI • BOSTON • GETSMOODI.COM
Lindor Oatmilk Chocolate Truffles
Lindt introduces a plant-based version of its popular truffles, Lindor Non-Dairy OatMilk Truffles and Lindor Dark Chocolate OatMilk Truffles. The products aim to provide an indulgence for those who do not consume dairy products but still crave a premium chocolate experience. The truffles include an outer shell made with high-quality oat milk chocolate, which surrounds classic Lindor flavors on the inside. Each plant-based, nondairy chocolate truffle is made with premium ingredients, including the finest cocoa and gluten-free oats, according to the company.
LINDT & SPRÜNGLI USA INC. • STRATHAM, N.H. • LINDTUSA.COM
Harvest Snaps Crunchy Puffs
Calbee’s Harvest Snaps rebranded its baked navy bean snacks from Selects to Crunchy Puffs. The new name was chosen to better represent the line’s identity as a puffed, plant-based snack and comes with updated packaging that gives consumers a visual sample before opening the bag. Available in three flavors — Honey Dijon, Loaded Taco and White Cheddar Jalapeño — each serving has 4 grams of plant protein and 3 grams of fiber. Harvest Snaps Crunchy Puffs are available nationwide in 4.2-ounce bags with a suggested retail price of $4.99. CALBEE AMERICA INC. • FAIRFIELD, CALIF. • HARVESTSNAPS.COM
BandyWorks Solution Tracks
Rich’s Authentically Italian Pizza Line
Rich Products Corp. grows its portfolio of pizza doughs and crusts with a new Italian-style line of pizza products. The Authentically Italian lineup features a variety of products, including the Italian Pinsa, a Roman-style pizza crust with a unique dough fermentation process, in 7-inch by 11-inch oval and 12-inch round options; an 8-ounce Pizza Dough Ball made with Double Zero Italian-Style Flour for Neapolitan-style pizzas; and a 16-inch Parbaked Pizza Crust, also made with Double Zero flour. All products in the line became available starting in May.
BandyWorks expands its solution tracks with three new tools and capabilities for retail operators: Growth, Control and Tobacco. The Growth track begins with scorecards for store performance, and then adds Sales Optimizer to help maximize vendor offerings and the Upselling Coach to assist staff with upsells. The Control track includes shrink control, age verification, and labor and scheduling solutions to cover both customerfacing and backoffice management. The Tobacco track encompasses the tobacco scan data processing multipack for Altria, R.J. Reynolds and ITG Brands; Quick Loyalty for compliance; and Identification & ODA/P+ to create unique customer relationships.
BANDYWORKS • COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA. • BANDYWORKS.COM
Reaching New Heights
A RECORD-SETTING CLASS OF TOP WOMEN IN CONVENIENCE IS BEING HONORED THIS YEAR
A Convenience Store News Staff Report
AS WOMEN CONTINUE to ascend in the convenience store industry, it is only fitting that the number of female leaders honored by Convenience Store News as Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) also rises. The 2024 TWIC class is the largest yet, comprising 107 established and emerging female leaders who are advancing the U.S. c-store industry.
Now in its 11th year, TWIC is the first and still only awards program that spotlights the integral role women play in convenience retailing and honors female leaders who are making outstanding contributions to their companies and the industry at large.
TWIC honorees are recognized in four categories:
Women of the Year: Retailer, supplier and distributor executives of any rank who have had an exceptional impact on the success or direction of their company, as well as a positive impact on the convenience store industry as a whole. These visionaries have steered their companies into new markets, new opportunities and strong measurable growth.
Senior-Level Leaders: Retailer, supplier and distributor executives at the level of C-suite, vice president or director who have transformed their business in a positive manner.
Rising Stars: Retailer, supplier and distributor professionals with job titles from store manager to below director who are making their mark on the industry, even at early stages of their careers.
Mentors: Retailer, supplier and distributor professionals of any rank who have made an extraordinary effort, and had an exceptional impact, on the careers of their colleagues.
From a record number of entries this year and after much deliberation, judges selected five Women of the Year, 44 Senior-Level Leaders, 43 Rising Stars and 15 Mentors to comprise the 2024 class of Top Women in Convenience.
The winners were chosen based on nominations received from their companies and peers. Drawing from achievements during the previous 12 months, nominators were asked to illustrate the candidate's innovative corporate initiatives, extraordinary financial and strategic accomplishments, astute problem-solving acumen, exceptional performance, mentorship work and its outcome for mentees, and selfless charitable participation, along with any other attributes that go above and beyond the call of duty.
All of this year's honorees will be celebrated at a ceremony held during the 2024 NACS Show in Las Vegas. The Top Women in Convenience Awards Gala and After Party will take place the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas hotel.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Nikki Boyers
Vice President, Private Brands
7-Eleven Inc.
NIKKI BOYERS’ career trajectory at 7-Eleven Inc. reflects her leadership and strategic vision within the company. Starting as a senior category manager in 2019, she rapidly advanced to her current role as vice president of private brands. This exemplifies her capability to lead, motivate teams, and drive growth strategies for franchisees and the company.
Leading the Private Brands Division is no small feat. Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven’s private brand offerings have expanded significantly since their inception in 2008, growing from 87 items to more than 900. The Private Brands Division includes Seven-Select for food, beverages and snacks, and 24/7 Life by 7-Eleven, which spans electronic accessories, health and beauty aids, and more.
Boyers’ strategic initiatives have been pivotal. Within three months of taking on the role, she implemented a product pipeline development plan that doubled new item launches within a year, leveraging her current team strengths while developing and recruiting talent to meet the future needs of the business.
The new pipeline emphasizes supply base redevelopment and has delivered premium and high-value products such
as organic teas, packaged food and frozen pizza. Due to Boyers’ leadership and strategic planning, sales trends improved in item sales and gross profits, demonstrating her adeptness in both innovation and operational efficiency.
She also oversaw the innovative 7-Eleven “Brands with Heart” program. Launched in 2018, the initiative gives chosen brands the opportunity to enter a new retail channel with the chance to see their products on the shelves in 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores across the United States.
“She leads and thinks like an entrepreneur and delivers scaled growth through functional collaboration across the organization,” Boyers’ nominator said. “She is passionate about people, products and innovation, and inspires her team with a philosophy of leading by example and cultivating talent to develop highperforming associates.”
“She
leads and thinks like an entrepreneur and delivers scaled growth through functional collaboration across the organization.”
— Boyers’ nominator
Boyers’ dedication to the convenience channel does not stop at her role leading private brands. In 2020, she received the 7-Eleven Hero Award and continues to be held in high esteem as an energetic, well-respected leader in the industry. She is a graduate of the Women’s Leadership Institute of the Texas Women’s Foundation, a graduate of the Thayer Executive Leadership Program at West Point and a graduate of the Retail Academy at Southern Methodist University.
The 7-Eleven, Inc. 2024 Top Women in Convenience
Congratulations
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Elizabeth Hoffer
Vice President Weigel’s
Stores Inc.
ONE COULD SAY Elizabeth Hoffer has a full plate at Weigel’s Stores Inc.
As vice president, she serves as a bridge between the operational and strategic realms of the business. With complete oversight of the operations team that supports 80 convenience stores, Hoffer ensures that each location operates smoothly, efficiently and in alignment with the company’s goals. This covers everything from daily operational activities to long-term strategic planning and execution.
In essence, her role is instrumental in ensuring that the stores meet the high standards expected by customers and adhere to regulatory requirements.
Hoffer also oversees one of the fastestgrowing categories in the convenience channel: foodservice. She is tasked with managing the quality, production and distribution of food items. Her leadership ensures that the foodservice teams are well-trained, motivated and aligned with Weigel’s vision of providing high-quality, fresh food to its customers.
Notably, she was at the helm when Weigel’s rolled out a fresh chicken tender program. This initiative not only diversified the company’s foodservice offerings,
but also attracted a larger customer base, significantly contributing to a record financial performance year for Weigel’s foodservice program.
Her direction does not stop at the store; it extends to the management of Weigel’s production facilities, which include a commissary/bakery and a dairy production facility.
One of her most significant current projects is leading the construction of a new 110,000-square-foot commissary/bakery facility. This project highlights Powell, Tenn.-based Weigel’s commitment to growth and innovation. Hoffer’s leadership in this venture involves coordinating with architects, contractors and internal teams to ensure the project’s success — on time and within budget. The facility will enhance the company’s production capabilities, as well as create new opportunities for product development and market expansion.
“Beth’s leadership style is characterized by a strong servant leadership mentality.”
— Weigel’s President Douglas Yawberry
“Beth’s leadership style is characterized by a strong servant leadership mentality. She believes in the development and growth of her teams, demonstrating a commitment to empowering her employees,” said Weigel’s President Douglas Yawberry. “This approach fosters a positive organizational culture where employees feel valued, motivated and engaged in their work. Her leadership not only drives operational excellence, but also builds a strong foundation for the company’s future growth.”
Outside of her position at Weigel’s, Hoffer is active in the annual NACSPAC Day on the Hill and the NACS Content Committee, where she helps enhance the knowledge and practices within the convenience store sector.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Ali Marciano
Senior Vice President, Human Resources Core-Mark International
ALI MARCIANO has only worked in the convenience channel for four years but in that short time, she has made a big impression.
In 2022, she was recognized as a SeniorLevel Leader in the Top Women in Convenience program, not long after Westlake, Texas-based Core-Mark International was officially acquired by Richmond, Va.-based Performance Food Group (PFG). This move, which followed PFG’s 2019 acquisition of Eby-Brown Co. LLC, brought PFG’s convenience operations under one banner and subsequently propelled Marciano into an integral role in the companies’ integration efforts.
Over the past two years, the senior vice president of human resources has led the charge to integrate Core-Mark vertically into PFG and horizontally into Eby-Brown. Core-Mark grew from a company of 8,000 associates to more than 11,000 associates, and is now one of the largest foodservice and wholesaler consumer products distributors in the convenience retail industry.
According to her nominator, Marciano has steered the human resources strategy for the now larger Core-Mark through incredible challenges and change.
Highlights include:
• Coauthoring the new three-year Core-Mark Strategic Framework. Marciano leads the People First initiatives, which include creating a consistent 90-day experience for frontline associates, rolling out a new rewards and recognition platform for all associates, and creating customized leadership training for senior-level leaders.
• Transforming the annualized under 30-day and under 16-day attrition of Core-Mark associates. Across the United States and Canada, Core-Mark has seen sustained double-digit improvements in workforce attrition thanks to retention strategies with Marciano at the helm.
• Improving engagement with deskless associates. She created bite-sized digital Core Communications podcasts for easy consumption. She also was instrumental in the company’s new career philosophy, “Steer Your Career,” which equips Core-Mark associates with the mindset, tools and resources to take their careers to the next level.
Marciano has steered the human resources strategy for the now larger Core-Mark through incredible challenges and change.
Additionally. Marciano developed Core-Mark’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging strategy and curriculum, much of which has now been adopted by the broader organization.
“I have worked with four public company CHROs [chief human resources officers] in my career and Ali stands out for numerous reasons, but I would highlight her ability to connect with employees at every level of the organization, navigate challenging initiatives with great vision with an ability to achieve great results, and the drive and leadership characteristics that make people want to follow her as a leader,” said Scott McPherson, chief field operations officer at PFG and former CEO of Core-Mark.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Barbara Stoyko
Senior Vice President, Mobility Americas Shell
AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT of Shell Mobility Americas, Barbara Stoyko oversees the financial, strategic and organizational delivery of Shell’s consumer mobility and retail business in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This comprises thousands of Shell-branded gas stations, a growing footprint of company-owned and -operated convenience stores, and an expanding network of public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
In 2023, Stoyko spearheaded the launch of the Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline’s newest formulation, which is now available at approximately 12,000 Shell stations nationwide. She also oversaw the launch of Shell Renewable Diesel in the Los Angeles market in October, enabling diesel customers to lower their carbon footprint in the vehicles they drive now.
Beyond traditional fuel, Stoyko plays a key role in meeting today’s changing mobility needs. As more motorists embrace EVs, she has taken action to secure Shell’s future role in customers’ journeys — no matter what type of vehicle they drive.
Notably, she led the 2023 acquisition of Volta Inc., an EV charging and multimedia advertising company, adding more than 3,000 charging points to Shell’s U.S. EV
charging network. This transaction made Houston-based Shell the owner and operator of one of the largest public EV charging networks in the U.S.
Under her leadership, Shell also began rolling out Shell EDGEPro in the fall at no cost to its wholesalers. The modular solution is built on a flexible operating system that enables remote site management and daily process automation while paving the way for seamless future integrations. She led the process to identify the best solution to meet wholesalers’ and customers’ needs, and worked with the Shell National Wholesale Council to test the platform, gather feedback and make adjustments.
Stoyko has taken action
to secure
Shell’s future role in customers’ journeys — no matter what type of vehicle they drive.
In addition, Stoyko brings more than 30 years of experience providing strategic, commercial and operational leadership across energy and retail value chains to several boards of directors. She is the lead director of Volta Inc. and a member of the board for Shell Petroleum Inc., a 100% owned subsidiary of Shell plc.
Stoyko is the lead director on both boards of Shell Mobility and Convenience LLC as well. In this role, she has led Shell’s venture back into company-owned and -operated convenience stores, beginning with the 2022 acquisition of approximately 180 fuel and convenience retail sites from the Landmark group of companies.
Top Women in Convenience awards program will recognize the integral role women play in convenience retailing. Women will be honored from the retailer, wholesaler and supplier communities in four different categories:
• Women of the Year
• Mentors
• Celebrate and network with leaders in the industry at this inspiring event
• Meet with our attendees. Attendees will include the 2024 Top Women in Convenience winners, retail colleagues, manufacturers, distributors, key industry associations, industry luminaries and thought leaders and solution providers
• Establish stronger retailer relationships
• Create a positive impression of your brands among existing and prospective business partners
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Louise Warner
Senior Vice President, Global Fuels
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
WHEN IT comes to the fuel side of convenience, few women have cracked the glass ceiling. In this regard, Louise Warner stands out as a beacon of progress, innovation and leadership.
“Louise’s nomination for Woman of the Year is not only a celebration of her achievements, but it is also a testament to women in leadership roles across our industry,” said Alex Miller, chief operating officer at Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K. “Louise is a true pioneer in the industry and inspires us every day whether she is at the refinery, the fuel pump or the boardroom.”
Working in the fuel and convenience industry for more than two decades, Warner began her journey as a chemical engineer, making the fuel that CoucheTard’s banners sell today. Her passion for problem-solving, mathematics and continual learning propelled her through the ranks. As the first female leader in a refinery, she never let gender barriers stand in her way.
At Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard, Warner has transformed the company’s fuel business. Case in point: Almost the entire network now sells branded fuel, showing off the Couche-Tard/Circle K brand on the forecourt and inside the store. During her tenure, the company has
gained control of its fuel supply through a pioneering partnership with Musket and trading capabilities in Geneva, Switzerland. She also instituted Fuel Days across the global network, which are delighting customers with significant savings.
Beyond the Global Fuels Division, Warner oversees the data and analytics team, business-to-business sales, the company’s owned fleet and drivers, and electric vehicle charging initiatives in North America. This breadth of responsibility underscores her versatility and ability to easily navigate complex global markets, the company noted.
“Louise’s nomination for Woman of the Year is not only a celebration of her achievements, but it is also a testament to women in leadership roles across our industry.”
—
Couche-Tard Chief Operating Officer Alex Miller
Her commitment to excellence is mirrored in her dedication to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion within the organization. She serves as the executive sponsor for the organization’s Women’s Council, where she has been instrumental in mentoring and empowering women, advocating for their advancement and equal opportunities.
“Louise Warner is a fundamental and leading contributor to the growth and success of our company. She brings decades of experience, a love for retail and fuel, and a genuine desire to make it easier for our customers and team members,” said Couche-Tard CEO Brian Hannasch. “She embodies the qualities of a true leader and role model in the convenience industry.”
