Circle K Out Positioning Restaurants for Customers

 

The ability for any retailer to have a positive top-of-mind brand awareness with customers is an advantage very food marketing executive would not consider a competitive advantage.  In the fresh food, fast food space one could argue Canadian based Alimentation Couche-Tard aka Circle K is doing more to garner long-term top-of-mind awareness than any other fresh food, fast food, or convenience food retailer in the world according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, Couche-Tard and its leading global brand, Circle K, lead the way for EV charging offers in Norway. The convenience store banner has more charging stations, including home and office charging solutions than any other fuel retailer in Norway. Yes, that’s right they have Circle K charging stations in consumer’s homes.

Get this, for the last three years, Norway has been home to the company's global EV lab, where a dedicated team is learning all it can about EV charging and building a more sustainable future. Starting this year, Circle K is bringing those learnings to North America, and plans to be ready as EV adoption grows among motorists in both Canada, and the United States.

President and CEO Brian Hannasch stated, "We are very pleased to have started our journey in Norway, where Circle K is the number one destination for EV customers. We are meeting those customers at our stores and in their homes and offices, creating a total solution for their charging needs,"

Hannasch continued, "With our great team, growing expertise, and progressive locations in Norway, we have learned so much in the last few years, and we are excited to bring that knowledge and solutions to our global network, including North America, over the coming months and years,"

Right now, Circle K operates a high-speed charging network with more than 500 chargers on its forecourts in Norway. The chargers are a combination of company-owned high-speed EV chargers and partner charging offers with Tesla and Ionity.

You might want to read this paragraph twice. At its busiest Norwegian Circle K highway locations, the sites are equipped with 20 to 40 high-speed chargers. In downtown Oslo, Circle K was the first to begin replacing fuel pumps with high-speed chargers. Circle K has also expanded its offer with more than 4,200 home and workplace charge points. So, let me ask you if you have a charging station in someone’s home would that be a branding advantage?

Are you getting out branded? Get this, according to recent press accounts, Couche-Tard will start to roll out EV charging solutions at North America locations, beginning in its Quebec and California markets, with a combination of Circle K branded chargers and partner charging solutions in the coming months.

Hans-Olav Høidahl, Couche-Tard's executive vice president, Operations Europe stated, "At our EV lab in Norway, our dedicated teams have gained years of experience in the most mature market for electric vehicles. We always want to offer our customers the best possible experience, and Norway provides us the perfect testing conditions for first generation EV technology including chargers, vehicles, and payment methods,"

Høidahl continued, "I'm proud that Norwegians see Circle K as the leading destination for EV charging, and I look forward to expanding our network of high-speed chargers and home charging solutions outside Norway over the coming months and years,". Are you looking a customer ahead?

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter