A Rebounding First Half

RISING STARS

has impacted the tobacco, OTP, CBD and beverage categories; and Canada’s experience with marijuana legalization.

HANNAH WALKER

Partner Solutions Manager

GreenPrint

• Walker has played an essential role in growing GreenPrint from the ground up and acts as the primary strategist leading branded sustainability programs for four global and U.S.-based retailers and fleet clients. Through her leadership, GreenPrint’s influence has spanned the globe and its clients have seen increasing volume sales as a result.

• She works closely with GreenPrint’s data analysis team to ensure client programs are yielding impressive and worthwhile results. GreenPrint is currently on track to reach its goal of offsetting 3 million tons of CO2 in 2021, the emissions equivalent of more than 500,000 homes’ electricity use for a year.

• Walker has received honors from several of GreenPrint’s nonprofit partners, including Arenac Conservation District, Onondaga Earth Corps, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, and GROW Enrichment.

ANAHI WRAY

Senior Category Manager

7-Eleven Inc.

• Wray oversees the commissions and financial services category. Throughout her tenure, she has spearheaded the expansion of the commissions category to offer self-service solutions, including integrating cryptocurrency kiosks, parcel lockers, key duplication services, and garment-cleaning lockers, among others. As a result, 7-Eleven has become the leading destination of any retail channel for the coveted new mover demographic.

• She pioneered Digital Currency Machines (DCM) in the c-store channel by leading 7-Eleven to be the first c-store retailer to install bidirectional DCMs where customers can both buy and sell bitcoin and other digital currencies.

• Wray holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in global commerce from Lynchburg College, and is a member of the Network of Executive Women.

MENTORS

TARA ANTLE

Manager, Talent Acquisition

Casey’s General Stores Inc.

• Antle is the only recruiting leader for all of Casey’s more than 2,200 stores. She assists division leaders in identifying and prioritizing specific recruiting project needs for the team, creating personalized recruitment campaigns, and coaching leaders through creative sourcing opportunities.

• She was instrumental in offering guidance and leadership to ensure HR business partners understood hiring and retention challenges, and has been a sounding board for that team to ensure it is working together to design solutions that best meet the needs of store leaders.

• Antle, who holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership, advocates for operators when systems, processes or deliverables are not meeting expectations, and does so in a professional manner. Several leaders across multiple divisions laud her as a mentor.

DONNA BARBIER

Senior Chain Sales Executive

Molson Coors Beverage Co.

• Barbier is responsible for two business units of Circle K covering five states, which account for 17 percent of Molson Coors’ business with Circle K. In 2019, she was invited by the Circle K Gulf Coast Business Unit to speak at its annual Women’s Council meeting, recognizing her leadership as a female in the c-store industry.

• According to Jim Hughes, vice president – convenience for Molson Coors, Barbier exudes confidence in a very approachable way, which makes her a great mentor for others. She has mentored several coworkers including new hires, seasoned employees and members of Molson Coors’ distributor sales teams.

• During her career, Barbier has been named a National Chain Sales Executive of the Year with Molson Coors, a President’s Club winner with CocaCola, and recognized nationally by CSNews sister publication Progressive Grocer with Winn Dixie.

MENTORS

JULIE BELTRAN

Training Specialist

Chevron USA Inc.

• Beltran has influence and oversight of all training activities for Chevron Stations Inc. (CSI). During her career, she has personally mentored and promoted dozens of employees, including one company-owned, company-operated (COCO) business consultant; two pricebook agents; one area trainer; one CSI Development Program temp; three designated operators; more than 30 assistant managers; and 15 station managers.

• She collaborates with all internal and external organizations to develop training content and uses her 25 years of field experience to keep training relevant to station employees. In addition to her core training activities, she has implemented leadership training for COCO business consultants to develop and improve their leadership skills.

• Beltran plays a major role in transforming CSI into a more diverse workforce, partnering with an accredited organization to provide employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

MEGAN GIBSON

Human Resources Business Partner

RaceTrac Petroleum Inc.

• Gibson supports RaceTrac’s West Florida regional team members, spanning 90 stores. Her main objective is to provide support with staffing, in addition to supporting recruiters and trainers and the operations team with any employee-related initiatives, such as new hire orientation and any other training initiatives.

• RaceTrac Communications Coordinator Lauryn Greer calls Gibson a “go-getter,” noting that “Megan is naturally motivated by helping others and guiding them through their own problem solving. She is a selfless leader and always puts others first.”

• During her time with the retailer’s West Florida regional office, Gibson has been selected as the Contagious Leader twice.

LORI HALL

District Manager

Coen Markets

• Hall is charged with the dayto-day operations of 10 Coen Markets locations and the Coen Tire business, including budgetary and fiscal responsibility. She has topped all districts in revenue growth and expense control.