Congratulations!
Brand Marketing Development (M&A) Integration Manager
Sherri Hart VP, Total Rewards
Int
Mary Hodapp IT
Director,
IT Engineering
Erica Metzger Director, Total Jessi Webb Director,
Total Compensation Strategic Sourcing
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Kristine Anderson
Director of Brand Marketing Casey’s General
Stores Inc.
• Anderson leads brand marketing efforts that support the sales and promotion planning process, creative development brief and the execution of store-level marketing. She also oversees the retailer’s Brand Center of Excellence and leads the daily management of Casey’s relationship with its creative agency, Tombras, which she helped to onboard.
• In 2023, Anderson led the marketing strategy and execution of major Casey’s campaigns, including the launch of thin crust pizza and an 89-cent fountain drink promotion. The latter not only saw Casey’s best inside guest count performance over a four-month stretch, but also resulted in holding onto 50% of its promotional lift.
• Anderson was honored as a 2022 Convenience Store News Future Leader in Convenience.
Guninder Bajwa
Head of Insights & Data Analytics Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Bajwa, who has a background in electrical engineering complemented by an MBA, joined the c-store industry as an entry-level marketing coordinator at Statoil. When Statoil was acquired by Circle K, she built out the global data analytics team, which is responsible for analyzing loyalty app customer trends and developing ways to optimize various aspects of the business.
• As her nominator noted, Bajwa’s leadership is characterized by her commitment to helping others, while her approach to analytics focuses on actively listening to what the data communicates and subsequently devising innovative operational solutions.
• She participated in Circle K’s Global Leadership Forum, a development program that prepares top talent for leadership positions within the organization.
Katie Bennett
Director of Sales for 7-Eleven Mondelēz International Inc.
• Along with her leadership of the 7-Eleven team at Mondel z, Bennett oversees the multicategory business for the company. Her planning and strategy were credited with increased snacking promotional frequency and an enhanced Slurpee bundle offering, as well as consistent delivery of growth targets that bolstered category growth for 7-Eleven.
• Despite facing a cancer diagnosis in 2023, Bennett continued to display her perseverance and resilience, delivering a video message at the Mondel z team meeting that her nominator described as emphasizing her steadfast commitment to all the people around her.
• Bennett has since beat cancer and returned to Mondel z, where she was one of three women selected to participate in the Women Unlimited leadership program. She also currently sits on the NACS Content Committee.
Lorie Beyer
Customer Service Project Manager – Branded U.S. Energy
• For more than three decades, Beyer has been instrumental in growing the business and strengthening relationships with c-store customers. In her current role, her primary responsibilities are twofold: team development, including hiring, onboarding, training, coaching and counseling; and customer management of more than 700 c-store owners.
• Among her accomplishments, Beyer designed a new framework and implementation strategy postCOVID called “Plan for Teamwork” to define how team members would reach out and take care of their customers. The plan has since resulted in significant improvement in company relationships, both internally and externally.
• She recently became Brand Champion for U.S. Energy, serving as the key contact to major brand partners and providing them with the company’s platform of program changes, promotions and site quality/customer service/cleanliness.
The Convenience Distribution Association , representing convenience products distributors across the nation, congratulates all the Convenience Store News 2024 Top Women in Convenience honorees, with special congratulations to our CDA members:
WOMEN OF THE YEAR
Ali Marciano, Core-Mark International, Inc.
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Katie Bennett, Mondelēz International
Amy Bucks, The Hershey Co.
Shanah Coff ey, ITG Brands, LLC
Catherine Cranfi ll, Mars Wrigley
Lisa Decuir, Reynolds
Jodi Dlouhy, Lil’ Drug Store Products Inc.
Jessica Fratarcangelo, Cheyenne International
Anne Holland, Altria Group Distribution Co.
BreAnn Hudson, McLane Co. Inc.
Jessica Kovacs, Team Sledd
Ashlie Kuehn, ITG Brands, LLC
Laura Miller, Big South Distribution
Anna Thai, Core-Mark International, Inc.
RISING STARS
Taylor Condon, Ferrara Candy Co.
Kathleen Cook, Altria Group Distribution Co.
Emily Crites, ITG Brands, LLC
Amanda Epperson, Core-Mark International, Inc.
Bayli Gregory, Swisher
Sara Koch, ITG Brands, LLC
Tarren Law, Altria Group Distribution Co.
Cassie Loomis, Reynolds
Sharon Peters, Swisher
Nina Ziesemer, General Mills Convenience
MENTORS
Debbie Clayton, Core-Mark International, Inc.
Traci Fulmer, PDI Technologies
Dominique Herring, Altria Group Distribution Co.
Natasha Holmes, Reynolds
Kathleen Moco, Swedish Match
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Anne Brockhaus
Founder, CEO & President Proxy Retail Group Inc.
• As the head of Proxy Retail, Brockhaus shoulders multiple leadership responsibilities encompassing financial management, fostering a culture of excellence, promoting diversity and gender equality, and driving the company’s growth trajectory.
• Over the past five years, she has overseen a 300% growth rate for the company, as well as expansion of the team from a modest beginning to more than 50 employees. Proxy Retail has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
• Recognized for her ability to navigate the challenges of a male-dominated industry, Brockhaus has worked to create a diverse and inclusive organization, with Proxy Retail joining the ranks of the Board of Women in Business and receiving certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
Amy Bucks
Director of Global Inside Sales The Hershey Co.
• Bucks leads the 35-member Global Inside Sales (GIS) team, which sells to direct and indirect buying customers across the convenience channel and helps partners formulate collective plans to deliver the business through marketing programs and core distribution.
• Throughout the last year, the GIS team exceeded selling targets that were key in delivering the overall convenience business. Bucks took on additional responsibilities, including calls to her team for small chains, while also restructuring her purview to sell the Hershey Salty Portfolio through the first quarter of 2024.
• Bucks participates in Hershey’s Mentor Program and has been a mentor to many employees over her 22 years with the company. Her constituents often recognize her through leader feedback forums and celebrate her ability to create a culture of energy, pride and family.
Megan Carlson
Director of Category Management
Constellation Brands
• Carlson leads category management for several major c-store chains, including RaceTrac Inc. and EG America. Her team is responsible for all planogram work and category analytics, leading support on a $470 million business.
• Known by her team for her passionate servant leadership and by her customers as a trusted advisor, Carlson and her team helped support incremental growth of $50 million on top of more than five years of double-digit growth across their c-store chain network. Her team was named Vendor of the Year by one of its clients.
• An active participant in Constellation Brands’ mentorship program, Carlson has been nominated to attend the Harvard Emerging Executive Program and sits on an internal NACS committee where she represents category management.
Lynn Cleveland
Director of Marketing
Clipper Petroleum Inc.
• Cleveland is the brand champion for Clipper, responsible for buying, merchandising and marketing throughout its network of 23 c-stores. She oversees the design, equipment and layout of both new and remodeled locations, serving as liaison between Clipper and its contractors on all major decisions. For the stores she has remodeled and since opened, inside and outside sales are up double digits.
• Active in the company’s philanthropic work, Cleveland leads the planning and execution of Clipper’s annual golf tournament fundraiser, which raises more than $100,000 for charity each year. Also committed to her team, Cleveland plans three major offsite team-building activities per year to help refresh and reenergize her staff.
• She is an active member of the Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.
Congratulates the Top Women in Convenience
Constellation Brands honors and recognizes our very own shining stars
Megan Carlson Isabel Villegas
We applaud your leadership, innovation and dedication to Constellation Brands and our customers.
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Shanah Coffey
Senior Director, People & Culture Business Partner for Manufacturing & Supply Chain ITG Brands
• Coffey works with ITG’s supply chain teams to champion their personnel plans in support of employee engagement and fostering a performance culture. She works to deliver growth through coaching and talent initiatives, serving as the head for several factory-based P&C leaders.
• A respected collaborator, Coffey coordinated with numerous departments to design and implement engagement activities during 2023, which resulted in a marked increase in collective engagement scores. She additionally led half of the senior hires across the business, increasing the percentage of women in senior roles from 30% to 37%.
• An active participant in the company’s internship and mentoring programs, Coffey is a passionate proponent of ITG’s diversity, equity and inclusion work, serving as a member of the PRIDE Business Employee Resource Group.
Catherine Cranfill
Sales Director for Core-Mark & McLane Co. Inc. Mars Wrigley
• Cranfill oversees more than $700 million in revenue at Mars Wrigley and coordinates with hundreds of indirect retailers to source their confections, snacks, health and wellness bars, and seasonal products.
• A key member of the convenience leadership team, she delivered increased return on investment for trade shows and planogram execution in 2023, while also maintaining high engagement with Mars Wrigley’s two largest direct shipment customers.
• Internally, she has been recognized with the Convenience Climber Award for delivering exceptional results in the face of abnormal adversity, and membership in the Tie and Scarf Club, which recognizes associates who live up to Mars’ Five Principles, give back to their community and have a track record of success.
Alice Crowder
Chief Marketing Officer Krispy Krunchy Chicken
• Over the course of her first year with Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Crowder helped to lead the company’s aggressive growth trajectory by repositioning and expanding the brand’s identity to appeal to more convenience stores.
• A creative thinker and data-driven leader, Crowder launched the company’s first segmentation awareness/usage study, uncovering information about why consumers favor the brand, how they consider it and what they want it to be in the future. This overview helped her reshape how the brand presents itself to its operators, complete with recast signage, photography, brand language and a rearchitected menu.
• Crowder was previously named to the Georgia Titan 100, which recognizes the area’s most accomplished business leaders in their industry using criteria such as demonstrating exceptional leadership, vision and passion.
Lisa Decuir
Senior
Director
of
Trade
Marketing Reynolds American Inc.
• In her role, Decuir leads a team of 113 who oversee 16 regions in four states, including more than 11,000 contracted customer partnerships and 200 key accounts. In 2023, her team drove 1,000 new vapor contract partnerships with various accounts, while one of her divisions hit No. 1 in product share market growth for VELO Nicotine Pouches.
• She currently mentors three employees reporting to different functions and maintains connections with managers in various roles to align with evolving business needs and support diversity and inclusion discussions.
• Decuir is a member of the company’s Women’s employee resource group (ERG) and was one of only two American Trade Marketing women selected for the British American Tobacco Global Leadership Program for Women Executive Leaders.
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Jodi Dlouhy
Category Manager Lil’ Drug Store Products Inc.
• Dlouhy and her team oversaw the store planogram recommendations on behalf of Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop, which contributed to Lil’ Drug Store winning the c-store chain’s 2023 Titanium Partner Award for Outstanding Partner.
• She serves as a subject matter expert for Project Elevate, Lil’ Drug Store’s new enterprise resource planning initiative, where she leads the category management side and provides insights into how the system needs to work not just within her department but across the whole organization.
• A trusted advisor and mentor to her staff, Dlouhy is a member of the ELT (Employee-Led Team), a group that executes initiatives that are not only important to employees, but also help advance the organization.
Carina
Duffy
Vice President of Strategic Sourcing 7-Eleven Inc.
• With a more than 20-year career spanning multiple industries, Duffy joined 7-Eleven after its acquisition of Speedway in 2021. In her current role, she is responsible for the sourcing and distribution of all products and materials for 7-Eleven and Speedway stores.
• In 2023, she restructured her department to help meet the company’s cost-savings goals. Under Duffy’s leadership, her team delivered substantial savings and new initiatives, including negotiating multiyear data processing solutions, reducing store supplies costs, and helping the company’s digital team deliver time-saving innovations at scale.
• Duffy serves as a member of both the 7-Eleven Network of Executive Women and the ActivateHER women’s professional development program. She has participated in women’s leadership panel discussions to help further the growth and advancement of women across the company.
• Eddings oversees all activity related to advertising and media for 7-Eleven, including brand identity, paid media and brand partnerships, among other responsibilities. She guided development of the 7Collection merchandising concept, which she still oversees, and also built n-HOUSE, 7-Eleven’s internal creative agency.
• Last year, Eddings was responsible for 12 media campaigns, including Slurpee’s relaunch with a new look, logo and in-store cups. The campaign included the “Anything Flows” music video, which garnered more than 2 million streams on Spotify and more than 1 billion social media impressions.
• Eddings was named a Marketing Maverick of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the American Marketing Association. In 2023, she served as 7-Eleven’s representative to Leadership Dallas, a prestigious leadership development program in the area.
Jessica Fratarcangelo
Marketing Director
Cheyenne International
• Fratarcangelo develops all marketing objectives, strategies and programs across Cheyenne’s brand and corporate portfolio. This includes translating marketing plans into actionable tasks and deliverables for the communications, advertising, product development, merchandising and branding teams, as well as analyzing industry, competitive and regulatory trends and data to develop effective product strategies.
• Her work has helped the company reach 33% share through marketing and coupon ideas. At the same time, Fratarcangelo continues to be exceptionally responsive to her department’s needs, according to her nominator.
• Recognized early in her career with Cheyenne’s Rookie of the Year Award, Fratarcangelo stays active in numerous industry associations, such as NACS, NATO and the Convenience Distribution Association.
Cheers to the top women in convenience
Congratulations, Stephanie! Thank you for dedicating your expertise, time and care to making our customers shine.
Stephanie McMahan Director, Shopper Insights
Company SENIOR LEVEL LEADER
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Sherri Hart
Vice President, Total Rewards
Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• Hart leads a 45-member team in the areas of acquisitions, HRIS, payroll, compliance, recognition, benefits, wellbeing and compensation to support Casey’s workforce across its 17-state footprint. She is also responsible for managing more than $1 billion in total compensation annually.
• Hart’s leadership in Casey’s Total Rewards function helped contribute to lowering overall turnover by 35% over the last year and increasing overall engagement scores by 6% across the organization in the past four years.
• Among her other accomplishments, Hart guided the integration of more than 1,200 new team members from more than 140 newly acquired stores; transitioned two states to a new sick leave policy; championed accelerating the company match for employees’ 401(k)s; and implemented a store team member bonus program.
Mary Hodapp
Director of IT Engineering
Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• As director of engineering within Casey’s technology department, Hodapp leads a 30-member team focused on developing, maintaining and supporting solutions for merchandising and supply chain functions, both of which are critical to Casey’s operations. She also maintains oversight of an approximately $5 million budget for operating expenses.
• Hodapp must collaborate closely with other executives, business leaders, technologists and finance teams, while also providing support to her team. Her skill in the latter has resulted in a 14-point improvement in employee engagement year over year.
• A recipient of the Quarterly Team Member Spotlight, Hodapp also participates in the iWill resource group, where she shares her experiences with other Casey’s team members in order to assist them with their personal and professional journeys.
Anne Holland
Senior Director of Sales Altria Group Distribution Co.
• In her current role, Holland maintains responsibility for more than 100 salaried sales professionals across 11 states, a team which generates approximately $2 billion in sales for Altria. She also heads up leadership development for Altria’s management development and new product distribution efforts.
• Passionate in her support for inclusion and equity initiatives, she implemented a companywide “Inclusion Day” where all of Altria’s ERGs provide content and learning to salaried employees, in addition to codeveloping a new manager training program.
• Holland spent the last two years as chair of Altria’s Women in Sales ERG, where her team led inclusive behavior training, provided a quarterly learning series highlighting minority female leaders, and launched an “Influencing With Confidence” training for the female membership.
Heather Horner
Vice President, People & Culture, Mobility & Convenience, Americas bp
• Considered a key member of bp’s Mobility and Convenience, Americas leadership team, Horner provides expertise related to organization design; talent management; diversity, equity and inclusion; performance management; and employee engagement to the company’s ampm and Thorntons brands, the bp and Amoco branded marketer business, and the Mexico-based mobility business.
• She led the people and culture functional execution of the Thorntons integration into bp — including a fitfor-purpose organizational design — and was integral to the company’s TravelCenters of America acquisition, developing the executive transition and stability priorities, “Day One” objectives and talent-retention schemes.
