EG America launched its retail media network (RMN) on March 3, just four months after its initial request for proposal. This year the convenience-store chain also launched a new loyalty app, geo targeting couponing and delivery.
“It was record timing,” said Whitney Johnson, senior vice president of marketing at EG America during a keynote presentation at CSP’s Retail Media Network Forum Tuesday in Dallas. “I've never seen anything like it in my career, and I'm really proud of getting that launched so quickly.”
- EG America is No. 6 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.
Johnson quoted EG America’s CEO, John Carey, who said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
“I could have spent the first six months at EGA building a bulletproof strategy for digital commerce, and I could have launched a new loyalty app in 2025, a retail media network in 2026 and a new delivery platform in 2027…but we didn’t have time to wait,” she said.
Johnson said other convenience-store retailers were disrupting the business, so the team chose progress over perfection and watched the big names in the industry.
The first month of EG’s retail media network has resulted in nearly 8 million media impressions and a 45% increase in unit volume with one of its meal deals, Johnson said. Another deal increased total units by 19% and after the discounts increased total sales by 16%.
Johnson and her team had a clear strategy from the start that included a culture of intentionality with vendors, merchandising and technology partners.
Vendor Relationships
EG started with realistic budgeting while building its RMN. Future-forward pitching and intentional timing were also critical, Johnson said.
To build credibility with vendors and manage internal coordination, EG made sure all category managers signed category management agreements before signing RMN contracts. This prevented hearsay and internal conflict, she said.
This means that EG locked down the terms for how each product category would be managed, like pricing, promotions and shelf space, before starting digital media and advertising partnerships.
Merchandising Relationships
Johnson said trade spend is allocated to category managers at EG America.
“We don't want two c-suite executives talking about share of revenue across our clients,” Johnson said. “We want that all laddering up. Here at EGA, we let the category managers run the business. Category managers have been holding great relationships with our clients for so many years.”
Once a category manager has a plan with their account management team, the digital commerce team comes in and talks about how to amplify the brick-and-mortar plans, whether it's through social media, consumer insights, the loyalty app or retail media networks, she said.
In its first conversations with its brand clients, Johnson said that EG tries to determine what their goals are. It could be raising awareness, take rate or share of market. EG also considers how to build a program that’s fit for their needs.
Technology Relationships
Retail media cannot exist without credible, accurate and durable data, so find a consultant who can help with that, Johnson said.
“This is table stakes in retail, media networks,” she said.
EG America’s digital commerce system includes off-site, in-store, loyalty app, customer relationship management platform, delivery and social media advertising. Johnson said that she recognizes that most of the company’s revenue happens while shopping, so she prioritizes in-store assets.
“Sixteen months from today, EGA's retail media network will look very different than what it looks like today,” Johnson said. “To get there, we're giving ourselves time, we're listening to our customers, we're reviewing consumer insights, we're working with our tech partners and we're building durable plans for the future.”
- Learn more about retail media networks from CSP’s RMN coverage.
Founded in 2001 by the Issa family, Blackburn, United Kingdom-based EG Group is a gasoline forecourt and retail convenience operator with more than 6,200 sites across the United Kingdom and Ireland, Europe, the United States and Australia. In 2018, EG Group established itself in the United States as EG America by acquiring Kroger’s 762-site c-store network, which included the Turkey Hill, Loaf 'N Jug, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb and Quik Stop banners. It acquired TravelCenters of America’s Minit Mart convenience-store business in 2018. The portfolio included 225 c-stores. And in 2019, among other acquisitions, EG Group acquired Cumberland Farms and its nearly 660 c-stores in the Northeast and Florida.
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