• Leading the way in execution for many years — and only ramping up her efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic — Hall drove double-digit increases in profitability and expense control, while keeping her stores at a high standard and growing sales in more than half of the locations she oversees despite transactions being down nearly 20 percent in the industry during the pandemic.

• Before becoming district manager, Hall was a store manager in the industry, and a bar owner before that. She’s been in retail leadership for more than 20 years.

BEKA JACKSON

Director, Foodservice Project Management

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K

• This year, Jackson will celebrate 11 years with Couche-Tard. Formerly the manager of the company’s first all-women construction team, she was recently promoted to her current role because of her project management and experience in in-store layout, equipment and facilities.

• In addition to overseeing 100-plus store remodels and facilitating the opening of 29 new-to-industry sites, Jackson led numerous rollout projects, such as the Simply Great Coffee, Real Hot Dog and Polar Pop programs. She was also responsible for overseeing the North American rollouts of the Fresh Food, Fast and Digital Food Safety programs.

• Jackson is the regional lead for the ACT Women’s Council, an active member of the ACT Disability Inclusion business resource group, and volunteers with a shelter for women and children.

MYRA KRESSNER

Founder & President

Kressner Strategy Group

• Kressner has facilitated strategic engagement for suppliers and retailers in the consumable retail industries for more than 30 years.

MENTORS

• In 2016, she founded Kressner Strategy Group, where she serves as an advisor to C-suite, marketing and operations management, and develops and oversees strategic engagement and business development initiatives. Most recently, in 2020, she cofounded The Vision Group for cross-channel discussion of disruptive solutions.

• Kressner is a SUNY New Paltz Foundation board member and a frequent speaker at the SUNY New Paltz Women’s Leadership Summit. In 2018, she created the Kressner Family Autism Spectrum Program and endowment. Kressner also serves as marketing director of the nonprofit Theatre by the Bay NY.

AMY LANE

Senior Vice President, Special Projects

Parker’s

• Lane is Parker’s go-to person to handle special projects with construction and environmental components. She provides executive-level support to the company’s operations, marketing and maintenance teams on a daily basis, and serves as a dedicated mentor to district managers.

• Drawing on nearly 40 years of experience in the c-store industry, Lane considers mentoring team members her biggest and most important role at Parker’s. She takes new district managers under her wing and helps them become the best they can be, both as individuals and Parker’s professionals.

• Last year, Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker presented Lane with the 2020 Terri Heidmann Leadership Award. She was also previously honored as a SeniorLevel Leader in CSNews’ inaugural TWIC class in 2014.

SARAH MONTGOMERY

Director of Strategic Account Executives

Applied Data Corp.

• Montgomery plays an integral role in all of Applied Data Corp.’s (ADC) thought leadership, speaking engagements, product innovation, and relationships within the convenience store industry.

• Since graduating from the University of Georgia, Montgomery has focused on technology and software sales. At ADC, she’s had the opportunity to drive strategies for the nation’s largest convenience foodservice retailers. • Montgomery — who was recently promoted to manage the Strategic Account Team at ADC — was honored as a Rising Star in CSNews’ 2020 TWIC program. She was also honored as ADC’s Employee of the Quarter during the fourth quarter of 2020, and was recognized by the company as the top sales representative of 2020.

CYNTHIA WEST

Restaurant Manager

Rutter’s

• West effectively manages the operation of a high-volume Rutter’s convenience store restaurant by planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and leading others to maximize profitability and achieve company goals. She is a training mentor for all of Rutter’s restaurant managers.

• According to her nominator, Rutter’s Vice President of Operations Jere Matthews, West is a true team player, always willing to assist other stores in any way she can. “Her competitive nature drives her team to be better as a direct result of herself,” he said.

• West, who has been a part of the Rutter’s team for six years, was a finalist for Rutter’s Team Member of the Year award in 2018.

ELIZABETH WILES

Sales Director

JUUL Labs

• Wiles is a marketing and sales specialist with 18 years of extensive corporate experience working on behalf of some of the world’s most prestigious and innovative brands, including AnheuserBusch and Arby’s. She joined JUUL Labs in 2018 as key account manager before being promoted to her current role.

• She is a founding member of JUUL’s first employee resource group (ERG) and serves as co-chair of the Women’s Leadership ERG. Beyond her responsibilities in her sales role, she has fostered countless connections to grow the careers of peer women.

