In 2024, a $385 million deal with Brentwood, Tennessee-based Delek US established Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. of C.V. (FEMSA) in the Southwest United States. And in February, it started rebranding convenience stores it acquired from Delek US Holdings Inc. to OXXO.
With the changes in ownership, MJ Simons said the goal for him and his team was to keep things “upright and moving forward.”
Simons, lead retail category manager at OXXO USA, was a finalist for center store, large chain, in CSP’s 2025 Category Manager of the Year (CMOY) awards.
- Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. of C.V. (FEMSA), which owns the DK and Oxxo brands, is No. 32 on CSP’s 2025 Top 40 Update to the 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2025 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
This year's CMOY awards featured 14 winners across seven categories. Winners from both small (99 or fewer stores) and large chains (100 stores or more) were selected for the first time in each category.
Read what Simons said was most successful for him in 2024, what his biggest challenge was and here.
What was most successful for you in 2024 in terms of products as well as the best merchandising you've done?
You know, 2024 was one of those years within Delek where we knew a transition was probably in the works, and OXXO acquired us in October. We were all trying to do our job and some people left the company. Our goal became just keeping things upright and moving forward. I work with one of the best operations teams in the country that I've ever worked with. The fact that we got stores reset, new items out, and we got sales trending in the right direction took the entire team pulling together through the transaction. Then in the last three months of the year when OXXO officially took over, it became a whole new situation with a brand-new company in the U.S. that’s huge in the world, especially in Central and South America, and now getting into the U.S. market. This thing shows nothing but promise on every level, so we're all excited to be a part of it.
What’s a key goal you’ve set for this year?
Our key goal is to introduce OXXO to America. A lot of people are familiar with the brand from Mexico, from South and Central America. Now we have to introduce America to OXXO USA. A lot of this year's goals are the introduction of some different and new items. We're not going to turn it into a full-blown Mexican c-store, but we're going to certainly introduce some of those products. One is the coffee program we're looking at and expanded foodservice, which we didn't have much of for years. We have a big focus on foodservice. We've got a lot of good, exciting things ahead.
What do you see as your biggest category challenge this year?
It's getting people in the door, it's foot traffic, it's introducing people to a new brand within the U.S. Once we start putting that up on the buildings, that's going to be a big thing. As far as categories that I deal with, especially in alcohol, there are many new things to watch. There are so many new types of ready-to-drink beverages, as well as continuing to keep an eye on the non-alcohol drinks as they continue to grow. Every year vendor companies stretch the new items, and we have to decide what to include, what to roll the dice on. For center store, I control the meat snacks and the nutrition bars, so I’m looking at introductions of new flavors and looking at Hispanic and Mexican brands to see if they get a place on the shelf and see if it works.
What changes are you seeing in meat snacks?
Since the pandemic, manufacturing and shipping have smoothed out and we're able to get what we want, but now it's a matter of asking, what do our guests want? During COVID it was bigger packs. People were trying to make less trips, so we went with bigger packages across the board. And now it seems like people are backing down to those more traditional sizes. So that's what we’re looking at. Besides pack sizes, there are some new items that we're going to try and maybe some items from south of the border. It's more the flavor mix, spicier flavors. Hispanics love spicy and are also big on more traditional flavors, so it’s both extremes. They don’t play much in the middle.
What do you love about your category?
I've got a great relationship with my vendors, and they bring excitement to the meat snacks category because of new items or the sales they're seeing in certain markets where they're growing. That is rejuvenating. I’m excited when I sit down with those vendors and they're like, “Hey, this thing tested off the charts and we're really excited about it, and it actually is something different.” One of the newest things from Jack Links is two flavors in the same bag. You take one out and you don’t know what flavor it will be. I haven’t seen anybody else with that type of mixture yet. We’re seeing more turkey and chicken jerky, along with the traditional beef. But the two flavors mixed in one bag is something new and exciting to see how customers like it.
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