• Horner leads in both official and unofficial capacities, serving as a peer mentor to other team heads and acting as a member of multiple business resource groups (BRG), including bpWIN, Energia and Working Parents.
Top Women in Convenience
Sarah Gorman Brooke Spangler
Brandi Gaston
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
BreAnn Hudson
Director of Commercial Marketing McLane Co. Inc.
• Overseeing an all-female team as McLane’s first commercial marketing director, Hudson creates and executes strategies that support revenue growth and the convenience channel market. Among her responsibilities are market research, brand management, product development support and partnership development.
• She played a strategic role in the rollout of the company’s brand refresh, and her initiatives at the 2023 NACS Show led to an increased booth effectiveness score and jump in sales leads. Hudson also has worked to advance McLane’s digital presence.
• Hudson’s nominator noted her ability to guide her team through both successes and setbacks, with staff members coming to rely on her to provide best-in-class guidance, support, career development and mentorship to advance their own careers in the industry.
Samantha Jones
Engineering Director RaceTrac Inc.
• Jones holds a pivotal role in leading RaceTrac’s pre-construction and newstore development efforts across multiple states, having oversight of a team that may be working on nearly 100 projects at any given moment. She additionally liaises with external stakeholders, such as government officials, community leaders and industry partners.
• Last year, Jones played a strategic role in driving market growth in North Carolina and South Carolina, and assumed responsibility for helping lead RaceTrac’s electric vehicle charging station growth, developing a basis of design for self-funded and grant-compliant charging installations.
• Allen Bell, RaceTrac’s executive director of engineering, called Jones “a well-respected leader who isn’t afraid to push back and always has her team’s best interest in mind,” while also “being mindful of workload and [stepping] in when she needs to.”
Kimberly King
Owner Go Time Convenience Stores
• As the owner and operator of Go Time Convenience Stores, an independent chain located in central Kentucky, King has overseen the building of eight locations from the ground up, with an additional two new locations currently under construction.
• Her Go Time locations were the first in Kentucky to feature Little Caesar’s Express. This partnership helped define King as an innovator for the convenience and restaurant business. She is also the owner of petroleum company GoPetro and a member of the Kentucky Petroleum Marketers Association.
• According to her nominator, King is always looking for new places to build and areas of opportunity. Her goal as a business owner is to move into a community and give, not take.
Jessica Kovacs
Director of Foodservice Team Sledd
• Kovacs successfully delivered on all foodservice strategic goals and initiatives in 2023, which was consistent with previous years. She also oversaw foodservice formatting changes for Team Sledd’s Spring Foodservice Expo, leading to the company’s most successful show ever.
• One of Kovacs’ primary responsibilities is developing strategic plans that drive growth, profitability and market expansion for retail customers. In 2023, she successfully partnered with all key retail customers in growth-driven initiatives in foodservice, including coffee programs, pizza programs and the company’s private label STAKS program.
• She held a key role in the development of and commitment to a culture implementation of new Purpose, Vision and Mission Statements at Team Sledd. Kovacs also initiated a quarterly feedback program for all employees, recognizing the values of evolution, loyalty, inclusion, transparency and excellence.
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Ashlie Kuehn Director of State Government Affairs ITG Brands
• In delivering the state strategy for ITG’s “Must Win States,” Kuehn collaborates with internal teams — legal, regulatory, sales and marketing — to assist and support in the company’s corporate and legislative affairs business strategy. She also keeps customers and retailers updated on legislation that has the potential to impact the c-store industry.
• Her strategic use of the Voters for Tobacco Freedom platform to unite internal teams with retailers and wholesalers has led to a formidable advocacy effort against tax increases and state flavor ban legislation.
• Kuehn’s team-building skills and commitment to collaboration have led to significant legislative victories. In 2023 alone, she played a crucial role in countering 37 proposed bills that threatened product availability in convenience stores and other retail outlets, successfully defeating each one.
Alexis Lobodocky General Manager Chester’s International
• Lobodocky assumed the role of general manager for Chester’s in 2017 and has led the company through a renaissance over the last six years. Her achievements include leading a major overhaul of the product portfolio, executing a complete brand refresh and new store design, and helping reshape the corporate culture.
• She oversaw the implementation of a new business intelligence tool and entered into a partnership with Arrowstream, a foodservice cloud platform, to better manage the business and provide increased visibility into Chester’s distribution network.
• Lobodocky also oversaw Chester’s move into a new corporate office and test kitchen in downtown Birmingham, Ala. The new spaces enhance the company’s research and development capabilities, and provide a much-improved venue to host franchisees, prospects and vendor partners.
Stephanie McMahan
Director, Shopper Insights
The Coca-Cola Co.
• As director of shopper insights for Coca-Cola’s Small Store Channel, McMahan spearheads the analysis of shopper data, turning research into insights that propel growth for retail partners operating within this customer segment.
• Among her recent accomplishments, McMahan leveraged custom research, industry insights, syndicated data trends and customer feedback as she worked closely with a work team to scale added-value bundle solutions across the industry to help offset consumer pressures. The work strengthened retail partnerships and influenced bundle-offer execution at key retailers.
• In the last year, McMahan has received 16 different internal accolades from Coca-Cola. Among them were badges of recognition for “Help People Be Their Best Selves,” for “Better Shared Future,” for “Set the Agenda” and for “Be the Role Model.”
Laura
Miller General Manager
Big South Distribution
• Following the exit of key customer Poole Marketing, Miller led the effort to open a new Big South Distribution warehouse in rural Georgia to service more than 300 retailers. With this move, she retained some key employees from Poole Marketing, retained business with retailers and independent shops, upfitted the space, and trained employees on how the business would operate moving forward.
• Shortly after adding the new location, Miller assisted with the acquisition of West Virginia-based VP Distributors, which opened the company’s access to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio.
• With her in-depth knowledge of the company’s Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) reporting system, Miller also was a key member of the SAP implementation team and now serves on the improvement committee.
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Andrea Neurohr Vice President of Marketing Coen Markets
• Neurohr is responsible for all phases of Coen’s marketing efforts, from brand awareness and consideration set to a drive-to and retargeting strategy. She oversees all marketing and advertising buys across the customer journey and played a key role in the retailer’s “Your Fulfilling Station” rebranding efforts, which began in early 2023.
• She shifted to a digital-first marketing strategy, allowing for delivery of targeted and relevant messaging to customers depending on what type of offer the store had in their vicinity. Neurohr also identified the opportunity around Coen Markets’ hand-rolled pizza offer, leaning into the offering with targeted marketing efforts that resulted in a significant uplift in pizza sales.
• Additionally, she is recognized for helping to future-proof the brand and engage segmented audiences to grow the loyal customer base with the rollout of a new loyalty program. Plus, she spearheaded a new-to-industry promotion, “Early Bird Special,” to attract customers during the morning daypart, which continues to grow month over month.
Lanna O’Connor
Director of Loyalty & Digital Marketing RaceTrac Inc.
• At the core of O’Connor’s role is stewardship of RaceTrac’s loyalty program, RaceTrac Rewards, and the retailer’s guest-facing digital platforms. She oversees the RaceTrac Rewards program roadmap, financial performance and loyalty marketing, as well as the product roadmaps for its app, website and other guest-facing technologies.
• O’Connor’s strategic initiatives helped boost loyalty transactions and revenue last year. By implementing personalized offers and enhancing functionality and value for digital guests, she increased RaceTrac’s nonfuel loyalty transaction contribution by 65% year over year.
• Through the RaceTrac app, RaceTrac Rewards and
Voice of the Customer initiatives in 2023, O’Connor led efforts to create more tailored and seamless digital experiences for guests. This culminated in the launch of a newly designed and built RaceTrac app in May 2024, including a digital chat assistant to allow guests to self-service questions and issues related to their experience.
Shannon Patrick
Fuel Supply & Distribution Director Giant Eagle Inc./GetGo
• Patrick is responsible for ensuring the 265 GetGo locations never run out of fuel while delivering the lowest cost product to the store. She led, managed and influenced a cross-functional team of internal and external stakeholders to create GetGo Energy, the convenience retailer’s internal fuel sourcing and management capability.
• After bringing supply and distribution capabilities in-house, Patrick again led a team of cross-functional stakeholders in developing bulk fuel procurement and hedging capability at GetGo.
• Patrick’s efforts are not limited to the GetGo organization. She led the development and reorganization of the management team at GetGo’s partner carrier, which has directly improved performance significantly in both cost of goods reductions and supply execution at the store level, setting historic company records, according to her nominator.
Christina Pimenta Head of Construction Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Pimenta is the company’s first woman leader in the Construction Department. Her journey from Massachusetts licensed real estate attorney to her current role at Circle K is a story of resilience, determination and leadership that breaks through traditional gender barriers in the convenience and construction industries, according to Couche-Tard President and CEO Brian Hannasch.
• Under Pimenta’s leadership, the company has more stores under construction than ever before and is on track to increase its new-to-industry builds by
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
50% in fiscal year 2025. Due to her processes and ability to execute, she has reduced average time to build by 10%.
• Pimenta was recently selected for the company’s 18-month development program, Global Leadership Forum, which prepares top-level talent for leadership positions within the company. She is an active member of the ACT Women’s Council, a mentor for women in the organization, and involved in the company’s Hispanic Network as well.
Liza Salaria
Senior Vice President & Practice Lead, Foodservice & Category Management Impact 21
• Salaria brings innovative leadership to Impact 21, a W. Capra company, inspiring teams to think differently and push the boundaries of traditional industry norms. She taps into her expertise in small-format merchandising, marketing, branding, foodservice and business strategy to help companies realize their business objectives.
• She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences due to her expertise, particularly in fresh food development, and she is a coauthor for category management training at NACS where she leads the NACS Certified CM Training courses.
• Salaria also brings a wealth of knowledge to wholesale distribution, having more than 10 years of experience leading wholesale procurement teams in three distribution verticals: grocery, foodservice and convenience. She has led supply chain projects for companies transitioning from third-party wholesale to internally supplied — establishing procurement teams, wholesale programs and financial structure.
Amanda Rose Shymanski Director of Marketing Murphy USA Inc./QuickChek
• As the marketing leader at QuickChek, Shymanski drives support for brand awareness through in-store, video, audio, digital, social and public relations initiatives as well as sponsorships and
partnerships. Shymanski continues to play a pivotal role in QuickChek’s upcoming digital transformation.
• She was instrumental in negotiating, planning and executing the partnership that launched in 2023 as “QuickChek: The Official Sub of the New York Giants.” The sponsorship resulted in an increase in sandwich transactions amongst QuickChek Rewards members, along with significant growth in sandwich customers joining the rewards program.
• Shymanski also led the marketing relaunch of QuickChek in the Long Island, N.Y., market, and she helped the banner further its position as an energy destination by developing the marketing strategy and launch for both Red Bull Infusions and PRIME Energy made-to-order beverage products in-store.
Jodie Sikorski
Senior Manager of Supply & Replenishment Wawa Inc.
• Sikorski’s teams are responsible for forecasting and replenishing more than 80% of the items sold in each Wawa store, creating 4,500 orders per day. She was pivotal in moving Wawa to an inventory management mindset, according to her nominator.
• In her role, Sikorski is tasked with developing new programs for store operations to help make inventory easier while also driving in-stock conditions. Recently, she implemented a sales recovery process improvement to reduce the cycle time of products into stores, which in turn drives profitability.
• A consistent top performer at Wawa, Sikorski was nominated to attend the NACS Women’s Leadership Program at Yale University. She is also a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
Julie Smevoll
Senior Director, Sales – Circle K PepsiCo Inc.
• Smevoll leads the Circle K national business for PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA). She coordinates across four PBNA divisions and 14 Circle K business
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
units to streamline execution plans, ensuring what has been aligned at Circle K headquarters is executed across the field and bottling teams.
• In the last year, she led customer strategy and implementation that accelerated the business, resulting in growth ahead of the channel for PBNA, improving sales 5% in 2023. Since she took over as the Circle K business lead, Smevoll has grown PBNA’s share of market for Circle K by 5%.
• She led the 2025 joint business plan initiatives where PBNA and Circle K agreed to a preferred growth partnership. Aligned growth plans will drive more than 15% growth for the Circle K and PBNA businesses in 2024, her nominator noted.
Jessica Starnes
Director of Loyalty & Rewards Weigel’s Stores Inc.
• Starnes plays a pivotal role in shaping the customer experience and fostering brand loyalty within Weigel’s operations. Her position is multifaceted, encompassing management of the loyalty program, the design of enticing promotions, analysis of program data, and the drive to increase participation rates. One of her most significant achievements is elevating the loyalty penetration rate to an impressive 36%.
• She is also recognized for driving up the loyalty customer average ticket amount. Through strategic promotions and rewards, Starnes has motivated customers to increase their spending during each visit, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction. Her efforts also led to increased foot traffic in the chain’s stores.
• Starnes received the Weigel’s Support Center Most Valuable Player award as an acknowledgement of her outstanding achievements, particularly in the realm of customer loyalty and engagement. She was a Rising Star in the 2022 TWIC awards program.
Amanda Taylor Director of Operational Systems OnCue
• Through most of 2023, Taylor led the rollout of a companywide transition to electronic shelf labels (ESLs) at all 70 OnCue stores. To ensure
success, she collaborated closely with the marketing, merchandising and pricebook teams.
• With Taylor overseeing the initiative, two installation teams put a label on every SKU in the stores, amounting to more than 150,000 electronic shelf labels. She is currently working with the design and marketing teams to get larger ESLs in stores for other product sections such as the fountain drink area and beer cave.
• Taylor also played an integral role in developing and rewriting OnCue’s disaster recovery plan, which maintains a comprehensive disaster response. In the case of a system crisis, she helps bridge critical communications between IT vendors, her team and OnCue leadership.
Anna Thai
Regional Finance Director
Core-Mark International
• Thai is responsible for 12 operating companies (OpCo) with three OpCo finance directors reporting directly to her. She is also responsible for the complete P&L of Core-Mark’s Mid-South region and is a primary business partner to the OpCo presidents in setting financial goals and strategies across the region.
• She was a key business partner in leading the Atlanta and Tampa OpCos to exceed their EBITDA plans in fiscal year 2023. Atlanta OpCo’s EBITDA grew 116% year over year while the Tampa OpCo grew EBITDA 55% year over year.
• Thai was recognized in Core-Mark’s Circle of Excellence as OpCo Finance Director of the Year for 2023, and she was selected to attend Performance Food Group’s E3 Leadership Development Program at the University of Richmond.
Amanda
Thompson
Senior Director of Real Estate & Development Parker’s Kitchen
• Thompson successfully launched Parker’s Kitchen in three new emerging metro markets: Jacksonville, Fla.; Myrtle Beach, S.C; and the Augusta, Ga./Aiken, S.C., area. This expansion
reflects significant progress in achieving long-term expansion goals.
• She has guided the closing of 48 sites, including 18 sites that she closed on in 2023 alone. Dedicated to the company’s future growth and success, she has analyzed more than 250 sites in the last 12 months and currently manages a pipeline of 120 new stores at varying stages of development.
• Thompson spearheaded strategic alliances with third-party engineers and architects. In the last year, she onboarded five new engineering and architectural firm partners. She also developed a partnership with a new AI platform that provides faster and more accurate real-time traffic and demographic data.
Diane Uhlenkamp Director, Sales & Operations III Murphy USA Inc.
• Uhlenkamp oversees a division consisting of 118 stores spread across the states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma. She coaches, trains and develops a team of 11 district managers and is responsible for the overall financial performance of her division and for driving a customer-centric environment.
• In addition to her day-to-day division director role, she served throughout 2023 as division director contest champion. In this capacity, she interacted with Murphy USA’s merchandise partners and other stakeholder groups to help plan the company’s sales contests, facilitate related communications and provide performance updates.
• Additionally, Uhlenkamp has partnered closely with Murphy USA’s asset protection department to find creative solutions to loss prevention problems prevalent in some of the company’s tougher markets.
