Circle K

  1. Data & Insights

Food Delivery Is No Longer a Feature—It’s a Standalone Retail Channel

  The evidence is no longer anecdotal. Food delivery has evolved into a fully distinct retail channel—complete with its own economics, shopper behavior patterns, merchandising strategies, and competitive dynamics. Treating it as merely an “extension” of restaurants or grocery stores is strategically outdated according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. […]
5 min read
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  1. Department & Category

From Corner Grocery to National Chain: A Historical Overview of Convenience Retail

The modern convenience store (C-store) traces its roots to the early 20th century’s neighborhood corner shops and service stations — simple places where travelers and local residents could buy milk or a snack without entering a full grocery. Over the decades, these mom-and-pop operations dotted towns and cities, creating community hubs with an intensely local […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Value Is the New Premium: How Strategic Pricing Is Rebuilding Food Brand Equity

  For more than a decade, food and beverage brands leaned heavily on premiumization, pack-size shrink, and convenience narratives to defend margins. Then inflation fatigue collided with shopper skepticism. Today, a quiet but decisive pivot is underway: manufacturers and operators are re-engineering value as a branding strategy according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Walmart ramps up focus on AI and drones: this week’s biggest retail technology stories

It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here’s your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Pacsun, Papa Johns, Google Cloud, JD Sports Fashion, commercetools, Zalando, Amazon, osapiens, and Otto Group. 1. Walmart and […]
7 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Walmart and Google Gemini team on AI discovery and shopping experiences push

Walmart and Google are gearing up to launch a new experience built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol. Gemini will automatically include Walmart and Sam’s Club in-store and online products when it’s relevant. For example, when a customer asks for advice on camping equipment for the spring season, it […]
3 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Circle K deploys Quorso Intelligent Management across North America stores

Quorso has announced the expansion of its partnership with Circle K to over 7,800 locations in the United States and Canada after a deployment across its European network last year.  Quorso says that its Intelligent Management platform eliminates the complexity and overwhelm of too much data, too many tasks, and too many systems. “Building on […]
2 min read
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  1. Department: Beverage

2025 Coffee-Chain Competition Through the Eyes of the Grocerant Guru®

  How convenience stores, QSRs, and mid-size chains are reshaping morning coffee — and why Starbucks is no longer the only powerhouse on the block. As the Grocerant Guru®, I’ve long said that the battle for the “morning meal” is actually the battle for beverage share — and in 2025, coffee is the center of […]
5 min read
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  1. Department & Category

Takeout, Drive-Thru, and the Viral Value Equation: How C-Stores and QSRs Are Outpacing Grocery in the New Meal Economy

  The Off-Premise Economy Is Now the Main Course The U.S. food landscape has permanently shifted toward portability. According to Circana (formerly NPD Group), 63% of all restaurant orders are now consumed off-premise, and drive-thru transactions have increased 30% since 2019. While grocery stores still account for roughly 52% of at-home meal spending, they are […]
5 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

What Other Chain Restaurants Will C-stores Companies Consider Buying?

  The convenience-store (C-store) industry is undergoing a strategic reinvention. With RaceTrac’s announced purchase of Potbelly for roughly $566 million, the once-clear boundary between quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and C-stores is blurring fast according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Acquisitions are now a front-row play for C-store operators that want […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Roller Grills: A Relic of Convenience Stores That Consumers Are Rejecting

  Once the crown jewel of convenience store foodservice, roller grills are quickly becoming relics of the past. Once synonymous with grab-and-go ease, they are now viewed by a growing segment of consumers as outdated, unappetizing, and unsanitary. In an era where food quality and transparency drive purchasing decisions, roller grills are struggling to retain […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Circle K announces roll out of Quorso Intelligent Management Platform across its European stores

Circle K is deploying Quorso Intelligent Management Platform technology across 12 European countries in 11 different languages. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Circle K to bring simpler, more effective operations to their teams,” says Julian Mills, CEO at Quorso. “Our partnership with them has broadened our ability to work on an international scale […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Can Walmart Succeed in the C-Store Space? Five Hurdles They Must Overcome

  For decades, grocery retailers have struggled to break into the convenience store (C-store) space. While on the surface, grocery and C-store operations may seem similar—both selling food and essentials—the reality is vastly different. Grocery chains that have attempted to transition into C-store retail, such as Safeway, Kroger, and Albertsons, have largely failed because they […]
5 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Showcasing smart solutions: these are our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now

We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we power towards the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Co-op, Deliveroo, Barron McCann, Currys, Deloitte, Pricer, Focal Systems, RELEX Solutions, TPP Retail, Hightouch, NearSt, […]
8 min read
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  1. Channel: Convenience

68 Circle K stores are up for sale

    [[“value”:” Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is looking to sell 68 U.S. Circle K convenience stores, reports Petrol Plaza. NRC Realty & Capital Advisors will assist with the sale, marking the third time in three years the Chicago firm has worked with Alimentation Couche-Tard to sell Circle K stores. The stores are located in […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Stores & Formats

Couche-Tard to expand rollout of Circle K loyalty program

    [[“value”:” Couche-Tard is rolling out its Circle K loyalty program, the Innercircle platform, across various U.S. markets after going live with the initiative across 430 stores in Florida. The Innercircle is a free membership program that offers Circle K loyalty customers rewards on fuel and food, as well as personalized offers. Related: […]
2 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
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