FAIRFAX, Va. -- A lineup of four of the convenience industry's foremost experts will discuss trends, reveal current data and offer projections for the future in Category Close-Up sessions at the American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) C-Metrics Convenience Industry Outlook Forum, to be held June 24-25 in New Orleans.
The Forum is the first of two back-to-back programs that are intended to help convenience industry supply chain partners effectively use exclusive convenience industry data to improve operations and profit. The second meeting, the AWMA DEF Harmonizing Assortment conference, will take place June 25-27. Both programs will take place at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans.
The C-Metrics Category Close-Up sessions on Tuesday, June 25, will provide participants with an analysis of current sales data and projections for the year, based on current sales data for the first five months of 2013, for these categories:
- Cigarettes & E-Cigs: Presented by David Bishop, managing partner at Balvor LLC, a sales and marketing firm that provides analytic, consulting, research and sales support services to retailers, product suppliers and other organizations across foodservice and retail classes of trade.
- Other Tobacco Products (OTP). By Nik Modi, managing director at UBS Investment Bank, who specializes in the household, personal care and tobacco industries. He coordinates UBS' global consumer staples research effort, which encompasses more than 30 analysts covering more than 200 companies.
- Candy: Kit Dietz, principal at Dietz Consulting LLC, lead consultant to AWMA's Warehouse-Delivered Snacks Committee, whose broad experience includes helping convenience industry supply chain partners improve efficiency, sales and profit. He is the author of numerous ground-breaking studies that have helped transform the operations of many distributors.
- Salty Snacks & Alternative Snacks: Steve Montgomery, president of b2b Solutions, a consultancy that specializes in working with retailers and suppliers in the convenience retail/petroleum marketing industry. He has more than 30 years experience in the industry.
The Category Close-Up sessions will be a highlight of the conference, which also will include presentations regarding overall industry trends by a leading business analyst and a panel discussion focusing on supply chain perspectives, information, collaboration and innovation. Retailers, manufacturers and distributors will participate in that discussion.
Overall, the AWMA C-Metrics Convenience Industry Outlook Forum will present a look at sales projections for 2013 for core in-store categories, providing information and insight to gain competitive advantage. C-Metrics, developed by global business intelligence leader InRhythm Inc., provides a strategic look at how in-store warehouse delivered products are performing today.
The conference is open to all AWMA distributor members, who may invite two of their retail customers to attend with complimentary registration, and all industry manufacturers who provide products through convenience distributors. These companies should register their category managers, trade relations executives, sales and marketing teams.
For more information and to register, prospective attendees should visit www.awmanet.org.
The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) is an international trade organization working on behalf of convenience distributors in the United States. Its distributor members represent more than $85 billion in U.S. convenience product sales. Associate members include manufacturers, service providers, technology companies, brokers, retailers and others allied to the convenience retailing industry. In addition to convenience stores, their largest customer segment, convenience distributors also service grocery stores, drug stores, tobacco shops, mass merchants, newsstands, concession stands, gift shops, fundraising groups, restaurants, institutions and much more.
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