Susan
Ward Division Sales Manager Advantage Solutions
• Ward is responsible for the overall management of her assigned markets, which includes most of the western portion of the United States, including direct
ON BEING NAMED ONE OF 2024’S TOP WOMEN IN CONVENIENCE CONGRATULATIONS
Amanda Taylor
Amanda is the Director of Operational Systems
The OnCue team is proud to recognize and congratulate her on this well-deserved achievement!
2024 SENIOR LEVEL LEADER
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GENERAL MANAGER
ALEXiS LOBODOCKY
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
responsibility for more than 120 c-store chains and 46 c-store distributors.
• Under Ward’s leadership, her team exceeded joint business objectives (JBOs) across multiple metrics during the Jan. 1, 2023 to Feb. 1, 2024 timeframe, including achieving 16% gross sales volume growth and 12% net sales volume growth — leading growth across the company’s entire broker team in 2023.
• Notably, her team achieved all established JBOs in 2023 and led the total team in distribution growth, dollar share growth and display growth. Many of her direct reports over her career have been promoted to larger roles in the industry.
Jessi Webb
Director of Strategic Sourcing Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• Webb has achieved remarkable success in her less than four-year tenure at Casey’s. Having been promoted twice, she now oversees a team managing $1.7 billion in spend across 3,600 suppliers. In 2023, she led 16 high-visibility projects, resulting in $16 million in savings. Her laser focus on reducing operating expenses and enhancing foodservice margins has been instrumental in driving results.
• Under her leadership, her team consistently goes above and beyond to support stakeholders with exceptional service, her nominator said. Through collaborative efforts, they’ve achieved cost savings of more than $68 million this year. Their success is attributed to process optimization, skillful negotiations with suppliers and identifying operational efficiencies.
• Additionally, Webb’s team maintains robust strategic supplier relationships, ensuring reliable product availability and competitive pricing while mitigating risk.
Michele Yeeles
Senior Director, Category Leadership – Small Format Anheuser-Busch
• Yeeles has been the driving force behind three recent key initiatives in the convenience channel. After the team identified a significant opportunity to
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS/ RISING STARS
drive store-level profits by devoting additional cooler doors to beer, she created a data-centric, compelling story outlining the opportunity that Anheuser-Busch could share with customers.
• Responding to a need within the channel for insights into the strategic benefits of walk-in beer caves, Yeeles used a proprietary Anheuser-Busch study to develop a clear, convincing narrative that would help customers fully understand the opportunity.
• Beyond her functional scope, she has helped define some of the key narratives the organization brings to life in The Vault, its multimedia retailer collaboration center. Her work also drives collaborative activity across the entire channel and she leads Anheuser-Busch’s category initiatives with NACS.
RISING STARS
Michelle Abdollah
Category Manager
ExtraMile Convenience Stores
• Abdollah supports strategic direction as it relates to the alcoholic beverage category, and oversees strategy and development of the retailer’s ExtraGood private label brand. In this capacity, she works on pricing, promotions, product assortment/schematics, execution and alignment across ExtraMile’s 1,000-plus stores.
• She has elevated the wine business within ExtraMile. By adding more than 100 stores to the company’s roster of sites selling wine, the category has grown by more than 30% and doubled wine’s share of business within the ExtraMile network. Additionally, Abdollah has helped develop the number of sites that are able to sell distilled spirits, thereby adding significant alcohol and total store revenue to the business.
• She has been recognized internally with nominations for the Gold Star and Going the ExtraMile awards.
Rachel Allen Senior Director of Talent Acquisition 7-Eleven Inc.
• Allen’s scope of responsibilities includes the strategy and execution of hiring for the corporate-run locations of 7-Eleven’s 13,000-plus U.S. stores, as well its Field and Store Support Center. She is tasked with modernizing the company’s hiring process to make it more efficient, and attracting and engaging qualified candidates.
• She led the successful implementation of Paradox, an AI conversational recruiting assistant, across all corporate stores. The automated process has resulted in giving back more than 40,000 hours per week to time-strapped store leaders, and created a faster and improved candidate experience. Allen also created a Center of Excellence to provide recruitment support at the store level, including advertising activities that are laser-focused on areas that have the highest critical needs.
• She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and a member of the 7-Eleven Network of Executive Women.
Kristy Bata
Retail Zone Leader Kwik Trip Inc.
• Bata leads sales objectives, budgets and labor for 96 stores, which encompass 3,645 coworkers. She plays a critical role in developing the leadership talent for her geographic area, which currently includes seven district leaders and four foodservice district leaders.
• Over the last year, Bata has been a part of the Supply Chain Committee, a team created to focus on the future of Kwik Trip. With her direction, her zone is at 99.9% of the company’s total food gross profit goal, whereas the average is 96.23%.
• Since joining Kwik Trip in 2007, Bata has earned a reputation and proven track record for successfully developing new markets for the company, her nominator said. Under her leadership, Kwik Trip expanded in the state of Iowa, adding 15 stores since 2022, with plans for 15 new stores this year.
Congratulations Kristy!
Kristy Bata Zone Leader
Top Women in Convenience Rising Star Class of 2024
RISING STARS
Lisa Blakeley-Snyder Head of Recruiting Road Ranger
• As leader of the recruiting department, Blakeley-Snyder coordinates all hourly and salaried positions across Road Ranger’s 51 locations and sites currently under construction. Because of her guidance and oversight, Road Ranger was staffed at more than 90% for 20 consecutive weeks in 2023.
• She developed a recruitment process for new store openings. The multistep practice engages team members to be part of an in-depth interview across several candidate touchpoints prior to them stepping foot inside the store. Road Ranger has praised the process for streamlining labor, building a robust team, increasing retention and decreasing the need for job board ad dollars.
• Blakeley-Snyder is committed to employee development as she mentored the company’s receptionist for an internal promotion into recruiting, and assisted coaching an HR intern.
Kimberly Borchert
Merchandising Director Giant Eagle Inc./GetGo
• As director of merchandising for GetGo, Borchert is responsible for the packaged beverage (nonalcoholic), beer/ wine/liquor and dairy departments. Her decisions related to product assortment, placement and planograms help GetGo continually exceed guests’ needs and go a long way to help the retailer be first to market with innovation.
• These responsibilities, in conjunction with promotional strategy and an endless drive for results, have helped her achieve internal financial goals and continue to grow the business. In 2023, she led GetGo beverage to over 9% growth by challenging herself and her team to find new ways to succeed amidst changing economic conditions.
• Borchert also was the lead for the GetGo Shrink Committee, a major strategic initiative for 2023. She leveraged her past experience in loss prevention to identify opportunities for shrink reduction across all center-store categories, including her own.
Rachelle Brewer
Human Resources Information Systems Analyst Yesway
• Brewer analyzes complex HR systems, data and processes to recommend data-driven, comprehensive solutions to problems. Through curiosity and capacity, she has enabled better decision-making since moving into HRIS by discovering system capabilities that Yesway was not previously aware of. In doing so, she created a dashboard in support of measuring the company’s diversity goals and objectives.
• Brewer was formerly office manager at Yesway’s corporate headquarters, where she was identified as an employee who had the potential to move into a more challenging and impactful role. She was promoted to a junior HRIS analyst role in February 2023 before being elevated to her current position three months later.
• She is a member of Yesway’s Burrito Bandits social committee.
Nakisha
Cabrera
Operations Supervisor RaceTrac Inc.
• As an area leader for RaceTrac’s Florida division, Cabrera oversees the presentation and service standards of 12 stores. Her stores consistently rank highest in south Florida for brand standards, cleanliness and safety. As a testament to her leadership, her region achieved the lowest turnover rates in 2023, and saw both inside and hot food sales increase by 11% and 51%, respectively.
• A champion of development, Cabrera mentors fellow operational partners in south Florida, supporting key business objectives for the region. Her influence and guidance have been pivotal in onboarding and developing newer leaders, particularly inspiring and empowering the female leaders she supports, her nominator said.
• Cabrera’s dedication and leadership have led to numerous RaceTrac accolades, including the prestigious Best-in-Class Turnover Award and the Excellence in Basics Award.
RISING STARS
Katie Clookie
Customer Management Associate Manager PepsiCo Inc.
• Clookie leads the national c-store business for Frito-Lay’s West Region Sales Team. She builds customer relationships, sells solution-oriented initiatives, and enables execution for field teams. Her portfolio spans 10 states and more than 1,700 outlets, with accounts that include Circle K West and franchise divisions of ampm and Power Buying Dealers.
• This year, Clookie was awarded the PepsiCo Ring of Honor award, which celebrates the top 0.1% of the company’s global frontline sales team. Additionally, as a recent example of her exceptional customer relationship building, she received the 2023 Vendor of the Year award from ampm for helping the convenience retailer deliver goals related to pricing strategies, new product placement and new partnerships with digital activation during its integration with bp.
• Clookie serves as the Connection Pillar colead for the company’s Motherboard ERG.
Taylor Condon
Customer Business Lead, 7-Eleven
Ferrara Candy Co.
• Condon manages the 7-Eleven business and helps maintain Ferrara’s position as the convenience retailer’s No. 1 sugar manufacturer. According to her nominator, it is because of her possibility mindset and tactfulness that Ferrara achieved contribution of +30% in overall category growth at 7-Eleven over the last year.
• She is known to create 360-degree activation plans that combine in-store and digital strategies to drive traffic and grow basket size. Most recently, with NERDS launching its first-ever commercial during Super Bowl LVIII, Condon worked with 7-Eleven to build plans that offered value in-store and in-app. This resulted in NERDS Clusters being the No. 1 sugar item, and units up 27% vs. the prior period and 80% vs. a year ago.
• Condon is cochair for Ferrara Women Who Lead, the company’s largest BRG with 300-plus members.
Kathleen Cook
Lead Operations Specialist Altria Group Distribution Co.
• Cook manages core operational infrastructure for EG America, one of Altria’s top 10 accounts in the U.S., which operates 1,570 stores under 10 banners across 30 states. In the first quarter of 2024, she assumed leadership of EG America’s backbar reset initiative to expand visibility of both e-vapor and nicotine pouch growth categories while aligning with adult tobacco consumer expectations.
• She was instrumental in advancing both EG America’s digital and innovative tobacco product development in 2023. Cook led the execution of EG America’s Loyalty Alt ID solution in Cumberland Farms, encompassing signage plans, account communications and operations training. This resulted in a Marlboro loyalty conversation rate of 36% in fiscal 2023, up 6% vs. prior year.
• Cook is a member of both Altria’s Women in Sales Network ERG and SÍ, Altria’s Hispanic ERG.
Emily Crites
Senior Brand Manager ITG
Brands
• Crites spearheads brand planning and delivery against business targets relative to ITG Brands’ next-generation products, including the company’s vapor portfolio under the blu brand and a new oral nicotine brand, zone. She plays an integral role in collaborating with her Imperial Brands global marketing counterparts to ensure strategies are driven by U.S consumer and market insights.
• In October 2023, she was tasked with leading and establishing zone. Within three months, Crites created a winning brand proposition, brand name and packaging for zone, which launched in early February. As part of the implementation, she developed disruptive point-of-sale and meaningful sell-in materials that enabled the sales team to achieve ITG’s targeted distribution goals and exceeded consumer targets.
• Crites is a member of ITG Brands’ Women’s business employee resource group.
GROWTH
COMES THROUGH
Partnership + Leadership
Congratulations to our own BreAnn Hudson on being recognized by Top Women in Convenience 2024! For over a decade, BreAnn has been making meaningful impacts at McLane, for our customers and to the industry at large. We are honored to celebrate this well-earned achievement with her.
RISING STARS
Zornitsa (Zori) Dente
Manager of Shopper Marketing Glanbia Performance Nutrition
• As the lead for Healthy Lifestyle Brands at Glanbia, Dente championed the think! brand, driving increased programming to reach shoppers in the convenience channel throughout their journey. She brings disparate internal groups together to develop and implement cross-functional solutions to meet the challenges of today’s c-store landscape.
• Dente has been instrumental in developing channel and customer programs to support growth of the nutritional bar category and Glanbia’s think! brand. Utilizing channel and customer insights, she designed rewards and cross-promotional programs that increased points of distribution for think!’s new Chocolate Creme Cupcake Sweet Treat High Protein Bar, driving growth for the category.
• She received the Glanbia Brand Champions Award for her successful work relaunching the think! brand, which delivered an incremental 40,000 points of distribution in 2023 across all channels.
Katie DeRouchey Business Development Integration Manager
Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• DeRouchey manages the successful integration of all M&A projects at Casey’s, from contract signing to closing. In the last year, she has taken on a formal leadership role to hire, develop and manage Casey’s business development analyst team members. Despite primarily managing the integration of M&A projects, DeRouchey directly negotiated with sellers to acquire 20 stores on her own.
• Her contributions led to the successful integration of more than 140 acquired stores from Jan. 1, 2023 to Feb. 1, 2024, and helped provide Casey’s a significant jumpstart on delivering on the company’s three-year growth commitment of 350-plus stores. For her efforts, she received a 2024 Certificate of Excellence.
• DeRouchey is a member of Casey’s internal iWill (Women Inspired to Lift & Lead) professional development committee.
Alex Edger
Senior Market Competition Analyst Wawa Inc.
• In short, Edger is the go-to person for all things competitive intelligence. Her persistence and creativity in building the right solutions for Wawa have impacted decision-making and ultimately driven results, her nominator said.
• Last year, Edger took on the challenge of developing a new market-share solution for Wawa’s foodservice business, which was created by using a combination of market-level data from vendor partners and internal company data. By the end of the year, this new market-share capability was being used across the business, including by senior leaders, to inform key decisions.
• She also provided significant support to Wawa’s new market efforts and helped to shed light on competitive promotional strategy as the retailer saw many of its competitors shift more heavily to value messaging late in 2023.
Amanda Epperson-Winn
Senior HR Specialist Core-Mark International
• Since joining Core-Mark in 2021, Epperson-Winn has increased her level of responsibility, influence and impact. Holding certifications as a Professional in Human Resources and Certified Professional in Talent Development, her contributions are pivotal in the management of employee relations, company regulations and practices, performance management, instruction and development, as well as staff engagement, rewards and recognition.
• Her efforts to forge Core-Mark’s corporate culture have been widely recognized in DEIB initiatives such as launching the company’s first associate resource group, the Black Inclusion Group, where she serves as global cochair.
• Epperson-Winn’s dedication to nurturing earlycareer talent through the Emerging Leaders training program, revamping an antiquated summer internship program and creating the inaugural Rising Stars initiative have proven exceptionally successful and made Core-Mark a better place to work, her nominator stated.
RISING STARS
Holli
Erskine
Senior Manager, RGM Brand Programs
Juul
Labs Inc.
• Erskine drives the loyalty component of Juul’s RGM programming, with a focus on acquisition and conversion.
In an initiative to drive Juul’s engagement with adult nicotine consumers in 2023, she built out programming that resulted in consumption of roughly 1.2 million units and nearly 287,000 total redemptions among trial offers and consumer journey offers.
• For transitioning the loyalty program from external vendors to in-house — which resulted in savings of more than $1.5 million and a 10x increase in adult nicotine consumer trial and conversion — Erskine received the Juul Embrace the Challenge Platinum Award from the RGM leadership team last year.
• As a former Marine, she was previously colead for the Juul Military Community ERG and is deeply involved with initiatives across the company that support volunteer and donation efforts with veteran and military service organizations.
Claudia Figueroa
Regional Director of Operations, Grand Canyon Business Unit
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Figueroa’s initial role as a customer service representative for Circle K in 2003 laid the foundation for a career in the c-store industry. Climbing the ladder of operational success over the last two decades, she was recently elevated into her current role, where she oversees nine district managers with a total of 121 stores.
• She is one of four Hispanic female operation directors within the global organization. A recipient of the Playing to Win Company Values Award, Figueroa’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident through her active participation in the company’s Race and Ethnicity BRG. She also completed CoucheTard’s Hispanic Leadership Pipeline Program and Emerging Leaders internal development program.
