Convenience kings limber up for Insight event

Leading retail executives in the global convenience industry will take to the stage at the Insight NACS International Convenience conference on 22nd September 2010 (Click to see speaker details)

Two jam-packed conference days at the British Library are sandwiched between three days of international stores tours in Dublin, London and Paris.

First up is the Convenience conference/exhibition, sponsored by Torex, on 22 September.

It will be chaired by Deborah Robinson, former director of food marketing at the Co-operative Group. Robinson has more than 25 years’ retail experience including developing formats for convenience stores, forecourts and supermarkets.

For three consecutive years, Robinson delivered a programme of 700 refits per annum, creating significant return on investment. Robinson developed a 3,000+ own label range at the Co-operative including the introduction of the Truly Irresistible and Grown by us brands. A responsible retailer, Robinson developed the first BUAV approved toiletries in the late 80s and introduced some of the first front of pack nutritional labeling and higher welfare standards for chicken.

Among the retail heavyweights presenting at the event is Gordon Campbell, chief executive officer, Spar International. Campbell is responsible for the worldwide development and co-ordination of Spar, the largest organisation of independent retailers with over 12,600 stores in 33 countries.

Campbell has focused on the development of Spar as a global retail brand via sponsorship of European Athletics, international TV campaigns and promotions. He has led the expansion of Spar into Eastern European and Asian markets and has set out a vision for the future development of Spar. The current focus is on the emerging markets of China, India and Russia.

Anthony Wysome will present one of the UK convenience sector's latest entrants - Waitrose. Wysome has headed up convenience at Waitrose since the format was established in early 2008. He joined the John Lewis Partnership in 2006 to lead the development of the first John Lewis Food Hall in Oxford Street and a new look for Waitrose stores in London.

Also representing the UK is Nigel Mills, CEO of the Mills Group. Launched in 1986, Mills has built an 85-strong national chain of convenience stores with a turnover over £100m. In 2008 Mills Group won the prestigious Grocer Gold Award - Independent Retailer of the Year 2008.

Representing forecourts in Ireland and the UK is Joe Barrett, director of Applegreen, Ireland. Barrett set up Petrogas with Bob Etchingham in 1992 and has been instrumental in the creation and success of the Applegreen brand. Barrett is a regular presenter at industry conferences and a member of numerous retail groups including CSNA and Retail Excellence.

Facts, figures and number crunching will be high on the agenda too with representatives from leading insight and research companies lined up to present.

Edward Garner, communications director, Kantar Worldpanel, will kick off proceedings. Garner’s background is in sales, national accounts and marketing; experience gained within Unilever. Garner’s ability to present findings in a clear and actionable manner is supported by feedback from conference appearances across Europe, USA, Australasia, Asia Pacific and South America for organisations including IGD, Citigroup, McKinsey, PwC, Marketing Week, ADMAP, AGRA, NFU, The Grocer and many leading UK fmcg clients; in addition to occasional radio and TV work.

Tom Fender is a director at him! research & consulting, which interviews around 100,000 consumers, shoppers or retailers each year to become best informed advisor to 75 client organisations. Him! operates a number of syndicated tracking programmes in convenience, wholesale, discounter retailing, pubs and bars and small supermarkets, as well as conducting in excess of 30 confidential bespoke research-based studies each year.

Completing the line up is Mark Wohltmann, client director at USP, a leading market research and consulting company specialising in the convenience and tobacco markets in the main German-speaking countries. Currently USP operates as a competence centre for convenience and tobacco within The Nielsen Company.

USP has the biggest convenience retail panel in Germany and consults clients on marketing and sales strategies as well as category and shop management.

Representing the US and event partner is Henry Armour, president and CEO, NACS, The Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing. There are more than 144,000 convenience stores across the US, accounting for $624.5bn in total sales and $408.9bn in motor fuel sales in 2008.

Finally, and also from the US, Don Longo, editor-in-chief of Convenience Store News and CSNews for the Single Store Owner, will present.

The Forecourt conference/exhibition, sponsored by Epta, takes place on 23 September.