LAS VEGAS -- Demonstrating his signature affability and self-effacing wit, Alain Bouchard, CEO of Circle K's parent company, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., graciously accepted the CSP Retailer Leader of the Year award before a packed banquet hall at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas last Thursday.
About 350 industry retailers and suppliers in attendance listened as Bouchard accepted the award on behalf of the employees of his company, noting that without them he would not be at the podium. "I don't mean that my colleagues do all the work and I do nothing," [image-nocss] he said, triggering chuckles from those present. "I mean we need our employees in order to be successful."
Key executives, division managers, employees, associates, friends and family of the Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard executive flew in to Las Vegas for the ceremony, which was held in concert with the National Association of Convenience Stores' (NACS) annual convention and trade show.
Bouchard, as in the past, reiterated his belief that within a fragmented industry like that of the convenience channel, one or two players can emerge with 10% or 12% of the market. While he did not claim to know how long it would take any single player to accomplish that feat, he was resolute in the possibility. A key factor in achieving this goal, according to Bouchard, was "innovation, innovation, innovation."
Strategies like micro-merchandising, diversifying the product mix and delighting the customer would certainly play roles going into the future, he noted.
Paul Reuter, president and editorial director for CSP, hosted the evening, emphasizing the importance of quality leadership within the industry. "When we find great leadership, we need to embrace and celebrate it," he said. "This is the reason for the evening."
To further elaborate on Bouchard and his accomplishmentsmost notably in the United States for leading the successful 2003 acquisition of the Circle K chain and the growth of his company from a single store to more than 4,800 today, Reuter introduced Mitch Morrison, group editor for CSP, who emphasized the chain's successful decentralized model and its potential to succeed where other merger-and-acquisition strategies within the industry have failed. "[Couche-Tard executives] are consummate c-store operators," Morrison said. "They have the passion."
Bouchard candidly related a story about how earlier he had practiced the night's speech in front of his wife Sandra, who jokingly made light of his accent. Later he pronounced what many English-only speaking guests could distinguish as the word "healthier" (as in how the industry today is healthier) twice, saying he had worked on it. The sincere effort elicited smiles and laughter, solidifying in the minds of the audience the comfort Bouchard feels in his own skin.
He used his closing words to extend a personal thanks to his family and especially his wife, saying, "Your presence and unconditional support has always been important."
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