• “Her story is not just about personal achievement; it’s about inspiring a new generation of leaders who, like her, aspire to break barriers and redefine the landscape of convenience retail. I expect great things
from Claudia in the years to come,” said CEO Brian Hannasch.
Brandi Gaston
Regional Sales Manager, Mobility & Convenience, Americas bp
• Gaston oversees the sales operations and performance of more than 140 dealer and franchised stores across the Sacramento region. She began her career at bp more than 25 years ago as a night cashier at an ampm in Sacramento. Today, she is the only female leader on ampm’s Franchise Development and Operations Team.
• Within the last year, Gaston stepped into a larger leadership role, heading the Franchise Business Advisor Team in Sacramento to help develop new and creative ways to engage with the community, expand brand presence and grow the business.
• She is a member of the ampm Franchise Focus Group and the Leadership Forum. She also participates in a group aimed at increasing the number of female leaders in the convenience industry through education, power teams and communication.
Kristy Gerardo
Market Leader, Northern California
7-Eleven Inc.
• Gerardo’s sphere of influence encompasses more than 120 corporate stores and approximately 1,200 employees. She was tasked to lead the recent acquisition of more than 200 Stripes stores across three states. Additionally, in 2023, Gerardo was asked to serve as interim regional director, taking on additional leadership responsibilities for the business while continuing to drive her existing market performance.
• Approaching her work from a customer’s point of view, Gerardo recently created a QR code to interact directly with customers to gain insights and feedback regarding in-store standards. The system is being scaled to share as a best practice at the national level.
• A two-time Market Leader of the Year honoree, Gerardo is a member of the 7-Eleven Network for Executive Women and the 7-Eleven Young Professionals associate business resource group.
Juul Labs honors our Top Women in Convenience winners.
Juul Labs congratulates Holli Erskine and Tricia Barry as they achieve endless success in their futures!
On behalf of our entire company, we offer you incredible gratitude for your dedication, diligence, and excellence in pursuit of our mission.
Congratulations to all honorees for your immense contribution and recognition as exemplary leaders industrywide.
AWARD
Tricia Barry Region Vice President, East WINNER OF THE MENTORS
RISING STARS
Sarah Gorman
Planning & Performance Analyst, Mobility & Convenience, Americas bp
• Gorman is lauded by her nominator for the contributions she has made to bp in the last year as the organization brought together the Thorntons and ampm brands under a new U.S. convenience retail business. Among her achievements, she stood up a cohesive standardized monthly performance reporting process, which she now coordinates largely independently.
• An active member on the company’s DEI Committee, Gorman helped with facilitating the first-ever executive leadership team roundtable and Safe Space Training sessions. She is currently serving on a subcommittee that is focused on workforce inclusion by creating strategies to build a pipeline of diverse talent through unique development opportunities.
• She has received seven Energize Awards from bp, which celebrate contributions and highlight behaviors vital to the success of the business.
Bayli Gregory
Special Projects Manager Swisher
• Gregory, who was elevated to her current role from territory manager last year, manages different trade channels for the purpose of testing initiatives, providing competitive intelligence, and securing new distribution and volume gains. As special projects manager, she has contributed more than $600,000 in revenue in the first six months, adding three indirect distributors to her book of business and taking on chain accounts.
• She plays a key role in driving the development of her team. In 2022, Gregory was selected to participate in Swisher’s development pilot program, Vision. She then served as an advisor and mentor for the 2023 cohort.
• During her tenure with Swisher, Gregory received recognition as the Top Performer in Chain Stores and earned a Positivity Award when she was territory manager. She is a member of the Swisher Women Who Shine ERG.
Rebecca Gregory Category Manager
Weigel’s Stores Inc.
• Gregory holds a multifaceted role at Weigel’s that goes beyond product management. Her duties encompass driving profitability, developing compelling center-store sets and spearheading product innovation. Her holistic approach to category management — emphasizing customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and team empowerment — has set a new standard of excellence within Weigel’s, her nominator said.
• The category manager is lauded for implementing dynamic pricing models and target promotions by analyzing market trends and customer behavior. The strategy resulted in 15% year-over-year sales growth and a 20% increase in profit margins for the center-store categories.
• Another pivotal achievement driven by Gregory’s category management is the successful introduction of seasonal private label products, which have enhanced brand loyalty and market presence, and significantly boosted sales and customer engagement.
Sara Koch
Consumer & Category Insights Manager
ITG Brands
• Koch captures cigarette industry insights and consumer behaviors to drive strategy development across ITG’s portfolio, directly facilitating its ability to win in convenience. Her detailed knowledge enables her to connect the company’s commercial team with its retail partners to deliver meaningful innovation to consumers.
• In the last year, Koch developed a business analytics training program customized for the tobacco industry, as well as go-to-market distribution plans for Kool Luxe and Kool Black as critical menthol and pricing alternatives. She is currently responsible for developing a consumer analytics training program to empower retail-facing teams at ITG with actionable consumer insights.
• Colleagues view Koch as a subject matter expert and a strong leader who builds enduring partnerships. She is a founding colead of ITG’s first women-focused employee resource group and a consulting colead to Imperial Brands’ Global Gender ERG and Global Allyship program.
RISING STARS
Carly LaBeau
Retail Accounting Administrator
Beck Suppliers/Friendship
Food Stores
• LaBeau launched her career at Friendship Food Stores in a cashier position before steadily working her way up the ladder. In her current role, she ensures all store reporting information is accurate, timely and reviewed for loss prevention purposes.
• In addition to building a team to perform physical audits and improving the company’s rate of auditing delays, LaBeau partnered with the retail operations team to significantly reduce losses and boost efficiency.
• A company leader noted that her store reporting audit team is the best the organization has ever had, and commended LaBeau for her ability to work cross-functionally, share credit with team members and always commit to excellence.
Jessica Lange
Manager, Strategy Murphy USA Inc.
• Lange’s wide-ranging responsibilities include driving the execution of strategic, enterprise-level initiatives; leading Murphy USA’s Analyst Development Program; and supporting confidential, senior executive projects.
• She is a highly trusted individual whose sphere of influence spans across nearly all levels and functions of the organization. After serving as a member of the team that led the creation and publishing of Murphy USA’s annual ESG report, she took on leadership of the Analyst Development Program and increased its overall efficiency and success rate at developing and retaining new analysts, her nominator noted.
• Over the last year, Lange was instrumental in developing and executing the company’s electric vehicle strategy, with her work managing and coordinating efforts across two brands and with multiple stakeholder groups playing a key role.
Tarren Law
Senior Account Manager
Altria Group Distribution Co.
• Law leads the cigarette category for Altria’s top trade partner, 7-Eleven Inc. In addition to leading a team of three direct reports, she works with countless cross-functional partners to grow their mutual business across 44 states and roughly 13,000 stores.
• Her nominator described 2023 as “an absolute breakthrough year for Law,” during which she led the creation of strategic, store-level infrastructure to implement revenue growth management insights. She also helped cascade this infrastructure across Altria while shaping the company’s internal data models.
• Law’s influence has spread far beyond her role through her leadership and development of purpose and negotiation training for account teams, which have in combination upskilled more than 1,000 employees across Altria. She is regularly commended by colleagues for her skills and positive impact.
Cassie Loomis
Account Executive
Reynolds American Inc.
• Loomis is accountable for two national strategic accounts that are of the highest commercial and strategic value to Reynolds, contributing $650 million in annual tobacco sales.
• Last year, Loomis took on a key leadership role to establish Reynolds’ nonmenthol portfolio in California after a total flavor ban. Through strategies implemented with new products, promotional planning, digital and loyalty, she helped her customers outperform sales in their market, significantly increase loyalty participation and achieve high volume retention for Reynolds.
• Loomis is known for seeking out opportunities to assist in the development of others and has mentored countless new managers across the western sales area. She also takes part in Reynolds’ Women’s ERG and the company’s political action committee.
RISING STARS
Brandy Lovelady
Store Help Desk Lead
Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• Lovelady oversees a team addressing support tickets from 2,600 c-stores while managing quality control and monitoring workflow and metrics reporting. She also works to improve reporting processes to help Casey’s be more proactive in problem management by seeking out root causes of incidents.
• Her impact on the Casey’s Store Help Desk team has been swift and impressive. Not only has her leadership led to a 60% reduction of ticket support backlog and a more than 200% increase in answered calls, but Lovelady also has a reputation for helping to raise the overall confidence and capability of team members.
• Since 2023, she has increased momentum within her team and the overall technology team to create positive and lasting changes, resulting in an empathetic culture that extends to multiple areas of the company, her nominator said.
Erica Metzger
Director, Total Compensation Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• Metzger has oversight of executive, store support center and store compensation programming; the creation and maintenance of 500 unique job descriptions; collaboration on the design principles of incentive and quarterly bonus programs, and more. Leaders across Casey’s rely on her counsel and in-depth analysis.
• She has played an integral part in modernizing the company’s compensation practices, including a multiyear rollout of a newly created compensation philosophy and structure.
• Metzger’s work has significantly contributed to Casey’s improved retention and engagement over the last two years through key projects such as introducing a pay equity process, creating communication tools to help users better understand components of their incentive compensation, improving field compensation practices, identifying a new stock plan administrator, and collaborating on career pathway tools.
Sharon Peters
Manager, Business Transformation Swisher
• Peters drives operational effectiveness across Swisher with a focus on trade relations and sales effectiveness. In her role, she identifies, quantifies and implements changes and processes that improve alignment and reduce costs while adding value.
• Her recent accomplishments include completing a multiyear project to standardize the storage and distribution of sales and marketing resources, and working with a team to identify a new selling system that will be more efficient and provide faster and more accurate data.
• Viewed internally as a thought leader who wears many hats, Peters’ sharp mind, can-do attitude and strategic planning make her one of the most important agents in the office, according to her nominator.
Yvonne Pinckney
Operations Excellence Director Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Pinckney started out as a store manager before embarking on what her nominator called “a meteoric rise at Circle K,” during which she demonstrated unparalleled leadership and operational understanding. She currently oversees store support, loss prevention and health, safety and environmental for Circle K’s Coastal Carolinas Business Unit.
• Her focus on simplifying operations for stores, initiatives in implementing new projects, and emphasis on team member safety and loss prevention have resulted in enhanced operational efficiency and a safer, more productive working environment.
• Pinckney’s achievements include serving as a project leader in the launch of Circle K’s Store Manager Development Program and participation in the company’s Emerging Leader Development Program. CEO Brian Hannasch called her a shining example of Circle K’s “People Growing Together” vision.
CONGRATULATIONS
ON BEING NAMED ONE OF THE
LAURA MILLER General Manager, Big South Distribution and VP Distributors Your accomplishments of achieving growth and consistency are remarkable. Your leadership style and dedication to your employees make you especially deserving of this award. We are proud to celebrate your many successes.
WE’RE DELIVERING A SMOKE-FREE FUTURE, FASTER.
At Philip Morris International (PMI), our mission is clear: to reduce smoking by replacing cigarettes with better, smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers—such as nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products.
Our ambition is to have over two-thirds of our total net revenues come from smoke-free products by 2030. All to provide better options for the world’s 1 billion+ smokers.
WHERE OUR SMOKE-FREE PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE.* *AS OF JUNE 30, 2024. INVESTED IN SMOKE-FREE PRODUCTS.* *AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023.
RISING STARS
Elizabeth Rutherford
Project Manager – Architect Rutter’s
• Rutherford spearheads the design of new Rutter’s stores and oversees the remodeling efforts of existing sites. She collaborates closely with architectural and construction teams to translate conceptual designs into efficient and inviting store layouts.
• She is highly regarded for her adeptness in coordinating with cross-functional teams, ensuring that store designs align seamlessly with brand standards, customer expectations and operational needs.
• Rutherford’s recent achievements include a successful partnership with an external vendor to create a state-of-the-art prototype for a new store design. By leading innovative brainstorming sessions, fostering an environment of constructive feedback and meticulously refining the design, she was instrumental in developing a prototype that not only captures Rutter’s brand essence but also incorporates cutting-edge retail design trends.
Cecilia Serrano
Senior Category Manager, Open Air Case 7-Eleven Inc.
• Serrano is responsible for the full strategy of the open air case segment, which includes fresh sandwiches, cold snacks, salads, entrées and fast-food consumer packaged goods products. With the largest SKU count in fresh foods, her role requires collaboration with numerous commissary partners and vendors while overseeing assortment and pricing, new product innovation and quality improvements.
• She restructured the category in 2024 and improved processes to grow the segment across 7-Eleven and Speedway stores. Additionally, Serrano led the Quality Obsession booth at the 7-Eleven Experience, which touched more than 15,000 attendees.
• According to her nominator, Serrano is solutionsoriented and unafraid to challenge the status quo with all aspects of her category plans, from the product development phase to the in-store promotional plan.
Victoria Sheppard
Manager of Dry Goods Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
• Sheppard is responsible for tobacco and the backbar at Love’s, where she has a wide sphere of influence because she is viewed as the most trusted and knowledgeable individual in the company when it comes to the tobacco category and industry trends.
• In addition to implementing an ahead-of-industry full innovative reset to capitalize on smokefree growth, she has championed the use of technology and digital engagement to achieve strong loyalty conversion growth.
• Sheppard is known as a forward-thinker who makes sure to have multiple action plans prepared for various challenges, as well as a leader of people who consistently supports her team members and enables their growth into new and larger roles.
Stacy Sirkissoon Internal Communications Manager EG America
• Sirkissoon is a key member of EG America’s internal communications team, for which she writes and edits content, drafts video scripts for senior leaders, interviews team members around the country, and develops communication plans for a variety of internal programs and initiatives, among other duties.
• Her responsibilities have consistently grown in priority to include supporting human resources initiatives, awards and recognition programs, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Sirkissoon champions her colleagues through weekly leadership videos and other content, and worked tirelessly to create the Women at EG America ERG. Her nominator described her as “an enthusiastic and collaborative team player who emulates the company’s values on a daily basis.”
RISING STARS
Brooke Spangler
Senior Category Manager –Private Brands, Mobility & Convenience, Americas bp
• Spangler is fully responsible for developing, creating, sourcing, implementing and executing multiyear private brand strategy at bp’s U.S. convenience brands, a pivotal growth initiative for the company.
• In a key accomplishment, she built and launched bp’s first private brand strategy in less than a year, partnering with a wide range of internal departments and external vendors to deliver successful results in the face of aggressive deadlines.
• Spangler’s nominator noted that it is not only what she has accomplished that is remarkable but how she has accomplished it: with passion, drive, leadership and care for others as she brings creativity and special touches to make her work stand out.
Melissa Stidd
Pricebook Manager
Rutter’s
• Initially starting at Rutter’s as pricebook coordinator, Stidd now manages the pricebook team and all strategic initiatives within the department while creating improved systems and processes, documenting all marketing agreements, and cultivating important relationships with other departments and outside vendors.
• She played an important role in implementing processes critical to Rutter’s recent online ordering rollout and foodservice kiosk development while conquering her day-to-day tasks and training and expanding her pricebook team.
• Stidd has onboarded, trained and mentored multiple team members to be the best they can be. “She’s an unsung hero to our organization. Her expertise, experience and leadership has contributed to our organization in a number of ways,” her nominator said.
• Villegas leads the marketing strategy planning and execution for national convenience accounts at Constellation Brands. Her sphere of influence includes the internal convenience sales team, retailer leadership, brand teams and agency partners.
• Viewed internally as an invaluable teammate with a commitment to excellence that is second to none, Villegas provides a voice for the convenience channel within the company, ensuring that all national and regional marketing programming includes tactics that will resonate with c-store buyers and shoppers.
• She has spearheaded key initiatives such as Modelo’s Rolling Loud program at 7-Eleven, which included a first-time creative digital integration with the retailer’s mobile app; six shoppable 7NOW e-commerce campaigns; and a summer marketing campaign for Circle K that broke engagement records and increased sales.
