Highlights from the 2024 CICC Summit

Industry leaders from across Canada met in Toronto the last week of September for the annual Convenience Industry Council of Canada Summit, which included an array of high-profile speakers, networking, celebration and a spotlight on innovation.

The event kicked off with new Beverage Alcohol Trade Exchange on September 25^th at the King Edward Hotel. Retailers mingled with and sampled product from a number of new CICC beverage alcohol members, who are building industry relationships in the wake of the Ontario allowing for the sale of beer, wine, cider and RTD cocktails at convenience stores. 

On day two, emcee Tony Chapman, host of the Chatter that Matters podcast, kicked things off with an all-encompassing conversation with president and CEO Anne Kothawala, who spoke about the CICC’s advocacy efforts and provided updates on important issues, such as excessive credit card fees, Convenience Week, beverage alcohol at convenience and more. 

Kothawala emphasized the plight of rural convenience stores, which were particularly hard hit in 2023, with 11 stores closing every week. 

“Ontario lost 25% of its rural stores in 2023,” she said, adding “Contraband tobacco is a big big factor. We still have a lot of stores relying on selling that product. It’s in our collective interest to ensure these stores survive.”

Speaker highlights: 

• Francis Parisien, SVP small & medium businesses with NielsenIQ, spoke about consumer trends, revealing that 47% of consumers in Canada are cooking more to save money, making home meal replacement the fastest growing segment in Canada. He warned that, with 88% of consumers concerned about rising prices, “C&G stores are losing share as a result of Canadians looking for lower prices.” One bright spot with that younger consumers are big fans of convenience and don’t find c-stores particularly expensive. 
• Ian White, president Parkland Canada, outlined the raison d'etre of the CICC and summit: “We owe it to ourselves as an industry and we owe it to our partners in the convenience industry to stand up for ourselves. We do that because we believe in the products and services we offer and the role we play in our customers’ lives…. The number one thing we are striving for is trust.”
• Matt Mackenzie and James Gott, managing directors and partners at Boston Consulting Group, discussed shifting consumer trends and demographics, plus what this means for the C&G. They emphasized that the vast amount of population growth is in urban centres, echoing that younger consumers are quite engaged in the channel: “Leading players understand not only who the shopper is, but what are they needs they need to fulfill.”
• Frank Silva, president and CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada, discussed regulatory challenges and the recent decision by the federal government to restrict the sales of nicotine pouches to pharmacy only. “The regulatory prejudices will cripple businesses such as yours,” he said, adding the issue goes beyond tobacco and nicotine products to the include the over-regulation of multiple categories.
• Food entrepreneur Sim Seera sat down for a moving one-on-one with Chapman to discuss resilience and exception customer service through the lens of her very personal life story and career path. 
• Alex Miller, the new CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard joined Chapman of the stage to discuss his vision for the company. Read highlights from the interview here: Alimentation Couche-Tard’s new CEO is cognisant of the past, focused on the future