• Her nominator notes: “Elizabeth understands the value of fostering cross-functional relationships, internally at our company, as well as externally with wholesalers. She completely transformed the business relationship and rapport JUUL Labs now has with its distributor partners and chain customers.” CSN

2021 MIDYEAR REPORT CARD

A Rebounding First Half

The Convenience Store News Midyear Report Card finds improved business conditions despite continued pandemic-related issues

By Don Longo

CONVENIENCE STORE retail sales began bouncing back during the first half of this year as widespread vaccinations helped relieve the economic mess caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the exclusive Convenience Store News 2021 Midyear Report Card, most in-store product categories showed a healthy sales increase during the first six months of this year compared to the dismal results posted in the first half of 2020.

Year over year, the categories showing the greatest advances in dollar sales growth were:

• Packaged Beverages: up 13.8 percent, an improvement of 16 points from the 2.2 percent decline seen in the first six months of 2020;

• Candy: up 10.5 percent, a more than 13-point swing from the 2.8 percent decline reported in this category for the first half of 2020;

• General Merchandise: up 9.7 percent, an improvement of 14 points from the 4.4 percent decline posted in 2020’s first half; and

• Salty Snacks: up 8.1 percent, a near 16-point swing from a 7.6 percent decline in the first six months of 2020.

Meanwhile, two product categories that were standout performers during the worst of the pandemic in 2020 — beer/malt beverages and edible grocery — came back to earth this year. But that should have been expected after the huge increases seen last year.

FEATURE

2021 MIDYEAR REPORT CARD

GAINS CONTINUE FOR CIGARETTES

The rebound in cigarette sales that started last year when sales trends reversed from a 5 percent decline in 2019 to a slight gain in 2020 continued in the first half of 2021. Dollar sales of cigarettes were up 2.9 percent for the first six months of the year, while unit volume declined by only 3.6 percent, a twopoint improvement over a year ago.

Premium brands and subgeneric/private label cigarettes drove the business at c-stores during the first half of this year, with 4.1 percent and 4.9 percent sales gains, respectively.

Imported brands, on the other hand, experienced a larger-than-usual decline of nearly 18 percent.

Adversely affected by the foot traffic declines of last year, the packaged beverages category at c-stores came back in a big way in the first half of 2021.

OTP BOUNCES BACK

Dollar sales of other tobacco products (OTP), one of the fastest-growing categories of the past several years, slowed during the first half of 2020, but bounced back nicely in 2021.

Most OTP subcategories contributed sales gains, from 5.6 percent for electronic cigarettes, to 5.4 percent for smokeless tobacco, to 4.2 percent for cigars.

Overall, dollar sales in the category were up 4.9 percent for the first six months of this year, while unit volume posted less than a 1 percent decrease.

PACKAGED BEVERAGE SALES SPARKLE

Adversely affected by the foot traffic declines of last year, the packaged beverages category at c-stores came back in a big way in the first half of 2021.

Total packaged beverage sales increased almost 14 percent, after a 2.2 percent sales decline in first-half

CIGARETTES

Total Cigarettes Branded discount Fourth tier Imported Premium Subgeneric/private label

2021 FIRST HALF (JANUARY-JUNE) DOLLAR SALES UNIT VOLUME % CHANGE % CHANGE 2.9% -3.6% -4.2% -11.0% -4.4% -9.0% -17.9% -16.7% 4.1% -2.2% 4.9% -1.4%

OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS

Total OTP Cigars E-cigarettes Other tobacco Papers Pipe/cigarette tobacco Pipes Smokeless

2021 FIRST HALF (JANUARY-JUNE) DOLLAR SALES UNIT VOLUME % CHANGE % CHANGE 4.9% -0.9% 4.2% -3.3% 5.6% 10.4% 1.1% -1.0% 1.5% 1.5% -14.9% -15.3% 217.0% 359.4% 5.4% 1.2%

PACKAGED BEVERAGES

2021 FIRST HALF (JANUARY-JUNE) DOLLAR SALES UNIT VOLUME % CHANGE % CHANGE Total Packaged Beverages 13.8% 9.5% Bottled water 13.3% 10.7% Carbonated soft drinks 6.2% 1.2% Energy drinks 14.2% 12.9% Enhanced water 36.8% 32.2% Iced tea (ready to drink) 7.7% 2.8% Juice/juice drinks 12.7% 7.7% Other packaged beverages 22.1% 18.9% Sports drinks 23.4% 18.2%

BEER & MALT BEVERAGES

Total Beer Budget Flavored malt Imported Malt liquor Microbrews/craft Non-alcoholic Popular Premium Super premium

2021 FIRST HALF (JANUARY-JUNE) DOLLAR SALES UNIT VOLUME % CHANGE % CHANGE 1.6% -1.9% -11.1% -12.1% 20.4% 11.1% 6.3% 3.9% -13.6% -15.1% 2.1% 1.6% 32.3% 21.9% -4.2% -11.7% -4.8% -7.0% 5.4% 4.6%

Source: Convenience Store News Market Research; Nielsen C-store Track, June 2021