Katie Wallace
Director of Sales PepsiCo Inc.
• Wallace oversees all aspects of the convenience business for Frito-Lay’s largest region in the United States. This includes developing the growth strategy, building strategic customer relationships, leading joint business planning for her portfolio of customers and coaching her leadership team that spans eight states.
• In 2023, she developed a new execution model for 5,000 Frito-Lay frontline employees, cascading her channel vision and strategy, resulting in her region becoming No. 1 in the country for sales and share growth. For this, she was awarded the prestigious Herman Lay Award, the top sales award for Frito-Lay North America.
• Wallace has a consistent track record of developing a strong team culture, is a trusted advisor on the convenience business, speaks with authenticity and works to remove obstacles for the entire field sales team.
RISING STARS
Cristin Watrous
Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh Supervisor, Central Territory Hy-Vee Inc.
• Watrous is responsible for the operations and financial results of 17 Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh convenience stores. She oversees strategy, innovation and the implementation of new initiatives, programs and offerings, while also optimizing and growing food programming companywide.
• Over the last year, she played an instrumental role in advancing Hy-Vee’s food strategy across divisions and collaborated on the design, development and launch of the company’s mobile app.
• Watrous serves as a bridge between Hy-Vee leaders and retail operations, and demonstrates a remarkable ability to relate to people by focusing on connection first, her nominator said. She is both an educator and a learner who is always asking questions to identify new opportunities and further understand the business.
Ariella Weiss
Senior Key Account Manager, Convenience Channel PepsiCo Inc.
• Weiss oversees all aspects of the relationship between PepsiCo and GPM Investments LLC, supporting beverage business growth through category/ brand initiatives, promotional value creation, and in-store and digital marketing execution.
• Her work has driven significant mutual growth within the last year. In addition to successfully beating internal topline plan targets in a challenging environment, she hosted the first combined Pepsi Beverage and Frito-Lay joint business planning meeting with GPM and secured the position of the retailer’s exclusive beverage and snack partner.
• Weiss is known for mentoring other women, offering support and guidance to help others navigate their career paths, and serving as an influential and collaborative leader.
Hannah Wood
Creative Supervisor
Everest Ice and Water Systems
• Wood oversees all creative and visual aspects of the Everest brand. In addition to managing design project workflow and ensuring content fits company guidelines, she collaborates with and inspires her teams to push creative boundaries and set new standards for quality and innovation.
• Her achievements include leading the creative design work on Everest’s first Sustainability Green Report infographic, which won a prestigious GDUSA award for showcasing the company’s environmental sustainability initiatives through a compelling and visually stunning design.
• According to her nominator, Wood is a talented creative who continually adds value while always being willing to go the extra mile. She mentors junior design team members, offering guidance as they develop their skills.
Nina Ziesemer
Senior Account Executive, Convenience – North Zone General Mills Convenience
• Ziesemer is responsible for strategic management of CoreMark as a major distributor partner to General Mills, uniting on both a headquarters and local-division level to drive mutual growth through initiatives focused on product distribution, innovation, supply chain efficiencies and merchandising.
• Among other accomplishments, she took a lead role in managing General Mills’ partnership with WAM that significantly overdelivered on year-one metrics with 24% dollar growth and placed 70,000 new points of distribution.
• Ziesemer is a leader in General Mills’ Champions of Convenience “Our Business” group and coleads the Snacks Sales Small Group. She also mentors junior employees through the company’s mentorship program and Women’s Mentor Circle.
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MENTORS
Patricia (Tricia)
Barry Region Vice President – East Juul Labs Inc.
• Barry leads the East Sales Region for Juul Labs, which covers 21 states. She directs a 90-plus-person team that is responsible for more than $600 million in annual retail sales.
• After being promoted into the Region Vice President role, she identified that personal development was inconsistent across her region and many longterm successful employees were frustrated at the lack of upward movement. She has since ensured that every employee has an individual development plan and at least biannual check-ins on plan progress. She established new expectations for manager/employee monthly training sessions and implemented a written feedback letter after each training session.
• Barry also provides specific feedback to employees who interviewed for internal promotions, but were passed over. She has worked with these employees to build additional development plan activities and as a result, multiple employees have been promoted based on her mentorship or are now ready for promotion.
Debbie Clayton
Human Resources Director –Canada & 3PL
Core-Mark International
• Clayton oversees the people strategy for more than 1,000 associates located in Canada and the United States. Her responsibilities encompass leading the HR strategy and execution across the region, focusing on talent management, organizational development, associate engagement and leadership training.
• According to her nominator, Clayton’s leadership philosophy centers on empowerment and professional growth, leading to a team that is not only high-performing but also deeply committed to mentoring others. This culture of mentorship has cascaded throughout the region, enhancing team dynamics, improving cross-functional collaborations and elevating overall performance levels.
• Clayton’s leadership has significantly enhanced operational efficiency, associate satisfaction and
talent retention within her region — which is currently at 39.8% attrition, leading Core-Mark’s convenience segment. Additionally, under her guidance, fellow members of the HR department have achieved remarkable professional growth with many assuming mentorship roles themselves.
Erika Cuevas
Store Manager, Southeast Business Unit Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• During her 24-year tenure with the company, Cuevas has advanced from a customer service representative to one of the strongest store managers in Circle K’s Southeast Business Unit (BU). She produces record-breaking sales, high engagement within the BU and genuinely cares for her people, according to her nominator.
• Recognizing the potential in each team member, Cuevas invests her time and resources in their training and professional growth. Her store has become the cornerstone for all store managers in training — a rite of passage that equips them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to excel in their roles.
• “Her influence has left an indelible mark on those who have had the privilege of working with her, making her not just a leader within our company but an inspiration across the industry,” said Couche-Tard Chief Operating Officer Alex Miller.
Traci Fulmer
Senior Training Manager, User Education PDI Technologies
• A 26-year convenience industry veteran, Fulmer has spent 14 of those years serving as the leading force behind the in-person and online training provided by PDI, impacting more than 1,800 PDI employees and nearly 24,000 customers. Her mentoring nature stems organically from her work in elevating workforce capabilities and increasing organizational success.
• Directly managing a team of six employees and extending her mentorship efforts to another roughly 25 PDI employees, Fulmer has demonstrated a commitment to building highly capable teams and nurturing talent.
MENTORS
• Tryston Blisard, who transitioned to a role on Fulmer’s team last year, said: “I can say that not only is she the most impactful person I have ever met as far as the development of my career, but also the development of my character as an individual. She listens to any concerns or desires and does a phenomenal job of identifying and developing passions within her team.”
Dominique R. Herring
Senior Market Manager
Altria Group Distribution Co.
• Herring holds a pivotal role as a senior market manager in Ohio, steering a team of 17 across an expansive network of more than 2,200 convenience stores to successfully market Altria products. Her influence, however, extends beyond her sales role, significantly shaping Altria’s corporate culture.
• She has been instrumental as a mentor to 10 employees, guiding four of them toward promotions. As a cofounder and colead of the Black Women Connection at Altria, an employee resource group, her leadership has been vital in enhancing cultural understanding of the Black woman’s experience throughout the company and fostering the representation and readiness of Black women in line with Altria’s talent initiatives.
• Herring’s commitment to diversity extends to her work with Altria’s Hispanic employees through the company’s Hispanic Leadership Academy program, where she serves as a mentor. She also plays a key role in Altria’s Diversity Council, driving the integration of diversity and inclusion into the company’s culture.
Natasha Holmes
Senior Division Manager
Reynolds American Inc.
• Holmes is a senior division manager for Reynolds’ Orlando trade marketing division. She is responsible for the coaching and development of a team of territory managers toward achieving organizational milestones.
• Following a time of organizational change, Holmes recognized the need for a regionwide talent
development program across Florida. To meet this need, she developed a program categorized into four sections focused on developing the region’s talent from entry level to senior manager.
• Within the past 12 months, Holmes has increased her commitment to supporting women on their leadership journeys. She mentors one territory manager in Michigan and two lead managers of coaching and development, one in her region and the other in a neighboring region. Every two weeks, she activates “Mentor Monday,” carving out time to support the career aspirations of these women. This year, Holmes is also part of the team facilitating the Miami region’s Fem-Powered program.
Kacie Hunt
District Manager
Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• Hunt leads a district comprised of 13 stores in southeast Oklahoma. She guides and influences store leadership to maximize sales and profitability, while driving a successful culture in which all team members have the opportunity to grow their careers.
• Given her passion for developing her team and the results she’s had, Hunt was chosen as a mentor to partner with new district managers and region directors when they begin their career at Casey’s. She also was selected to head the mentor program for Casey’s Lone Star Food Stores acquisition, which is a new state for the retailer and includes three new district managers.
• Since January 2023, Hunt has been recognized for: her district being in the top 20% for seven months, two of her stores being in the top 100 out of 2,600-plus stores, and her district ending fiscal year 2023 in the 23rd spot out of 211 districts.
Ayisha Leonard
Payroll Manager
Yesway
• Leonard has exhibited outstanding leadership in teaching and mentoring a new team of payroll employees. She and her team are responsible for processing biweekly payroll for corporate employees and weekly payroll for retail employees supporting 431 stores across nine states.
SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS
Anne Holland
Senior Director of Sales, Altria Group Distribution Co.
RISING STARS
Kathleen Cook
Lead Operations Specialist, Altria Group Distribution Co.
Tarren Law
Senior Account Manager, Altria Group Distribution Co.
MENTORS
Dominique Herring
Senior Market Manager, Altria Group Distribution Co.
Your diligent efforts and dedication to the convenience retailing industry are truly appreciated.
Congratulations on being recognized in the 2024 Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience awards.
MENTORS
• Leonard exposes her team to new processes and learning opportunities, including them when attending virtual training sessions. She provides many opportunities for her team to be involved in process improvement and encourages them to take a “how might we” approach to problem solving and meeting internal customers’ expectations.
• As a result of her effective leadership, payroll errors have been significantly reduced and the department is running more smoothly and efficiently than ever, according to her nominator. Leonard’s commitment to fostering a collaborative and well-informed team has enhanced the overall experience of employees companywide.
Christine McClintock
Asset Protection Manager
Murphy USA Inc.
• According to her nominator, McClintock is a natural-born coach and mentor. Her experience as a district manager and division director, as well as the trust she’s gained over the past seven years through her collaborative approach, has earned her credibility with team members throughout the organization.
• McClintock provides trusted support for her divisional partners, which directly influences more than 500 stores. She spends a great deal of time working hand in hand with Murphy USA’s district and store managers, teaching and coaching them on how to optimize their store’s performance and achieve their goals. She gives direct and honest feedback in a respected and valued way.
• Since transitioning to her role in asset protection in 2021, McClintock has leveraged her coaching and leadership skills to improve her team’s performance. This has impacted sales and profitability for her region and the broader enterprise.
Dr. Kathleen Moco
Retail Team Manager
Swedish Match
• Responsible for leading a team of 10 territory sales managers, Dr. Moco analyzes business-building opportunities and develops strategic executional plans for the utilization of the team’s time and efforts in accomplishing specific goals while maintaining high standards.
• She serves as a mentor in Swedish Match’s Professional Women Rising employee resource group. Her role as a mentor is to develop women in the sales organization and prepare them for leadership positions. She accelerates and enhances their growth by tailoring her approach to each mentee’s needs and helping them increase their personal and professional skillset.
• As a mentor, Moco supports women from diverse backgrounds, providing valuable feedback and guidance to help them achieve their goals. She assists them in setting professional and developmental objectives, offers constructive feedback and insight, creates a motivational environment, and holds them accountable for their progress so that they can thrive professionally and personally, drive industry progress and achieve their fullest potential.
• Smith leads a team of project management professionals and oversees a portfolio of strategic initiatives for 7-Eleven that drive sales, efficiency and optimization across the enterprise. These initiatives involve dozens of cross-functional resources.
• According to her nominator, Smith is “the epitome of a servant leader.” She has individual development plans for her direct reports and goes above and beyond to coach and mentor each. Most of those she has mentored have been promoted and/or moved into other roles with additional responsibilities and opportunities for growth.
• Smith also formally mentors multiple people through the company’s 7Mentor program and informally mentors multiple employees through her participation in 7-Eleven’s associate business resource groups. She is the current co-lead for the 7-Eleven Network of Black Professionals and an active member of the 7-Eleven Network of Executive Women.
Heather
Taylor
Store Manager Rutter’s
• Taylor started her career with Rutter’s in 2017 as a team member and was quickly promoted to assistant store manager. In 2018, she was
“Mentorship means fostering an environment where everyone can thrive, innovate, and achieve their fullest potential.”
Katie elevates mentorship to the next level, not only sharing her valuable knowledge and expertise but challenging and supporting her team while they accomplish great things together. Thank you, Katie for making us all better.
Katie Moco
Top Women in Convenience Mentor 2024
MENTORS
promoted to store manager of Rutter’s second location in Altoona, Pa.
• Taylor’s impact goes beyond the role of store manager as she is an integral mentor within Rutter’s Altoona market. She actively participates in the training and mentorship of new managers across the market, imparting her knowledge and ensuring the future success of Rutter’s stores in the region.
• According to her nominator, Taylor has remarkable team-building skills and consistently dedicates herself to cultivating talent. Because of her unwavering dedication and commitment to excellence, she is leading the opening of a fourth store in the Altoona region this year.
Ericka Teniente
Store Manager, West Coast Business Unit
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Teniente is not only excelling as a store manager for the retailer’s West Coast Business Unit, but she is also “the true essence of leadership, mentorship and excellence in the convenience store industry,” according to her nominator.
• Her approachability, combined with a unique blend of humor and directness, makes her an invaluable asset to the Circle K team and an inspiration to those she mentors. She has successfully trained eight Manager In Training candidates and a full franchise operator. Through these efforts, Teniente imparted crucial knowledge on the company’s backoffice computer systems, processes and procedures, setting a solid foundation.
• Chief Operating Officer Alex Miller said, “Her contributions have enhanced the growth and development of the individuals she has mentored and significantly advanced our stores’ operational success and community engagement.”
Tiffany Thompson
Regional Director, Field HR RaceTrac Inc.
• Thompson’s influence stretches both upwards and across the organization as she leads HR projects and programs that have a long-term impact for the business. Her
region (Dallas-Fort Worth) had the lowest turnover of all regions in 2023.
• Her deep understanding of business priorities combined with a dedication to employee development make her the ideal mentor, according to her nominator. Thompson has trained 60% of newly promoted HR Business Partners for the field, and her dedication to training and development has resulted in 43% of the HR team being promoted to other departments or within HR. She also sourced stretch assignment opportunities for several general managers, resulting in three promotions to the team.
• Regional Director of Operations Bill Henegar said, “Tiffany selects top talent, gives candid feedback and is always innovating for the good of RaceTrac. Her level of support and advice is exceptional, allowing myself and others to make good decisions and grow.”
Melissa Weaver
Senior Scheduling Manager Metroplex Energy/RaceTrac Inc.
• In addition to leading a team of nine schedulers responsible for orchestrating all bulk fuel logistics and inventory management operations for RaceTrac, Weaver plays a pivotal role in mentorship, talent acquisition, training and development across multiple departments.
• Her willingness to put others before herself is second to none, Weaver’s nominator said, noting that her mentorship style focuses on active listening, where she truly tailors growth and development recommendations to each individual. Her mentees have even adopted her personalized approach to mentorship and now “mentor up” using the best practices she consistently demonstrates.
• Over the past year, Weaver successfully facilitated the promotion of four direct reports, with two individuals ascending to leadership roles. Through her transformative coaching, she also helped a new employee who was on the verge of termination become an exceptional team member. CSN
Supporters of the 2024 Top Women in Convenience program include: founding and presenting sponsor Altria Group Distribution Co.; platinum sponsors ITG Brands, PepsiCo Inc. and Reynolds Marketing Services Co.; gold sponsors BIC USA, The Boston Beer Co., The Coca-Cola Co., Core-Mark International, Juul Labs, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Mars Wrigley, McLane Co. Inc., Mondelez International, PDI Technologies, Premier Manufacturing Inc. and Swedish Match; silver sponsors Anheuser-Busch InBev, BeatBox Beverages, Constellation Brands, Glanbia Performance Nutrition, Lindt USA and Taylor Farms; and Corporate Empowerment Award sponsor The Hershey Co.
