Convenience, Community and Equitable Pricing | Interview with Derek Gaskins of Yesway

On this episode of Let’s Talk a Little Shop, Stephanie talks to Derek Gaskins, the Chief Marketing Officer of Yesway, one of the fastest-growing convenience stores in the United States with over 400 stores. They discuss:

• 2:49: Trends in convenience retail. People are realizing that convenience retail is recession proof. 
• 3:21: Convenience stores take on the communities they serve. 
• 5:39: How Yesway was built and why the company is succeeding. 
• 7:30: The strategic pillars that their brand is built on. 
• 8:00: Loyalty, food, and private labels on food items are what have driven Yesway’s success. 50%+ of their goods are private label. 
• 9:40: Perceptions and equitable pricing in private label models
• 11:00: Creating products that your customers can only get from you. 
• 13:00: You must continually reinvest into your retail brand and the communities you serve. 
• 15:10: How Yesway supported their employees during COVID. 
• 16:50: How Yesway lifts their staff up and encourages them to take care of themselves and their families. 
• 17:10: DEI, vulnerability, and being transparent. 
• 18:26: Positive company culture comes from encouraging results oriented work versus micromanaging and traditional benchmarks of success. 
• 20:00: When you empower people, and enable them to make decisions, you both win. 

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