Convenience Store News' 2024 Technology Leader of the Year Is...
LAVAL, Quebec — As the second-largest convenience store chain in the United States, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and its banners — primarily, its global Circle K brand — are well known in the convenience retail space.
Couche-Tard's appetite for acquisitions may be the first attribute that comes to mind when thinking about the Laval-based retailer, which operates in 31 countries and territories, with more than 16,700 stores. However, the company's willingness and ability to innovate is just as noteworthy.
Couche-Tard Inc. has been chosen as the 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Leader of the Year for the company’s use of tech to:
- Enable innovation, speed to market and easy integrations through its proprietary Information Superhighway.
- "Win the customer" through loyalty, the digital experience and operations first in its new five-year strategic plan.
- Streamline internal processes for better efficiency.
- Be a global leader in mobility solutions via electric vehicle charging.
More specifically, a sampling of the solutions the retailer has implemented either across its network or regionally include its Inner Circle loyalty program across 10 U.S. business units; Smart Checkout touchless systems; and in Europe, Pay by Plate.
The Technology Leader of the Year award goes to a technology leader (individual or company) that not only contributes to the success of their organization, but also to the advancement and growth of the convenience store industry as a whole.
"When I joined Circle K six years ago, the convenience industry was one of the last to be touched by digital transformation. There was a real excitement for the tech team, for our digital team, for our operators to be a part of something that was going to transform the industry," Couche-Tard's Chief Technology Officer Ed Dzadovsky told CSNews. "Today, we're not only changing the experience for Circle K. We're actually driving and leading change in the industry."
Couche-Tard will receive the award at the 2024 CSNews Technology Leadership Roundtable & Dinner, being held Oct. 7 in Las Vegas against the backdrop of the 2024 NACS Show. Dzadovsky; Erica Fortune, chief digital officer; Janeth Falcon-O'Toole, vice president, global tech; and Rick Rasor, vice president, global loyalty will be on hand to accept the honor.
The event will also feature a retailer panel discussion, "The Technology Playbook: From Innovation to Implementation."
The Technology Leadership Roundtable & Dinner is sponsored by Altria Group Distribution Co., Blue Yonder, Hughes Network Systems and Vixxo.
Retailers interested in attending can click here to register.
For sponsorship information, contact Paula Lashinsky, senior vice president and group publisher, US Grocery & Convenience Group, at [email protected].
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