VIEWPOINT By Don Longo, Editorial Director
One List You Can Count On Convenience Store News’ Top 100 reveals a still robust and fragmented c-store industry
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n most retail trade channels, coming up with a list of the top 50 chains, like our sister media brand Progressive Grocer does in the supermarket industry, wouldn’t be easy due to retail consolidation. In one of my first editorial management jobs, I supervised the collection of data for a list of the Top 100 Discount Store Chains, a list that included such nowdefunct stores as Ames, Bradlees, Caldor, Venture and Zayre. Today, that list would include only Walmart, Target and Sears/Kmart — at least for now, as I don’t see Sears/Kmart surviving much longer. For another trade publication, I compiled a list of the Top 300 Home Center Chains. That once-lengthy list would basically consist of The Home Depot and Lowe’s today. And how easy would it be today to compile a list of the top drugstore chains? Even the For comments, please contact Don Longo, Editorial Director, dollar store business doesn’t go at (201) 855-7606 or much deeper than Dollar General, dlongo@ensembleiq.com. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. So, we are really lucky in the convenience store industry to be able to put together not just our longrunning Convenience Store News Top 100 (see page 28), but also to provide a new feature this year called “The Next 100,” a CSNews.com ranking of the top
101-200 c-store chains. The large number of operating companies in the convenience store industry is proof of a retail channel that has vitality, energy, robust competition and a high degree of entrepreneurship. This doesn’t mean that consolidation isn’t occurring and that the biggest chains aren’t getting bigger. Gone are The Pantry and Hess stores, and CST Brands’ banners are likely to disappear now that the acquisition by Alimentation Couche-Tard has closed. Consolidation is occurring AND the channel still remains highly fragmented. It remains a great time to be in the c-store business as either a retailer or a supplier. This year, the top 10 chains of the CSNews Top 100 account for about 26 percent of total industry stores, a percentage-point gain from about 25 percent a year ago. The Top 100 chains account for about 41 percent of total industry stores, up just slightly from 39.5 percent last year. However, the top 200 companies represent only about 44 percent of total industry stores. So, make no mistake, consolidation at the top is very real and once you get past the Top 100, the second 100 represents less than 3 percent of all stores. The CSNews Top 100 (and our bonus The Next 100 online) is still the most-respected, accurate, mostreferenced, and longest-running listing of the c-store industry’s largest chains. I hope you enjoy this year’s edition, both in print and online.
EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS (2013-2017) 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 2015 American Society of Business Press Editors, National Azbee Awards Silver, Best Profile (long form), February 2014 2015 American Society of Business Press Editors, Midwest Regional Azbee Awards Gold, Best Special Supplement, November 2014 Silver, Best Profile (long form), February 2014 2013 American Society of Business Press Editors, Midwest Regional Azbee Awards Bronze, Best Editorial/Commentary, July 2012 2016 Trade Association Business Publications Intl. Tabbie Awards Silver, Front Cover Illustration, June 2015
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
2013 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award Best Single Issue, October 2012 2013 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award Finalist, Best Profile, August 2012
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 2015 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, February 2014 2014 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, October 2013 Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, February 2013 2013 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, October 2012
4 Convenience Store News | JULY 2017 | WWW.CSNEWS.COM
Brett Atherton Bolla Management Jon Bratta Core-Mark International Inc. Rick Crawford Green Valley Grocery Edward Davidson ER Davidson & Associates (7-Eleven Inc., retired) Jim Hachtel Eby-Brown Co. Ray Johnson Speedee Mart
Jack Lewis GPM Midwest
Kirk Leff McLane Co. Inc.
Roy Strasburger Convenience Management Services Inc.
Danielle Mattiussi Maverik Inc. Kyle McKeen Alon Brands Inc. Richard Mione GPM Southeast Jonathan Polonsky Plaid Pantries Inc. Greg Scriver Kwik Trip Inc.