Navigating the Ins & Outs of Menu Development
There’s much more to the process than just figuring out ingredients and recipes
By Kathleen Furore
SAVVY CONVENIENCE STORE operators are innovating to excel in the foodservice space, as the category requires a clear strategy — one grounded in smart menu development.
For Nashville, Tenn.-based Twice Daily, this means listening to customer feedback and being deliberate and patient when developing new products, instead of responding to the fad of the day.
“Our main focus has always been staying true to who we are and what sets us apart from our competitors,” said Rachel Saddler, senior foodservice category manager at Tri Star Energy, Twice Daily’s parent company. “It’s easy to get lost in
the shuffle of chasing the latest trends, but it’s essential that we develop a menu that caters to what our loyal and potential guests are looking for.”
To that end, Twice Daily last October expanded its menu of hot meals and fresh deli when it launched a companywide rollout of the Made to Order program it piloted in early 2023.
“Made to Order has allowed us to expand our product line by offering our guests more customizable options for their freshly made subs, sandwiches, wraps and more,” Saddler explained. “We have received great responses from our guests, who have enjoyed trying new recipes encouraging them to add fresh toppings or sauces to some of their favorite menu items.”
The approach has served the retailer well. Since the
Twice Daily recently expanded its menu to offer more customizable options.
program’s launch, Twice Daily has seen growth in the foodservice category and was recognized as the 2024 Prepared Foods Innovator of the Year in Convenience Store News’ annual Foodservice Innovators Awards program.
At Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores Inc. — already well-known for its handmade pizza program — a new sandwich menu developed after a deep dive into guests’ preferences has helped elevate the foodservice experience at the chain’s more than 2,600 c-stores throughout the Midwest and South.
“Our proprietary guest insights process provides a deep understanding of what our guests love and value. And we rely on our rigorous food and beverage innovation and product development process to create new products and menu enhancements aligned to what our guests want and need,” said Brad Haga, senior vice president of prepared food and
dispensed beverage, noting that the process ensures Casey’s remains relevant with new and evolving consumer preferences.
When recent guest insights revealed the retailer had room to improve its sandwich offerings, Casey’s focused on upgrading its ingredients to provide higher-quality options, which led to the introduction of Crispy Chicken and Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, a Quarter Pound Angus Beef Burger and an upgraded version of the fan-favorite Breaded Pork Sandwich — all prepared fresh in-store daily.
The new sandwich lineup, introduced companywide in March, is a first for Casey’s and “has significantly increased our prepared food sales over the last quarter” and “is driving consistent growth in our prepared food and dispensed beverage business,” Haga reported in June.
Thinking Beyond the Food
Ingredients and recipes, of course, are the culinary cornerstones upon which foodservice success is built, but there are other aspects that successful convenience foodservice retailers take into account during the menu development process.
Considering not only what to offer, but also how to incorporate new items throughout the day, is something that has helped
Casey's collaborates internally and externally to create proprietary menu items.
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Twice Daily build its reputation as a destination for quality foodservice items on the go.
“Lunch and snack menu items have shown an upward trend, particularly through the customer-facing kiosk, because we now have an expanded offering in those dayparts,” Saddler said. “Also, having breakfast available throughout the day has helped sales because it sets us apart from many QSRs [quick-service restaurants] in surrounding areas with a clear cutoff with their dayparts.
“Convenience, of course, plays a significant role in how our Made to Order and mobile ordering menus are organized to provide our guests with ease of management,” Saddler continued. “Having suggestive add-ons or fully designed recipes gives them the flexibility to order as is or customize to their liking.”
Consistency is also a key aspect of menu development. Being able to provide
consistency was a key part of the process that Temple, Texasbased CEFCO Convenience Stores undertook when recently optimizing its foodservice menu, according to Rachel Puepke, vice president of marketing and merchandising. Puepke discussed the company’s approach during a panel discussion at this year’s CSNews Convenience Foodservice Exchange event, held in May.
After assessing information gleaned from analyzing research designed to understand what CEFCO customers wanted and how they prioritized their prepared food purchases, the company actually downsized its menu and the number of ingredients in its dishes.
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Rachel Puepke of CEFCO (second from left) discussed menu optimization at this year's Convenience Foodservice Exchange event.
"We took out 15 menu items, eliminated single-use ingredients and really simplified that menu to say, 'What do we want to be known for?'" Puepke shared.
Menuing proprietary items is one way to create the kind of menu you can be known for. Casey’s works toward that goal by collaborating to create dishes that make its stores “differentiated destinations” for foodservice purchases, noted Haga.
“We continue to collaborate with both internal and external partners to develop ‘only at Casey’s’ products,” he explained, citing examples such as its BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza limited-time offer, exclusive Mtn Dew Overdrive flavor, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookie made with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Some Parting Advice
When it comes to developing a menu that a retailer’s footprint and staff can accommodate, that attracts and retains foodservice customers, and that delivers
bottom-line benefits, the most important — and most obvious — advice is to make sure the food tastes great, according to Casey’s Haga. The chain accomplishes this with the fresh, quality ingredients it uses throughout its menu, including made-from-scratch pizza dough.
Saddler’s top suggestion is “not getting overloaded by all of the noise.”
“There are so many great foodservice offers and programs, but picking what works best for your brand and market is crucial,” said the Twice Daily category manager. “From there, you can truly focus on providing the best training tools, equipment and products for your team and guests.”
Working with well-known brands to establish credibility in the foodservice space is another recommendation, one that CEFCO has embraced by partnering with such brands as Johnsonville and King's Hawaiian for its menu development pipeline.
"That's where the marketing comes in," Puepke said during the Convenience Foodservice Exchange panel discussion. "It's really important for you to talk about where the food's from and how you make it, especially if it's made to order. If you don't tell them that, they're not going to know, and they're going to have these preconceived notions of what c-store food is." CSN
Optimizing the Mobile Experience
C-store retailers are finding new ways to engage customers and provide a more convenient shopping experience using their mobile phones
By Tammy Mastroberte
TODAY, MOBILE PHONES are a staple for customers of all ages, and something most people don’t leave home without. Convenience store retailers are capitalizing on this and finding new ways to use the device to engage customers and offer an even more convenient experience. Customers are not only open to interacting with retailers digitally, but they also expect it in many cases.
“In today’s world, the consumer is expecting a seamless omnichannel experience. The same way the interact and shop in stores should extend to the mobile experience,” said Terry Lyles, digital marketing manager at Family Express Corp., the Valparaiso, Ind.-based operator of more than 80
convenience stores. “We spend so much time merchandising to optimize the shopping experience in-store and that should extend digitally.”
Customers have always wanted a seamless and fast experience at a c-store, but what that looks like continues to evolve. These days, it includes fast and secure payment options and contactless choices such as Apple Pay, whether in-store or ordering via a mobile app, according to Michelle Fluharty, secretary and treasurer at Smith Oil Co. in New Cumberland, W.Va., operator of 12 c-stores.
Interacting without contact using a phone soared quickly with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, what might have taken longer to drive acceptance occurred much faster.
Family Express' newly enhanced mobile app ensures that ordering and checkout can done in three to four clicks.
“COVID really pushed consumers forward in their willingness to adopt a digital experience,” said Yaqub Baiani, vice president of consumer and 7NOW at Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc., operating, franchising and/or licensing more than 13,000 convenience stores in the United States and Canada. “What was previously ‘nice to have’ is now ‘must have.’”
Mobile App Enhancement
Tying a mobile app into a loyalty program is the approach many c-store retailers are taking.
When it comes to downloading and installing mobile applications, millennials and Generation X are the most likely segments to do so, according to a recent report released by Electrum Holdings LLC, a c-store loyalty provider based in Louisville, Ky.
C-store retailers today are constantly evolving and upgrading their mobile apps to keep customers satisfied, engaged and coming back. In January, Family Express unveiled an updated and enhanced app in partnership with Rovertown, a mobile app provider based in Richmond Heights, Mo.
“The mobile app is an extension of the store experience, and it’s about convenience and personalization,” said Lyles. “Massive companies like Apple and Starbucks are proving the importance of personal experience with apps and as a c-store, you either provide that for the customer or they will go to the competition.”
7-Eleven also redesigned its mobile app nearly a year ago, prioritizing “a seamless and intuitive user experience,” and building a fully integrated ecosystem featuring a consistent design throughout, including colors, fonts and animations, according to Baiani.
“This strong foundation enables us to rapidly introduce new functionalities while maintaining a familiar and user-friendly environment for our customers,” he explained. “Additionally, we streamlined the login process by transitioning to a phone number-based system, ensuring a one-to-one matching for a more personalized experience.”
The top features of 7-Eleven’s app are 7Rewards, which enables customers to earn and spend rewards; an in-app, streamlined fuel purchasing experience; and 7NOW delivery accessible from the app and offering access to “groceries, pizza, fresh food, beverage and household items 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Baiani
noted. Additionally, the company introduced 7-Eleven Wallet in late 2020, offering a contactless way to pay in stores, and then began offering triple reward points when customers paid with it beginning this past November.
Increasing App Engagement
To keep customers engaged and drive them into the store, many c-store retailers are using push notifications via their app, often offering a mobile coupon or highlighting an in-store deal.
In its “2024 Push Notifications Report,” Rovertown revealed best practices for mobile push notifications based on analyzing 78 million push notifications sent by dozens of c-store retailers during 2023. The company found that push notifications with shorter teaser messages and longer notifications cut due to character count limits were 121% more effective due to customer curiosity, and those sent during the morning or evening hours performed 178% better.
“Push notifications are the easiest way to keep people engaged,” said Tyler Cameron, head of strategy and analytics at Rovertown. “We recommend sending out push notifications at least once a week based on our study, or even two or three [a week].”
Other key findings of the analysis were that push notifications with emojis performed 50% better, notifications highlighting contests performed 30% better than the median standalone and notifications focused on a retail price point performed 32% worse.
“COVID really pushed consumers forward in their willingness to adopt a digital experience. What was previously ‘nice to have’ is now ‘must have.’”
— Yaqub
Baiani, 7-Eleven Inc.
“After the analysis, we spoke to retailers and encouraged them to increase the frequency of notifications, incorporate emojis and send messages in the morning, and they got a 17% increase in unique app users in 30 days,” noted Frank Beard, head of marketing at Rovertown.
At Family Express, the company uses predictive scoring and artificial intelligence running with its loyalty program. The majority of its push notifications are triggered based on it.
“It has to do with frequency of visits, transactions, spend, etc., and we are utilizing a lot of predictive scoring to generate this one-on-one experience and personalization,” Lyles shared, explaining that “next best category” is also something they will use. For example, if someone purchases coffee three times a week, the next likely category to promote might be bakery, so they would get an incentive of a free Family Express doughnut on their next visit.
“We also have a feature in the new app called ‘takeover,’ so we can set parameters with geofencing and if there is a specific
Users can earn and spend rewards, streamline fuel purchases and order delivery through the redesigned 7-Eleven app.
promotion at a store, we will send a message and when the customer opens the app, there is a takeover showing what we want to communicate,” Lyles said.
Delivering More Convenience Convenience stores are focused on creating the most convenient experience possible for customers, and they are using the mobile phone to do it. In fact, most of the app enhancements being rolled out are an effort to make fueling, shopping and even getting a car wash easier.
At Family Express, the company created a more user-friendly experience for ordering its made-to-order food, integrating the checkout experience with a best-in-class payment provider to ensure that ordering and checkout can be done with three or four clicks, Lyles said.
The chain also made its car wash experience easier, allowing customers to use its mobile app to start the wash with a click of a button rather than having to use a kiosk or get out of the car, according to Clifton Dillman, vice president and CEO at Family Express.
“We also redefined our car wash experience
“We spend so much time merchandising to optimize the shopping experience in-store and that should extend digitally.”
— Terry Lyles, Family Express Corp.
with a new car wash subscription program by Mosaic,” Lyles added. “The previous subscription was a troubling experience for the customer from a signup perspective and using it. With the new offering, we are somewhere in the 60% to 70% increase [range] in new subscribers since we launched it in January.”
Smith Oil enhanced its app with its customers in mind as well. The retailer’s first app in partnership with Liquid Barcodes, a digital marketing technology company, focused on authorizing the pump and paying via the app. It utilizes ACH payment, passing on the savings on credit card fees to customers with 10 cents off per gallon, said Fluharty.
The new version of its app saw the addition of digital punch cards for coffee, cappuccino or fountain drinks, with a buy three get one free — as well as buy 11 gallons of milk and get one free, and Monster Energy and Hertz potato chips offering buy five get one free.
“The Monster Energy and Hertz are new and while we still have physical cards for coffee, cappuccino and milk, any new programs will be app only,” Fluharty explained.
In May, Smith Oil rolled out PIN pad registration for its app at checkout to encourage greater participation. While all customers can get a Monster two for $5 deal, they don’t get the punch card unless they get the app. So, it prompts them at the register and when they enter their phone number, they get a text with a link to download the app, Fluharty said.
Other Mobile Options
Even convenience store retailers without a native mobile app have the ability to reach customers on their mobile phones. Text messages are an easy and effective way to do so.
“Oftentimes, people talk about mobile focused only on mobile apps, but it’s more than mobile apps,” said Ali King, director of marketing at Electrum Holdings. “Our retailers are really enjoying the pump text feature. When a customer enters their phone number at the pump, they will get a text with a promotion that fits them based on their buying history.”
Texting at the pump is something the company started implementing in the middle of the pandemic to help retailers get customers inside the store. Since then, retailers using it have seen a lift in sales as well as ticket size, King pointed out.
“Oftentimes, people talk about mobile focused only on mobile apps, but it’s more than mobile apps.”
— Ali King, Electrum Holdings LLC
Geofencing is another technology that can help c-store retailers recognize when a customer is near a store or at the forecourt, and can trigger a text message or app push notification.
“We leverage geofencing to tailor the experience to both an in-store customer and an out-of-store customer,” said 7-Eleven’s Baiani. “If you’re in the vicinity of a store, the app is highlighting things that are relevant to that specific store. But if you’re sitting at home and open the app, the app is going to highlight delivery or find nearest store, find a car wash. We’re highlighting things to help get you to a store.”
Family Express uses geofencing for its car wash platform to know a customer is near and allow them to activate the kiosk, Dillman explained. The retailer also uses geofencing for its “takeover” feature where an offer takes over the screen upon opening the app.
Electrum Holdings President Ed Craig said another option gaining some traction throughout various retail industries is the progressive web app. Built like a traditional website using HTML, CSS or JavaScript, customers can opt in with a phone number and be texted a link that opens up to a promotion or deal, or enables them to enroll in a loyalty program.
“The progressive web app combines the best of the web, and then customers don’t have to download a native app,” said Craig. “They just enter their phone number at the pump or in-store and it tracks rewards for them.”
No matter what route a retailer takes when it comes to the mobile experience, it must enhance a customer’s shopping experience in some way, and it must know the customer and what they desire, emphasized Rovertown’s Beard.
“It’s tempting, if you hear a competitor added a certain feature, to constantly chase what is out there, but it doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to compliment the retailer’s strategy,” he advised. “We have retailers doing a couple things really well and that is what counts.”
Smith Oil's new mobile app introduced digital punch cards for new programs.
2024 MIDYEAR REPORT CARD
A Downward Turn
Halfway into the year, key c-store product categories are seeing increasingly negative results
By Angela Hanson
ONE YEAR AGO, the convenience store industry was seeing deceptively positive results, with multiple key categories reporting dollar sales increases — likely prompted by higher prices across the board — that masked the impact of softening growth or decreases in unit volume. Although only the long-declining cigarettes category posted overall negative results, it prompted many to wonder how long rising prices could lift up the convenience channel.
