2021 Star Woman in Convenience winner: Alissa Woo

Alissa Woo’s sweet tooth has led to a sweet career in the convenience store sector. “My local convenience store was my destination for a treat; ever since I was young it was something to look forward to.”

For almost three years now, Woo has led all of the marketing activities for Circle K in Western Canada, including in-store POP, media campaigns, gamification, and partnerships. “My goal is to help increase awareness of the Circle K brand, drive sales, and generate traffic.”

Under Woo’s direction, Circle K became one of the first convenience store retailers to partner with an eSports team, the Vancouver Titans (Overwatch). “It’s been great to find ways to appeal to new audiences in an authentic way, while supporting a local team’s success” says Woo, who is based in Calgary.

She is known for her passion, unique ideas and working collaboratively with vendors and internal partners to build win-win programs.

Woo also believes the c-store experience should be fun. She came up with the idea of colour-changing Froster cups, which were handed out with a bonus sticker sheet so youngsters (and parents) could customize their cup. “To me, it’s about finding innovative ways to further enhance our customer’s experience to make visiting your local convenience store that same fun destination to come to for generations to come.”