Circle K enters global consumer intelligence partnership
Circle K is obtaining artificial intelligence-based local market data from a new collaboration with NielsenIQ.
The major international convenience/fuel retailer, a subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard, is partnering with consumer intelligence company NielsenIQ (NIQ) in a multi-year global agreement spanning more than 12 countries across North America and Europe. Through NIQ’s AI-driven insights and decisioning platforms, Circle K’s business units and Global Center of Excellence will attempt to transform decision-making, accelerate growth and enhance customer experience at both local and global levels.
In Europe, Circle K will work with NIQ to tailor analytics, assortment, and pricing insights to local market conditions while maintaining alignment across regional operations. In Canada, the retailer is expanding its use of NIQ’s predictive and prescriptive analytics capabilities, gaining access to the same solutions it has currently deployed in the U.S.
“As Circle K’s footprint continues to expand, having a trusted analytics partner with both global scale and deep local expertise is increasingly important,” said Trey Powell, senior VP of food & retail at Circle K. “NIQ’s advanced analytics and AI-driven insights help our teams make smarter, faster decisions, enabling us to better serve customers and accelerate growth across markets.”
NIQ will provide its dedicated service model, including onsite support across Circle K offices worldwide. In another effort to globalize efforts to obtain operational insights and improve the customer experience, Circle K has been deploying the Quorso Intelligent Management Platform at more than 7,800 stores across the U.S. and Canada.
This rollout follows Circle K’s implementation of the solution across 12 European countries in 11 different languages. It consolidates typically siloed store management solutions, such as tasks, surveys, performance analytics, and exception reporting.
[READ MORE: Circle K deploys store management platform across Europe]
By leveraging the Quorso platform, Circle K intends to enable store personnel to spend more time with customers and on the sales floor, focusing on actions that will drive value for shoppers. This fits in with a store operations strategy the retailer calls "Fast, Friendly, and Customer Ready."
“Winning in today’s retail environment requires both global scale and precision at the local level,” said James Hunt, managing director of beverage alcohol, tobacco & convenience at NIQ. “Through this expanded collaboration, Circle K is leveraging AI-driven insights, analytics, and decisioning capabilities to move faster, operate at a consistent global scale, and deliver stronger outcomes for both the business units and most importantly, their customers.”
Alimentation Couche-Tard has more than 16,700 stores in 29 countries and territories. Operating more than 6,800 company-owned stores across the U.S., Circle K operates in 29 countries and territories.
