Roaster’s Market Builds Presence in Ada, Okla

Editor’s Memo

For any questions about this issue or suggestions for future issues, please contact me at jlofstock@wtwhmedia.com.

Overcoming Supply Chain Disruptions

In the battle to be the fi rst to market with new products, retailers face fi erce competition from other industry operators and cross-channel marketers. Despite the battle for that share of wallet, chains have come to depend on their wholesalers and product manufacturers for the information they need to make smart business choices.

The convenience store industry’s distributors and manufacturers are tremendous resources for identifying hot sales trends, new product information and emerging customer shopping patterns.

But right now, we are seeing unprecedented supply disruptions that are affecting not only foodservice, snacks and beverages, but also the delivery of gondolas, cooler doors and even back-offi ce equipment. Depending on who you ask, the root cause is a lack of raw materials, factory workers or truckers to ship the items. But for retailers, the cause doesn’t really matter when you have a new store opening in six weeks and can’t get gondolas.

That makes this year’s National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Chicago all the more important. After missing a year of face-to-face meetings, retailers have an opportunity to reengage with their supplier partners and to lean on these long-term relationships to ignite the business.

“Our vendor partnerships are closely tied to our success as an industry,” Greg Parker, president and CEO of The Parker Cos. told me not long ago. “Because we are so focused on product, we focus heavily on our supplier relationships and their commitment to our company to create the win-win — what we can learn from them and what they can learn from us. We share our data with our trusted suppliers, and they provide us with new product ideas to address what we’re both learning.”

For this reason, the relationship between c-store operators and their supplier/wholesaler partners can never be understated. Each side relies on the other for support and growth opportunities. It is a true mutually benefi cial relationship.

FINDING WHAT WORKS

But like all relationships, there can be bumps in the road.

When it comes to dealing with a host of primary wholesalers, multiple direct-store-delivery (DSD) vendors and local foodservice providers, convenience store chains must learn how to grow more effi ciently without sacrifi cing goods and services.

It is extremely important for stores to develop planograms for every section of the store and then to revisit these planograms seasonally, if not monthly. Utilizing scan data and wholesaler data, even the smallest chains can have instant access to which products are selling and which ones are collecting dust.

Staging a store to encourage sales is a science that requires consistent attention and frequent tweaking. For most retailers, store sets are not a one-time-anddone chore but an ongoing part of doing business. At many top-quartile chains, management does regular resets based on category.

When preparing for a reset, it’s important to look at internal scan data and compare that to local market sales data, specifi cally drug and grocery scan data, which you can get from your wholesaler. This will help you ensure that the products on your shelves are what your customers are looking for every time they come to your stores.

As the industry struggles with supply disruptions, successful chains have learned that it’s OK to cut back on one category to make space for a category that is growing. Successful merchandising is as much about having products in stock — any products — as it is embracing new opportunities.

The payoff from collaborative efforts can be tremendous. At this year’s NACS Show, make the most of the opportunities before you. Visit your key supplier and manufacturer partners as you prepare for the unique challenges that await you in the year ahead. Tell them what you want, work together to develop a plan to get what you need, then continue providing that outstanding service your customers have come to expect.

I look forward to seeing you at the show. John Lofstock

Roaster’s Market Builds Presence in Ada, Okla.

Roaster’s Market opened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with upscale food and coffee options, a high-end design and a community-centered approach.

Emily Boes • Editorial Assistant

Roaster’s Market, which celebrated its grand opening in 2020, brings an upmarket c-store experience to Ada, Okla.

The 5,200-square-foot site features a welcoming atmosphere and an expansive rotisserie menu and coffee bar. It also provides a drive-through, online ordering and touch-free restrooms, all of which came in handy during the early days of the pandemic when social distancing was top of mind for many customers.

While Roaster’s Market is a single-store operation — for now — the location boasts the upscale design, foodservice acumen and tech-forward initiatives that are traditionally the domain of much larger chains.

Roaster’s Market offers fresh, made-toorder food, including sides and Roaster’sbranded chips.

And Roaster’s has its sights set on future growth, with plans for a second location and a loyalty program on the horizon.

EARLY BEGINNINGS

Mike Lawson, owner and CEO of Lawson Retail Operations, drew on his more than 20 years of experience in the industry when developing Roaster’s Market.

Lawson entered the fuel industry in 1995 when he acquired Danielson Fuel Services, which has provided fuel for c-stores in the South Central U.S. since 1975.

While acting as president of Danielson Fuel Services, Lawson also founded and served as CEO of Convenience Store Alliance (CSA), a buying program for independent c-store operators that helped them leverage their group buying power to achieve better pricing and position themselves to compete with larger chains. Lawson later divested Danielson Fuel Services and CSA in August 2020.

In 2012, Lawson also launched Lawson Holding Co., which included a transportation division, called Lawson Transportation, and a retail arm named Lawson Retail Operations.

Under the retail arm, the company bought a small truck stop in 2017, in rural Oklahoma, to test its ability to execute a retail operation.

“We had all the components. We just wanted to make sure we were able to do it,” Lawson said.

Along with a team that facilitated retail accounting, the company hired a general manager named Ben Bowman, who had steadily worked his way through the ranks with the distribution company and the buying program.

Bowman took control of the truck stop location and “did everything that we’d hoped for and more,” Lawson noted. The company still owns the site today.

In 2017, Lawson began to develop the concept for his c-store brand, Roaster’s Market.

Once the truck stop proved a success, the company purchased a former service station, which became the original Roaster’s Market location, officially opening its doors on July 16, 2020.

COMFORTABLE, FRESH FEEL

Lawson knew he wanted an upscale design for Roaster’s Market that conveyed its foodservice-centric vision to customers as they entered the store.

He partnered with design firm Paragon Solutions and shared three concepts he wanted the firm to draw from and join together as they created the Roaster’s Market design.

“I wanted to combine the design and atmospheric elements of several trending cafés,” he noted.

“One was Corner Bakery in the Dallas area,” Lawson explained. “It’s a smaller chain, has that café, barista-type feel, white-painted brick on the outside and comfortable woodwork on the inside.”

The second was Zoës, a local Mediterranean chain with “bright, fresh pillars.” Lawson liked the warm, inviting atmosphere of Zoës, and he especially liked that the atmosphere conveyed a sense of freshness that signals to customers that it offers fresh, quality food. “And then (third), Panera Bread, along the same line, but it gives more of that warm feel of its food offering,” he said.

Today, as customers enter Roaster’s Market, they’re greeted by red brick walls with dark green accents. The interior of the store includes a seating area with space for 40 guests that includes four tables as well as seating along a bar. Outside, a patio seats 50 and features table umbrellas and misting fans. A canopy was added once it became known that outdoor seating would be preferable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Music also plays a large role in the ambiance of the store. Typically, the songs played are recognizable ‘70s