Pioneer Exchange

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BUILDING ON OUR MOMENTUM Vendors urged to bring fresh excitement to the mix More than 200 vendors were on hand for the second annual Parkland Vendor Summit, Come Grow With Us, at the Toronto Congress Centre. Inset, from left: Pioneer Director Ian White; Parkland CEO Bob Espey; and Parkland VP Retail Peter Kiltie. Parkland’s strong customer focus combined with enthusiastic Retailer engagement produced outstanding sales results over the past year, Anthony DiMaulo, VP, Merchandising, Loyalty and Marketing told vendors during a Come Grow With Us presentation in early October at the Toronto Congress Centre. Vendors heard that overall store sales had jumped 12 percent; same store sales were up five percent; conversion rates climbed four percent; and the average basket size increased by seven percent. “We want to build on our positive results and momentum, and we need your help to take this to the next level,” said Anthony, in thanking vendors for their support, before stating what Parkland is seeking in the coming year including: • Bring us new and innovative first-to-market opportunities. • Bring us exclusive programs and products to create excitement at the site level and to help turn customers into brand ambassadors. • Margin-enhancement opportunities to make Parkland stores even more productive. • Category management captaincy support – “We need your best people on our account with the power to make decisions and to provide category management support.” • Support for new store/retrofit openings. • Support for Grand Opening events – “Help us make these exciting for customers, Retailers and the community.” • Share industry information and market trend research. • Think outside the box to support our continued growth – “We’re listening, we’re engaged, we’re willing to take some risks, and will continue to deliver and invest in those who invest in us.” Parkland CEO Bob Espey announced that the acquisition of On the Run, which closed the day before the event, would be the company’s flagship brand to roll out new programs. “This makes us the third largest convenience retailer in Canada with access (for vendors) to the largest number of stores.” “Pioneer is a strong brand, people gravitate toward it and it is valued by our customers. This will be help drive organic growth in the East for us.” Peter Kiltie, VP, Retail, noted that in addition to acquisitions Parkland is focusing on organic growth, with a goal of three to five percent growth annually. “It is exciting to know that we can acquire quality businesses and grow them.” PG. 6
GROWING SALES is top priority for new Director of Retail Merchandising Eli Mail: “The merchandising strategy won’t be about me, it’s always about the customer” Eli Mail is clear about his role as Parkland’s Director of Merchandising, a new position that was created this fall. “My job quite simply is to grow sales through our convenience store, car wash and propane offerings,” says Eli, who is spending the lion’s share of his time these days touring sites, talking to Retailers and the operations team in his search for opportunities to increase sales and better serve our customers. “I think of our business as a store selling things to people who are literally ‘On The Run’. This can be on the way to work, home, a party…anywhere really. Working closely with teams across Parkland, we will carry the right mix of products and deliver a truly great customer experience every time. Our customers want to come in to our store, find what they need, perhaps find something they didn’t come in for, and get out”. “Every single store I have visited so far has opportunities to increase sales. Maybe we’re putting destination goods where impulse products should be. That’s easy, just switch it. Or maybe it’s as simple as moving some gondolas around, or shifting merchandise to better suit the traffic flow of the store.” Eli says healthy partnerships with Territory Managers, Retailers and vendors is the key to reaching his goal of increasing sales – both with what exists now, and with new programs to come. “The new ‘Ready for Business’ program in the East is huge,” he adds. “I love that program – every single component is designed to help our Retailers deliver the best possible customer experience while maximizing sales. It gives everyone in the organization an anchor point – the customer.” Eli comes to Parkland with diverse background and experience that taught him the importance of customer focus. From merchandising funeral homes – “It was about making shopping comfortable for families during a difficult time” – to gas and retail positions at Canadian Tire and senior management roles at CIBC, it has always been about the customer. “(Parkland CEO) Bob Espey talks about being great to customers, and that resonates with me. The merchandising strategy won’t be about me, it’s always about the customer.” As he works at building grassroots relationships through Parkland, Eli is also looking at ‘big picture’ initiatives that will drive future sales. He talked with the Exchange about some of his plans. On the Run Eli is currently involved with the core team in designing the reinvented OTR of the future, an OTR that is customer centric. “This is a great project – and I’m excited by what I see. We are looking at our entire network, coast to coast, to get an understanding of where the best opportunities lie for converting existing stores to On the Run. Using a range of criteria, we are narrowing down OTR candidates, and then we will build a plan for those sites. If we can’t get to those sites with OTR package now, we will look at what we can do to strengthen our retail offer.” Merchandising Flexibility Putting impulse purchase items close to cash encourages increased sales and customer satisfaction. “Retailers are saying we need some flexibility in our merchandising assortment. I would like to introduce a program that provides our Retailers some flexibility – let’s say a certain percentage of merchandise in a store will be flexible - but only if it makes sense. The decision about product assortment would have to be a collaboration between my team, the Retailer and operations. Flex space can be used to carry the right product, appropriately priced and merchandised in a manner that is consistent with our standards”. Eli will soon be visiting a site with a large customer base of truckers. “Our Retailer, Lenny, wants to expand the automotive section to include items that this customer is looking for. We’re going to look at what makes sense for that location. Again, it’s all about the customer.” Please see page 8 PG. 7
Page 1 and 2: DECEMBER 2016 Emad Zidan, brother o
Page 3 and 4: Grow. Grow. Grow. Building on the m
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Page 9 and 10: Making OTR #1 is the goal Rob Geley
Page 11 and 12: Bilal, 17, and younger brother Kaam

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