Halfway through 2024 and the channel has its answer. The majority of key convenience
store categories saw both dollars and units decrease from January through June, with the remainder posting higher dollar sales but lower unit volume. It appears that many U.S. consumers have reached their limit in what they can or will pay for c-store items.
Despite these pessimistic results, not all the news is negative. Through the first three months of this year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) observed steady consumer spending despite inflationary pressures. NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz cited higher prices for services as a challenge because they leave less household income available for retail goods.
Three months later, Kleinhenz stated that the nation had reached “a critical moment” as economists waited to see the effects of fast economic growth and low unemployment, noting that “much like 2017, the economy is going strong, and the labor market is still relatively tight. But this time we’re waiting for inflation to come down — and we’re also waiting for the Federal Reserve to decide on when to lower interest rates.”
Meanwhile, market research and advisory firm Circana in June observed signs of stability in discretionary general
merchandise and consumer packaged goods due to consumers adjusting their spending behavior and price pressures moderating.
“The road to retail stability will be a bumpy one, as changes associated with seasonality combined with extreme year-over-year sales comps will bring more spending shifts for marketers to navigate,” said Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry advisor at Circana. “The good news is that if the price is right, the consumer will bite.”
The exclusive Convenience Store News 2024 Midyear Report Card, compiled in partnership with NielsenIQ, looks at dollar sales and unit volume metrics for January through June 2024 to evaluate which c-store product categories are gaining vs. losing amidst today’s challenges.
The State of Cigarettes
Convenience store industry sales of cigarettes declined again in 2023, with dollar sales falling 4.3% — the biggest drop in the last five years. Unit volume in the category fell even further, dropping 7.4%.
The first half of 2024 accelerated the category’s rate of decline, with cigarette dollar sales falling 6% and unit volume falling 9.9%.
Examining the performance of individual segments paints an equally dire picture for the category. While economy/value cigarettes saw significant growth last year in both dollar sales and unit volume, dollars were down 6.2% from January to June 2024 and units were down 10%.
Mid-level and premium/super premium cigarettes also saw both dollar sales and unit volume decline from January through June. However, unlike in last year’s Midyear Report Card, the mid-level segment posted the greatest declines.
The State of OTP
Other tobacco products (OTP) had a better 2023 than cigarettes in terms of dollar sales, with total industry sales increasing 3.9%, slipping less than a point from the previous year. However, unit sales struggled, falling 3.3%.
Mixed segment results kept the category out of the red for the first six months of 2024, but just barely, with total dollar sales growing 0.8%. Unit volume continued to struggle and declined 4.5% over the same timeframe.
Smokeless tobacco alternatives was the only segment to grow in both dollars and units during the first half of 2024, with total industry dollar sales rising an impressive 73.7% and unit volume increasing 54.6%. Cigars, papers, pipe/cigarette tobacco, smokeless and vaping products all posted declines in both dollar sales and unit volume. Other tobacco/nicotine products saw dollar sales increase (up 6.5%) but unit volume decrease (down 2.5%).
CIGARETTES
OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS
PACKAGED BEVERAGES
BEER & MALT BEVERAGES
The State of Packaged Beverages
The packaged beverages category saw little change in 2023, with total industry dollar sales growth holding steady at 7.9%, while total unit volume saw no positive or negative change.
That steadiness began to slip during the first half of 2024, with dollar sales seeing virtually no increase at 0.1% growth and unit volume declining 3.6%.
Carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, enhanced water and sports drinks all saw dollar sales rise from January through June, indicating continued consumer interest in beverages with functional attributes. However, these segments also saw unit volume declines. All other packaged beverage segments posted declines in both dollar sales and unit volume.
The State of Beer & Malt Beverages
Sales of beer and malt beverages saw modest improvement in 2023, with total industry dollar sales rising 3.1% and total unit volume nearly flat at 0.6% growth.
The category didn’t perform as well during the first six months of 2024. Total dollar sales fell 2%, while unit volume fell 2.6%. This was driven by negative results for alcoholic cider, alcoholic seltzer, budget/value beer and malt liquor, all of which saw both dollar sales and unit volume declines.
Cheladas, flavored malt beverages, imported beer and nonalcoholic beer had a better six months, posting increases in both dollar sales and unit volume. Nonalcoholic beer and flavored malt beverages posted the most growth. Meanwhile, microbrews/craft beer stayed flat in dollar sales but saw unit volume grow 2.5%.
The State of Candy
Due to rising prices, the candy category saw a second consecutive year of mismatched performance results in 2023, with total industry dollar sales increasing 9.6% as unit volume fell 4.4%, the second biggest drop in the last five years.
During the first half of 2024, that previous mismatch turned into negative results for both dollars and units. Total dollar sales for the category fell 2.1%, while unit volume declined 8.4%.
Most confectionery segments saw both dollar sales and unit volume decrease from January through June, including category leader chocolate bars/ packs (down 3.6% in dollars and 8.9% in units).
Repackaged peg candy, the No. 2 segment in the category, and gum were the only segments to see dollar sales increase, but both posted a decline in unit volume.
The State of Salty Snacks
Dollar sales growth for the salty snacks category was healthy last year, reaching into the double digits at 10.2% growth in total industry sales. However, total unit volume declined 1.2%, following two years of positive movement.
CANDY
SALTY SNACKS
EDIBLE GROCERY
Source: NielsenIQ, June 2024
Sales further slowed during the first half of 2024, with dollar sales slipping into the negative and falling 0.3%. Unit volume decreased 6.1%, its largest drop since 2020.
Individual segments within the category saw varied results. No segment posted an increase in unit volume. Mixed salty snacks, packaged ready-to-eat popcorn and pretzels saw both dollar sales and unit volume decrease. All other salty snack segments saw dollar sales increase but growth was fairly low, with nuts/seeds posting the biggest increase at 1.5%.
The State of Grocery
Edible grocery sales slowed but stayed positive in 2023 after spiking the previous year, with total industry dollar sales rising 5.7%. However, total unit volume declined 1.4%,
marking the first negative change in the last five years.
That downward trend accelerated during the first half of 2024, with total industry dollar sales declining 1.9% and unit volume dropping 7.1%.
Nearly all edible grocery segments saw both dollar sales and unit volume decline during the period. Breakfast cereal saw the biggest declines in both dollars and units. The only exception was packaged coffee/tea, which saw dollar sales rise 11% but units fall 17.8%.
C-store sales of nonedible grocery experienced a similar slump in 2023, with total industry dollar sales increasing 3.9% while total unit volume declined 2.8%, following a year of positive growth for both.
During the first six months of 2024, nonedible grocery sales fell, though to a lesser degree than edible grocery. Dollar sales were nearly flat, falling 0.5%, while unit volume declined 1.9%.
Both dollars and units for dish care and household care items rose during this period, while pet care items and other nonedible grocery saw dollar sales rise but unit volume drop. Laundry care and paper/plastic/foil products posted flat to slightly positive results.
The State of General Merchandise
General merchandise was one of the few categories not to benefit from rising prices in 2023, with total industry dollar sales falling 1% after three years of growth. Total unit volume declined 5%, continuing a multiyear streak and marking the largest volume drop since 2019.
The first half of 2024 saw little change in sales trends for the category as dollar sales fell 1.3% and unit volume declined 7.2%.
Hardware/tools/housewares and other general merchandise saw positive results during the period, with both dollars and units growing. Sales of seasonal items posted 2.2% growth in dollar sales, but unit volume declined 14.8%. All other segments of the category experienced a drop in both dollar sales and unit volume.
The State of Health & Beauty Care
The health and beauty care (HBC) category was one of the few to see little change in 2023, with total industry dollar sales increasing 5%, down from 6.6% the previous year. Total unit volume declined 0.7%, barely down from a 0.5% decrease in 2022.
HBC sales were somewhat more negative during the first half of 2024, with dollar sales increasing just 2.9% and unit volume decreasing by a more significant 3.6%.
Grooming aids, vitamins/supplements and personal hygiene items were the only segments to see both dollars and units increase during the period.
NONEDIBLE GROCERY
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
HEALTH & BEAUTY CARE
Source: NielsenIQ, June 2024
Cough/cold remedies, family planning and skin care/ lotions/external care were split between increasing dollar sales and decreasing unit volume. All other segments dropped in both dollars and units. CSN
Betting on the Future of Convenience
The 2024 NACS Show embraces the 24/7 nature of the industry as it returns to Las Vegas
By Amanda Koprowski
2024 NACS SHOW AT A GLANCE
Las Vegas Convention Center
CONFERENCE: Oct. 7-10, 2024
EXPO: Oct. 8-10, 2024 nacsshow.com
AS PART OF a biannual tradition, which resumed after lockdown restrictions forced NACS to skip a year in 2020 and hold a reduced show in 2021, the NACS Show will return to its full form at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Oct. 7-10.
According to Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for the global trade association dedicated to advancing convenience and fuel retailing, Las Vegas has always been the NACS Show’s most widely attended location, with the event setting a record of 25,200 attendees in 2018. Beyond the geographic advantages, the city of Las Vegas is an essential part of the convenience store industry’s backstory.
“The first intentional 24-hour convenience store opened in Las Vegas in 1963 [at] the corner of Maryland and Desert Inn,” Lenard pointed out. “It’s long gone, because convenience stores don't typically stick around 60 years without significant modifications. But I think there's still an old 24-hour store at Flamingo and Koval that was from the late '60s.”
NACS’ association with Las Vegas has been
ongoing for nearly as long. In 1966, the Alexandria, Va.based group became the first food-related organizational meeting to be hosted in the city — a bit of a risk at a time when groups for the grocery and supermarket channels considered Las Vegas inappropriate for similar retail conferences.
“Sixteen NACS Shows later, I think they’ve been proven wrong,” Lenard said. “Las Vegas fits the industry's 24/7 lifestyle. It is around the clock just like many of our stores are.”
A Rallying Cry
The theme for this year’s conference is “We Are Convenience,” an admittedly broad topic that Lenard said is intended to serve as a sort of rallying cry for the entire industry.
“When you look at every other channel, they're defined by what they sell. Grocery stores sell groceries. Drugstores sell drugs. … Convenience stores sell a concept. Convenience doesn't describe what's on the shelves, it describes what customers crave, and it changes over time,” he explained. “It could be one-stop shopping. It could be a fast shopping experience. And then, when you look at a convenience store like Buc-ee's, it's entirely different. So, convenience is in the mind of the customer, and how do we present that to the customer so that our channel is top of mind?”
Education sessions will take a cue from that idea of customer-forward thinking with multiple workshops
focused on customer experience, both at the day-to-day and macro levels. Topics will range from broad demographic overviews, such as “Spilling the Tea on Gen Z,” to the best use of digital media for small operators with “Digital and Physical Marketing Strategies for Smaller Retailers.”
Lenard also recommends attendees take advantage of Las Vegas itself to find new ideas to incorporate into their business. “Vegas is the ultimate in customer experience,” he told Convenience Store News. “It doesn't have to be convenience store specific to come away with a great idea. So, pay attention to everything that you see and ask, how does that Vegas experience translate back to your stores?”
What’s Trending
This year’s NACS Show will follow up on recent trends — some building on years past, others new to the conference. Foodservice will again be a focus, expanding from four education sessions last year to six this year.
“Foodservice is closing in on 40% of in-store profit dollars. And while foodservice isn't for everyone, there's different variations. At the lower level, it could be as simple as roller dogs. At the upper end, it's fresh-made lobster rolls,” Lenard said.
The 2024 lineup will also incorporate more information on artificial intelligence (AI) as part of its educational focus, a first for NACS.
“I think people's perceptions of AI are these bad photos of people with six fingers and poorly written sentences,” Lenard said. “But AI is really a tool that can help make your people better. It's trying to find ways to elevate what you already have in the store, not replace it.”
Beyond education sessions, the show will bring in keynote speakers from outside the industry who can speak to related experiences and bring new perspectives to the channel.
Kicking off opening day will be keynote speaker Juan Bendaña, a confidence coach to corporate and entertainment leadership, who utilizes storytelling, interactive activities and humor as part of his presentations. Closing out the show on Oct. 10 will be the tag team of award-winning chefs Andrew Zimmern and David Chang, who will bring the show’s theme back around to foodservice with a live cooking demonstration to illustrate the ways convenience stores can elevate their prepared food offerings.
Other highlights attendees can look forward to are:
• The kickoff party at Azilo Ultra Lounge & Pool, located at the Sahara Las Vegas;
• A 430,000-square-foot expo floor showcasing more than 200 new exhibitors;
• More than 50 education sessions; and
• The Food Safety Forum, a colocated NACS event.
On the Horizon
Lenard is confident about the state of the c-store industry, but points to some areas where consumer preferences continue to evolve and where operators will need to adjust.
“We're seeing a decline in fuel consumption at a few percentage points a year. Electric vehicles [EVs] are only 1% of all the cars on the road, so it's not the EVs that are driving a decrease in demand. It's the increase in fuel economy from the internal combustion engine powered vehicles. It's not necessarily a decrease in driving, but with more people having the ability to work from home, that takes away the commuter,” he pointed out.
On the plus side, he said: “We're also seeing remote workers go out a couple times during the day, sometimes just to get out of the house or to grab a cup of coffee; things like that.”
Even with the changes and challenges c-store retailers are experiencing, Lenard believes one of the best ways to navigate any oncoming storm is through the simple art of networking.
"Make friends at the show. It might be with vendors. It might be with retailers. It might be [with] industry experts. But you won't find a larger collection of people committed to our industry,” he said. “Use those contacts, because nobody should have to figure out things on their own.” CSN
The 2024 NACS Show will include a 430,000-square-foot expo floor and more than 50 education sessions.
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Equipment/Supplies
Fueling Fundamentals
Price isn’t the only factor motorists consider when choosing where to fill up
When the fuel gauge hits E, motorists have many options when deciding where to fill up their gas tanks. They can choose a convenience store, gas station, truck stop, wholesale club, a mass merchant; the list goes on. What makes a driver choose one location over another? The 2024 Convenience Store News Realities of the Aisle Study, which surveyed 1,500 consumers who shop a c-store at least once a month, revealed these insights about the fuel path to purchase:
In a Typical Month, Where Will You Purchase Fuel?
Decision Factors for Purchasing Fuel
Eight in 10 shoppers who purchased fuel at a c-store in the past month say price is the top decision factor for them when determining where to fill up their tank. A convenient location is a close second.
Female shoppers are more likely to prioritize fueling their vehicles at a convenience store they like — 51% cited this as extremely/very important vs. 46% for all respondents.
How Often Do You Buy In-Store Items
little more than a quarter of convenience store fuelers say they purchase in-store items almost all the time. However, this figure dropped 5 points year over year.
NOVEMBER 13, 2024 HILTON DOWNTOWN DES MOINES
ANNOUNCING...
PRESENTED BY
From the most established brand in the convenience store retailer space comes one of the highest honors in the industry: the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame. This is a must-attend gala event with some of the most influential retailers and suppliers in the c-store industry in attendance, honoring some of the industry’s most admired retailer and supplier executives.
4 REASONS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CSNEWS HALL OF FAME EVENT:
• Strengthen and develop industry relationships
• Be known as a leader in the industry
• Gain visibility for your brand and products
• Reach retail and supplier executives and key decision-makers
Hall of Fame is an intimate awards gala reception, dinner and award ceremony celebrating the induction of outstanding men and women who have exhibited exceptional leadership and provided significant contributions to the convenience store industry.
2024 HONOREES
RETAILER HALL OF FAME
Darren Rebelez CEO
Casey’s General Stores
SUPPLIER HALL OF FAME
Kimberli Carroll CEO Ruiz Foods
RETAILER EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Chuck Maggelet CEO Maverik
For more sponsorship information please contact Paula Lashinsky, SVP/Group Publisher, plashinsky@ensembleiq.com
