Author: Ethan Ingram

McLane announced the name and branding for its new proprietary pizza program made for convenience stores at the NACS Show: Prendisimo. The reveal comes after McLane announced McLane Fresh, an expansion of its foodservice and retail program, at the McLane Engage trade show in August.

Prendisimo, which translates to “take away” in Italian, is the latest in the McLane Fresh family of brands. McLane brought Prendisimo to life while exhibiting at NACS, offering an immersive culinary experience with a wide array of available samples and marketing materials on display for the brand.

In addition to Prendisimo, McLane also featured CupZa, its newly launched beverage program, which includes bean-to-cup coffee, cold brew, iced tea, and lemonade; and new products from Central Eats, including a Texas toast grilled cheese, maple sausage waffle and cheeseburger.

“Prendisimo is more than just incredible pizza; it’s a highly marketable brand that attracts and appeals to consumers, supported by the end-to-end solutions that McLane Fresh offers,” said Vito Maurici, McLane’s customer experience officer. “McLane is scaling our offerings across the board, creating programs and products that are more accessible and customizable than ever. We are proud to introduce Prendisimo and look forward to partnering with our customers to make a variety of quality fresh foods a reality for convenience stores of all sizes nationwide.”

As the McLane Fresh program continues to grow, Anne Hughes and Jeremy Reinicke have joined the team as category director, fresh food and commissary, and corporate executive chef, respectively. With over 15 years of experience working with notable quick-service restaurants and retailers, Hughes brings fresh ideas and proven marketing expertise to the expanding program, while Reinicke’s extensive professional culinary experience will invigorate menu innovation for the program.

“Anne and Jeremy share in our vision for the future of convenience, and their skills, experience and perspective will help bring that vision to life,” said Farley Kaiser, McLane’s senior director of culinary innovation. “We are excited to have these incredible additions on board the McLane Fresh team as we build on the momentum of our core brands to ideate new products, programs and extensions for our customers.”

McLane Co. Inc. is one of the largest supply chain services leaders in the U.S., providing grocery and foodservice solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drugstores and chain restaurants. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, McLane operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private truck fleets. The company buys, sells and delivers more than 50,000 consumer products to nearly 110,000 locations across the U.S.

Source: Convenience Store Decisions

By Melissa Kress — A month after debuting its expanded retail foodservice program at its McLane Engage convention, McLane Co. Inc. revealed the name and branding for its new proprietary pizza program made for convenience stores: Prendisimo

Prendisimo, which translates to “take away” in Italian, is the latest in the McLane Fresh family of brands. McLane debuted Prendisimo at the 2023 NACS Show on Oct. 4 in Atlanta with an immersive culinary experience with an of available samples and marketing materials on display for the brand.

In addition to Prendisimo, McLane also featured CupZa!, its newly launched beverage program which includes bean-to-cup coffee, cold brew, iced tea and lemonade; and new products from Central Eats including a Texas toast grilled cheese, maple sausage waffle and cheeseburger.

“Prendisimo is more than just incredible pizza. It’s a highly marketable brand that attracts and appeals to consumers, supported by the end-to-end solutions that McLane Fresh offers,” said Vito Maurici, McLane’s customer experience officer. “McLane is scaling our offerings across the board, creating programs and products that are more accessible and customizable than ever. We are proud to introduce Prendisimo and look forward to partnering with our customers to make a variety of quality fresh foods a reality for convenience stores of all sizes nationwide.”

As the McLane Fresh program continues to grow, the company added to its team member ranks. Anne Hughes and Jeremy Reinicke have joined the team as category director, fresh food and commissary, and corporate executive chef, respectively.

With more than 15 years of experience working with quick-service restaurants and retailers, Hughes brings fresh ideas and proven marketing expertise to the expanding program, while Reinicke’s extensive professional culinary experience will invigorate menu innovation for the program.

“Anne and Jeremy share in our vision for the future of convenience, and their skills, experience and perspective will help bring that vision to life,” said Farley Kaiser, McLane’s senior director of culinary innovation. “We are excited to have these incredible additions on board the McLane Fresh team as we build on the momentum of our core brands to ideate new products, programs and extensions for our customers.”

Temple-based McLane Co. is one of the largest supply chain services companies in the United States. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, it operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private truck fleets, and provides alcoholic beverage distribution through its subsidiary, Empire Distributors.

