There are many factors for convenience and dollar stores to consider as they build and scale their retail media networks (RMN).
Matt Riezman, partner at Des Moines, Iowa-based c-store consulting firm NexChapter, spoke Tuesday at CSP’s Retail Media Network Forum in Chicago with three retailers: Joell Robinson, director of retail media at Circle K; Tommy Greenberg, senior director of Love’s Media Group for Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores; and Omar Driza, director of ad sales at Dollar General.
- Circle K is No. 2 and Love’s is tied for No. 14 on CSP’s 2026 Top 40 update to the 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2026 Top 202 ranking in June.
They shared how they’re creating a lasting RMN, how they differentiate themselves and what they’d like to see from their technology partners. Here’s a look at three questions they answered from Riezman.
As we think about scaling, what do you think defines a retail media network that is built for the long haul versus just a short-term experimentation?
It starts with the foundational work, Robinson of Circle K said. Circle K, owned by Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, has more than 7,300 stores throughout North America.
“It starts with really that foundational work and really getting the stuff that’s not flashy done behind the scenes and making sure that you have that right,” Robinson said. “Because, ultimately, if you don’t get that work done, then somewhere along the line, that’s going to come back to bite you, and you won’t be able to scale as fast as you’d like.”
It’s also important to educate teams internally—and have executive buy-in, she said.
“I can’t stress that enough,” Robinson said. “I think that if you have that group bought in and you’re constantly transparent with them… it’s just incredibly important to bring them along.”
The marketplace is very crowded. What do you see as the most important differentiators as you go out to the marketplace for retail media networks?
For Driza at Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based Dollar General, their point of differentiation comes from their scale and how well they know their customers who shop their 21,000 stores.
“At DG, we’re in a really great place because of our scale,” he said. “We’re in those 21,000 stores across the country, and we know that there are a lot of shoppers that are in those underserved markets, and frankly, they just can’t be reached by some of these other big retailers that are out there.”
DG sits in a unique position because it can engage with its customers and get to know them really well, Driza said.
Sixty percent of the dollar-store chain’s core group of shoppers are digitally engaged, he said. When shoppers are engaging with the DG app, within 48 hours, 50% of them actually go into a store.
“So for us, understanding who our shoppers are is our key superpower,” Driza said. “…You really have to find what your niche is, what’s your superpower?”
From the retailer’s side, what do you want future tech partners to hear from you on how they can show up as a useful partner?
“You heard a lot both today and yesterday about the partnership within an organization across IT, merchandising, marketing—making sure that we are all kind of driving toward that business result,” Greenberg of Love’s Travel Stops said. “And for all the tech partners in the room, know that while retail media is the focus today of this conversation and it is the focus of our jobs, it is a component of the larger job we also have though, and that is coming back to the organization to drive real growth.”
When a technology provider is presenting their latest innovation, help the retailer connect not just how it will help them as a retail media network, but also how it can help the larger organization, he said. Also, understand what makes each retailer unique.
“While we’re all trying to talk to the customer, we’re doing it in slightly different ways,” Greenberg said of Love’s and other retailers. “And helping us really understand the value of what you’re offering, and then how it can scale and help within our larger organization is going to be critical.”
Oklahoma City-based Love’s launched its RMN Love’s Media Group in October. Love’s has more than 660 travel centers across the country.
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