CSNC EXCLUSIVE Q&A: How Hershey Canada uses convenience store activations to spike foot traffic

Hershey Canada’s Sana Goguen breaks down the retail strategy behind the "I Love Reese’s Day" Circle K takeover and how high-visibility experiential marketing drives c-store sales.

Naomi Szeben

5/26/2026

Circle K wrapped in Reese's packaging for Reese's activation

Photography by Nicole Breanne

Reese’s is one of the more popular and easily-recognized brands in any candy aisle: Reese’s Oreo Cup recently made the list of finalists in the Sweets & Snacks Expo Most Innovative New Product Award: Chocolate. Having the latest and most eye-catching sweets in your shop is key to bringing in customers, but catching their attention is more than half the battle.

On Friday, May 15, the Circle K at 381 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, Ont. was “taken over” by Reese’s. This day was selected as it’s halfway between Peanut Butter Lovers Day and World Chocolate Day.

In 2010, Hershey collected over 40,000 signatures from Reese’s fans on a petition to honour their shared love of Reese’s, making this takeover event the 16th annual celebration.

CSNC spoke with Sana Goguen, the marketing director at Hershey Canada to learn more about how a product “takeover’ of a convenience store can ramp up sales and bring in foot traffic.

CSNC: What does the "I Love Reese’s" campaign involve? What channels are you activating through?

SG: I Love Reese’s Day is an annual brand celebration designed to drive excitement, visibility and conversion for Reese’s at retail. This year’s program included national shopper support, an earned influencer event at Cineplex, and a Circle K Ontario retail takeover at one Toronto Circle K.

The earned influencer event was created to help build excitement around I Love Reese’s Day in an organic way - meaning there were no contractual obligations involved. We invited creators to a Reese's experience at Cineplex where they enjoyed Reese's themed activations, sampled products, and finished with a movie screening.

The full physical takeover was focused on the one Circle K location in Ontario. The store was transformed with Reese’s branding within the interior and exterior, including photo moments, sampling, exclusive merchandise, and more. To drive foot traffic, we partnered with paid creators and partners leading up to the activation.

Activations and shopper marketing were led by Salt XC
Digital and media marketing was led by UM
PR and influencer work was led by Craft PR
Creator partners were Melissa Ayisi and Sara Buchanan

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CSNC: What is the goal of the takeover: Brand recognition, or increased engagement with a new flavour/format?

SG: The activation was designed to do both. First, it reinforces our iconic brand and drives cultural relevance by creating a bold, highly visible retail moment around I Love Reese’s day. Second, it helps drive awareness and trial across our broader Reese’s portfolio, through tactics like free on-site sampling.

CSNC: Will Reese’s Day fall on the same date every year?

SG: I Love Reese’s Day is celebrated every year on May 18 to honour the combination of chocolate and peanut butter we all know and love.

The Circle K takeover was part of the larger I Love Reese's Day campaign and was meant to help build momentum leading up to May 18. By running the activation over the long weekend from May 15 to May 18, we were able to give more consumers the chance to experience it while still celebrating the official I Love Reese's Day on May 18 itself.

CSNC: What can Circle K operators expect from this activation?

SG: This activation was in collaboration with our Circle K Ontario partners for that one venue. It was intended to create in-store engagement through Reese’s visuals, sampling and merchandise, as well as generating broader awareness through PR amplification.