McLane is a wholly owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Source: Convenience Store News

McLane Co. Inc. has unveiled the name and branding for its new proprietary pizza program made for convenience stores: Prendisimo. The reveal—occurring at the 2023 NACS Show in Atlanta today—comes after the distributor’s recent launch of McLane Fresh, an expansion of its foodservice-at-retail program, at the McLane Engage trade show in August.

Prendisimo, which translates to “take away” in Italian, is the latest in the McLane Fresh family of brands.

“Prendisimo is more than just incredible pizza, it’s a highly marketable brand that attracts and appeals to consumers, supported by the end-to-end solutions that McLane Fresh offers,” said Vito Maurici, McLane’s customer experience officer. “McLane is scaling our offerings across the board, creating programs and products that are more accessible and customizable than ever. We are proud to introduce Prendisimo and look forward to partnering with our customers to make a variety of quality fresh foods a reality for convenience stores of all sizes nationwide.”

As the McLane Fresh program continues to grow, Anne Hughes and Jeremy Reinicke have joined the team as category director, fresh food and commissary and corporate executive chef, respectively.

With more than 15 years of experience working with notable quick service restaurants (QSRs) and retailers, Hughes brings fresh ideas and proven marketing expertise to the expanding program, while Reinicke’s extensive professional culinary experience will invigorate menu innovation for the program, the company said.

“Anne and Jeremy share in our vision for the future of convenience, and their skills, experience and perspective will help bring that vision to life,” said Farley Kaiser, McLane’s senior director of culinary innovation. “We are excited to have these incredible additions on board the McLane Fresh team as we build on the momentum of our core brands to ideate new products, programs and extensions for our customers.”

In addition to Prendisimo, the McLane Fresh family of brands includes CupZa!, a recently launched beverage program that includes bean-to-cup coffee, cold brew, iced tea and lemonade; and new products from Central Eats including a Texas toast grilled cheese, maple sausage waffle and cheeseburger.

McLane offers customizable solutions for retail and restaurant customers from ordering and fulfillment to equipment and in-store merchandising, aimed at eliminating barriers of entry for smaller retailers and solving logistical challenges for large chains.

Founded in 1894, McLane is one of the largest distributors in America, serving convenience stores, mass merchants and chain restaurants. With headquarters in Temple, Texas, McLane has more than 80 distribution centers across the country, employs more than 25,000 teammates and delivers to nearly every U.S. zip code. McLane is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Omaha, Nebraska.

Source: Convenience Store Petroleum

McLane Co. launched its national trade show on Aug. 29 in Dallas under a new name — McLane Engage. The show took place over the course of three days, giving convenience store retailers and suppliers a chance to connect.

Educational sessions focusing on topics such as retail foodservice, the effects of federal and state policies, and teamwork and leadership in business gave attendees a chance to learn and engage with the industry in the mornings. In the afternoons, the expo was open for attendees to visit booths and chat.

On Aug. 30, the second day of the show, Al Paris, Gretchen Wilson and Jason Scheff entertained at Gilley’s Dallas with a concert.

McLane Fresh

At the expo, McLane showcased its newly revealed McLane Fresh. a foodservice at retail program for c-stores. To be launched soon, one of the services this end-to-end solution offers is a pizza program using a proprietary recipe. Farley Kaiser, senior director of culinary innovation, noted that much decision-making went into the process of creating the quality pizza, from the crispness of the pepperoni to the amount of cheese.

In addition to the pizza program, McLane Fresh includes the beverage program CupZa!, which offers a variety of coffee, tea and lemonade options. Customers will also have the ability to use flavor shots sourced from New Zealand to customize their beverages.

Once the pizza program and CupZa! launch, McLane Fresh will begin to relaunch Central Eats, its grab-and-go program.

The goal of the program is to help McLane Fresh customers build trust with their own customers through consistency and quality items, which is where the value of the program lies, Jon Cox, vice president of retail foodservice, remarked.

McLane Fresh serves as a flexible solution for c-store retailers and will meet retailers wherever they’re at in terms of foodservice.

At the show, attendees were able to sample the various items on offer.

Learning Opportunities

Speakers Daymond John, founder of FUBU and investor on “Shark Tank,” and Chet Garner, host of “The Daytripper,” spoke to attendees in general sessions.

Their stories and reflections were food for thought for the attendees.

