2023 Future Leaders in Convenience: RAPHAEL PUENTE

Raphael Puente took a leap of faith when he moved to Canada four years ago, leaving behind his career.

“It fills me with pride that I’ve been able to start over again at one of the most important companies in Canada,” he says.

Today, Puente manages product category strategies, assortment, merchandising, promotional opportunities and vendors for the gas bars.

“I’m passionate about numbers, analysis, and making decisions based on data, and I’m proud to know my work impacts the daily lives of our staff, our vendors and our customers,” says Puente.

“My biggest accomplishment was implementing and expanding the omnichannel business across the country, satisfying a customer we weren’t targeting before and creating a new source of income for our retailers.”

Puente has reshaped the company’s merchandise sales data analytics and promotional planning tools, says convenience marketing manager Marc-Andre Stanford.

“Raphael has expanded and more than doubled our food delivery program, both in POS and unit sales, and was instrumental in improving our in-stock position on many key categories including ice-cream through a tumultuous 2022-2023 sales period with significant supply chain issues.”

Puente demonstrates strong leadership in improving the culture at Canadian Tire. He’s a founding member of the company’s divisional Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee, and a founding and active member of Canadian Tire’s corporate employee resource group for Latin and Hispanic employees.

“As a BIPOC and member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, I know how important it is to work for a company that supports DIB,” he says. “Canadian Tire’s goal is to ‘make life in Canada better’, and do this by having a diverse workforce, an inclusive environment, to great information and resources.”

Click here for a full list of the Future Leaders in Convenience + Car Wash winners