Core-Mark Reaches Three-Year Data Pact With MSA

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Core-Mark Holding Co. and Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA) have reached a three-year data pact.

Under terms of the pact, MSA will manage Core-Mark's data, provide analytics and deliver insights around category management, program performance and retail execution effectiveness to Core-Mark and its partners. MSA also has exclusive rights for a vendor viewer portal.

Convenience store distributor Core-Mark has access to MSA's Gateway 360 business intelligence program. The program transforms Core-Mark's shipment data into actionable insights and exclusively supports the company's viewer solution that provides vendors with instant access to product movement and insights.

"MSA's tools and data management enable our retail support teams to provide easy to access, informative, and actionable data to help us bring maximum value to our retail customers, and we are very pleased to extend our relationship with the MSA team for the next three years," noted Jon Bratta, vice president of marketing for Core-Mark International.

Other MSA tools and services available to Core-Mark and its vendor partners include:

• Access to Core-Mark produce movement in the retail channel;
• Availability to track program compliance and help reduce voids at retail; and
• Improvement with new product introduction and speed-to-shelf.

"We are thrilled Core-Mark has again chosen MSA to support their data analytics and business intelligence efforts," said Suzy Silliman, senior vice president and managing director for MSA's Information Management Solutions Division. "MSA has over two decades of experience in successfully transforming distributor shipment and complementary data sets into game-changing strategies and tactics for our [consumer packaged goods] clients. We are honored to support Core-Mark and Core-Mark's vendor partners, as they embrace and adopt data-analytics-based decision making that generates profitable growth opportunities."

Management Science Associates Inc. is a solution provider to consumer packaged goods manufacturers and distributors leveraging demand-chain data.

San Francisco-based Core-Mark offers a full range of products, marketing programs and technology solutions to approximately 35,000 customer locations in the United States and Canada through 29 distribution centers.