“Don’t get so fixated on where you’re going and what you’re doing that you miss the fact you’re with people around you,” said Garner. “People are more important than the road.”

“State of the Union: the Economy, the Consumer, and the Convenience Channel” was one of two possible educational sessions that took place on Aug. 31. Nik Modi, consumer staples analyst, RBC Capital Markets, discussed the impact of inflation on convenience retail, how technology will shape the industry and which segments are hot-ticket areas.

“People are looking for value,” said Modi. Promotions, private labels and pack sizes are all areas of focus for c-store retailers to increase value for the customer.

He shed a light on what future technological and artificial intelligence advancements will mean for the convenience channel and encouraged attendees to think further about who is coming into their store and how they decide on their purchases.

McLane Engage ended on Aug. 31 with a lunch and the expo floor open for a final few hours.

Source: Convenience Store Decisions

Leaning into one of its core strengths — the willingness and desire to learn from one another — members of the convenience channel gathered at McLane Co. Inc.’s national trade show to get a taste of where the industry stands and where it is heading from a consumer perspective, operator perspective and product perspective.

Kicking off the McLane Engage convention in Dallas on Aug. 30, Daymond John, entrepreneur, author and TV personality on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” shared five key pieces of advice that help him succeed, or what he calls his Shark Points:

• S: Set a goal
• H: Do your homework
• A: Amor, or love what you do
• R: Remember your brand
• K: Keep swimming

He also noted that there are two ways to learn in life: through mentors and through mistakes.

His message came as the convenience store industry stands on the precipice of change: change in consumer behavior, change in competition, and change in how it does business overall.

Freshening Up Foodservice

One key area that hits all three is foodservice. As most of the c-store industry can agree, foodservice is no longer a nice-to-have offering, but rather a must-have.

To help convenience retailers get in the game, McLane unveiled McLane Fresh, an expanded foodservice at retail program designed for convenience stores, at the event. As demand for and sales of fresh and higher-quality food items increase, c-stores are  elevating their foodservice programs and in-store experiences to compete with fast-food and quick-service restaurants, the company noted. 

Speaking during an education session, Jon Cox, vice president, retail foodservice at McLane, explained that the company tapped into internal data, customer data and third-party data to reimagine its foodservice offering. As a result, McLane Fresh concentrates on “the center of the plate” or core items, he said during the “Fresh Perspectives: Navigating the Dynamic Retail Foodservice Landscape” session. 

As customers seek out a good slice of pizza or a cold sandwich, McLane is focused on helping retailers offer best-in-class programs. “Wherever you are on your foodservice journey, we want to be there for you,” Cox added.

According to Farley Kaiser, senior director of culinary innovation at McLane, it usually takes 12 to 18 months to present a fully vetted program that is consistent and that customers can trust, taking several drivers into consideration including customer feedback and trends.

What’s really important in the foodservice journey, Cox explained, is value. “People have different perceptions of value,” he said. “How do you tell the story that this is a high-quality item at a value that gets customers coming back for more?”

To develop McLane Fresh, the company worked with its 26,000 team members and formed strategic partnerships with outside companies such as Taylor Farms to build a national commissary of fresh sandwiches, salads and wraps; and Rich Products Corp. to develop a fresh pizza program, which will have a name unveiling at the 2023 NACS Show in October, according to Cox. 

The Foodservice Journey 

In addition to offering McLane Fresh, the company is providing solutions for retailers to roll out the new products to their customers — and this includes equipment and food safety solutions. 

“We want to come alongside our operators wherever they are,” Kaiser said. “We want to understand your hiccups. We want to understand your goals. We want to connect the dots between our strategic partnerships, McLane and our customers.”

Along the foodservice journey, convenience retailers will come up against competition, but the competition is largely coming from outside the channel, not from within, Cox noted.

“When you start thinking about share of stomach, the competitor is not in this room. The competitor is the QSR [quick-service restaurant]. It is the McDonald’s down the street,” he said. “I truly believe we are going to win together. Go to NRA [the National Restaurant Association show] or any of the restaurant shows and the people they are afraid of are in this room.”

The McLane Engage convention is taking place Aug. 29-31 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The newly imagined trade show experience features booths from more than 160 exhibitors, as well as a new products showcase. The event also provides the opportunity to build meaningful connections with industry powerhouses, and learn from notable experts at a series of educational sessions. 

