Convenience Industry Council of Canada shifts strategy to ‘play offence’ with new national campaign
The Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) is launching a major strategic refresh for the annual Convenience Store Week, shifting from traditional charity fundraising to a multi-week national advocacy campaign designed to highlight the sector’s economic impact and local value to governments and consumers.
Jeff Brownlee, vice-president of communications and stakeholder relations for the CICC, outlined what operators can expect from the revamped initiative, referred to internally as "Convenience Week 2.0."
From charitable roots to direct advocacy
Convenience Store Week originated roughly a decade ago in Atlantic Canada as a regional celebration of store employees and industry contributions. Over the past 10 years, the initiative raised more than $1 million for charities, primarily Make-A-Wish Canada.
For the upcoming campaign, the CICC board and staff have elected to end charity fundraising to focus resources entirely on industry advocacy, frontline retail workers and consumer awareness.
"It was time for a change. It was time to refresh," Brownlee said, noting that the industry has often let external stakeholders or governments define its narrative.
"It's time for us to play offence... and stand up and tell Canadians as well as politicians that we are important."
The core campaign will run for six weeks, anchored by the tagline "Convenient by name, community by nature." The push builds on official recognition in Ontario, where the province marks the final weekend of August as Ontario Convenience Store Week.
Government relations and legislative priorities
With a retail footprint spanning 5,000 communities nationwide, convenience stores represent a major presence across federal and provincial ridings. The CICC is using Convenience Store Week as a platform to host elected officials for in-store visits and educate policymakers on critical operational challenges.
Primary regulatory priorities include addressing credit card processing fees applied to government sales tax collection, which cost the average domestic convenience store approximately $30,000 annually. The council is also advocating for expanded retail authority to sell nicotine pouches, aligning product offerings with existing provincial regulations for tobacco, lottery and alcohol. Additionally, the CICC is pushing governments to address illegal contraband sales that undercut legitimate retail revenues and encouraging regulators to avoid excessive rules that prevent store owners from meeting customer demand.
Economic resilience and shifting retail dynamics
Following years of pandemic-driven declines marked by lower sales, reduced staffing and store closures, the CICC reports that the domestic market stabilized over the past year. Industry data indicates overall sales held steady despite ongoing profit margin pressures.
Approximately 60% of Canadians shop at a convenience store at least once a week. However, shifting market dynamics have blurred traditional retail lines, creating direct competition with dollar stores, quick-service restaurants and grocery outlets.
To adapt, domestic retailers are increasingly focusing on operational innovations. Independent operators are expanding hot food programs, such as on-premise pizza production, and leveraging manufacturer partnerships to offer value bundle deals. Store banners are also adopting structured reward programs to retain a younger and more demanding consumer demographic. Furthermore, with cross-border supply chain volatility and potential tariffs creating uncertainty, retailers are increasing their focus on domestic product lines to meet rising consumer demand for Canadian goods while exploring early-stage artificial intelligence solutions to optimize point-of-sale marketing, streamline financial management and improve loss prevention strategies.
Through the multi-week campaign, the CICC aims to leverage the sector's operational resilience to secure stronger government backing and protect independent store viability.
"It's about understanding and knowing your business and knowing your customer," says Brownlee. "If you have that, I think you're going to do okay. You'll get through this for sure."