WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jack Wilkie, former vice president of franchising and corporate communications for 7-Eleven Inc., has joined Kum & Go LC as senior vice president of marketing, CSP Daily News has learned.
At Kum & Go, Ill be charged with the merchandising, marketing, brand building, advertising, public relations and internal communications,VbCrLf he said. The neat thing at Kum & Go, beyond it being a privately owned company and a very successful and growing convenience store chain, is there are other affiliates under the [image-nocss] Kum & Go umbrella that Ill be able to work with, which keeps things interesting and exciting. Its a very exciting, entrepreneurial company.VbCrLf
Those affiliates include Amici Espresso, a recently launched coffee shop chain; Solar Transport, a fuel transport company; the Des Moines Menace soccer team; and Liberty Bank. The entities all operate under the Krause Gentle Corp. parent.
What really separates this company, from my perspective so far, and what attracted me to it beyond its reputation and its growth, are the values that the people hold dear,VbCrLf he said. Its clear that the values are more than words on paper"the integrity, the work ethic, the teamwork, the family, the caring is embedded in the culture here, and that makes it a very warm, friendly place to work. Thats just the culture that the Krauses have introduced into this company over the years. Its a terrific feeling.VbCrLf
Wilkies plans for Kum & Go include building customer count, increasing the average transaction and improving margins. We have some opportunities to build upon a really successful reputation for outstanding customer service. Kum & Go has a tagline"We Go All Out. And it is clear to me from the people I visited at more than 60 stores"whether it was part of a store tour or as an individual"that I got the same fast, friendly service and saw very, very clean stores. So the opportunity lines with improved branding and signage and merchandising.VbCrLf
He will work to expand the chains private-label foodservice and Hiland private-label brand, which offers chips, sandwiches, water, jerky, nuts and other products.
Even with a successful, well-established company, there can be challenges, said Wilkie. Those include bringing consistency to the brand and enhancing the product offerand a focus on new-product development, bringing in innovative new products that will attract people and keep them coming back.VbCrLf
Dallas-based 7-Eleven was taken private by Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd. last November after it acquired all outstanding shares of the company, prompting the departures of several other top executives, including Jim Keyes, president and CEO; Ed Moneypenny, senior vice president and CFO; Gary Rose, executive vice president of operations; and David Podeschi, senior vice president of merchandising.
Kum & Go does not compete with 7-Eleven in any of their current markets. I was a huge fan of 7-Eleven, and I continue to be a huge fan of 7-Eleven,VbCrLf Wilkie said. DePinto is a wonderful guy and a great leader, and I think he will put a laser focus on operations, and I think he will work very, very hard to make sure the stores meet 7-Elevens standards and to continue the big push in fresh food offerings. I wish him well"as 7-Eleven goes, and as other major chains go, they lift the image for the whole industry. I want them to be clean and fresh and a destination for fresh food, and well be doing the same thing. In a friendly way, well try to compare average sales increases and the rest, and I hope Im on the team that outperforms them.VbCrLf
Kum & Go doesnt have the same urban strategy as 7-Eleven,VbCrLf Wilkie said. 7-Elevens strategy was something called Retail Initiative, supported by scale, size and infrastructure. The scale for 7-Eleven was to dominate in the markets where they chose to compete, and they would need about 200 stores in a 90-minute drive for their commissaries and bakeries to deliver product. We have a different model"we dont require that type of density. Thats probably one of the reasons were not in the same markets. We do have an urban, more of a neighborhood strategy. We have an interstate strategy.VbCrLf
Caseys General Stores and QuikTrip are Kum & Gos main competitors. But in so many cases, we really compete with ourselves. What can we do to satisfy our customers, anticipate those customer needs"thats where we focus. If we can focus on our own customer base and keep them coming back, the competition takes care of itself,VbCrLf he said.
Kum & Go serves the major markets of Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Neb.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Springfield, Mo. It currently operates more than 430 convenience stores in 13 states"Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Colorado, Arkansas, Wyoming and Wisconsin.
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