Temple-based McLane Co. is one of the largest supply chain services companies in the United States. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, it operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private truck fleets, and provides alcoholic beverage distribution through its subsidiary, Empire Distributors.

McLane is a wholly owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Source: Convenience Store News

McLane Co. Inc. will bring a newly imagined trade show experience to its convenience store customers and suppliers through the upcoming McLane Engage convention.

The three-day, invitation-only event is being held Aug. 29-31 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. It is supported by title sponsor Reynolds American Inc. and platinum sponsors The Hershey Co., Kraft Heinz, Altria Group Inc. and TSN – a Bunzl company, among others.

The event will feature booths from more than 160 exhibitors and include a new products showcase. It will also provide the opportunity to build meaningful connections with industry powerhouses and to learn from notable experts at a series of educational sessions, according to the company. 

Featured keynote speakers will include Daymond John, CEO of FUBU and investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” as well as Chet Garner, host of the Emmy-award winning PBS show, “The Daytripper.”

“McLane Engage is a strategic decision to transform an important industry event, our annual National Trade Show, into a world-class engagement opportunity that drives growth and connection,” said Chris Smith, president of McLane Grocery. “There is immense value in facilitating an exchange of ideas among thought leaders, experts and key players in our industry, and we are proud to bring that to our partners.”

During McLane Engage, the company will also unveil new products and programs, including beverage programs, commissary products like fresh sandwiches and salads, and meals for all dayparts. The programs are intended to be bolstered by McLane’s full-service solutions that provide retailers with access to equipment, training and menu innovation resources.

As part of the new initiatives in the foodservice retail division, McLane named its first vice president of retail foodservice, Jon Cox. The industry veteran brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across retail, grocery and c-store organizations, including Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food and H-E-B. Prior to joining McLane, Cox served as the chief merchandising officer for GetGo Café + Market.

More information about McLane Engage is available here https://mclaneengage.com/.  

Founded in 1894 and based in Temple, McLane Co. is one of the largest supply chain services companies in the United States. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, it operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private truck fleets, and provides alcoholic beverage distribution through its subsidiary, Empire Distributors. McLane is a wholly owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

McLane was named the 2023 Category Captain for General Merchandise by Convenience Store News.

Source: Convenience Store News

McLane will host McLane Engage, Aug 29-31, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

With the support of title sponsor Reynolds and platinum sponsors The Hershey Co., Kraft Heinz, Altria and TSN — a Bunzl Co., among others, McLane Engage brings customers and suppliers together for an elevated and full-scale trade show experience. The trade show will feature booths from more than 160 exhibitors and include a new product showcase.

The show will provide the opportunity to build meaningful connections with industry powerhouses and to learn from notable experts in an inspired lineup of educational sessions. Daymond John, CEO of FUBU and investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” and Chet Garner, host of Emmy-award winning PBS show “The Daytripper,” will anchor the experience with memorable keynotes.

“McLane Engage is a strategic decision to transform an important industry event, our annual National Trade Show, into a world-class engagement opportunity that drives growth and connection,” said Chris Smith, president of McLane Grocery. “There is immense value in facilitating an exchange of ideas among thought leaders, experts and key players in our industry, and we are proud to bring that to our partners.”

During McLane Engage, the company will also unveil new products and programs as part of an enhanced retail solution for convenience stores that will provide a robust selection of on-trend immediate consumption items. These will include beverage programs, commissary products like fresh sandwiches and salads, and meals for all day parts. The program is bolstered by McLane’s full-service solutions that provide retailers with access to equipment, training and menu innovation resources.

To lead the enhanced foodservice retail division, McLane named its first vice president of retail foodservice, Jon Cox. Cox brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across retail, grocery and convenience store organizations, including Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food and HEB. Prior to joining McLane, Cox served as the chief merchandising officer for GetGo Café + Market.

“I am proud to join McLane’s team at an exciting time and honored to lead our vision for the future,” said Cox. “Retail foodservice is growing rapidly, and McLane is elevating our programs to deliver innovative solutions that meet the unique needs of our customers, wherever they are on their journey. We look forward to debuting new programs at Engage.”

McLane Engage is an invitation-only event for McLane c-store customers and suppliers. McLane customers and suppliers interested in attending may contact their McLane representative.

McLane Co. Inc. is one of the largest supply chain services leaders in the U.S., providing grocery and foodservice solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drugstores and chain restaurants. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, McLane operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private truck fleets. The company buys, sells and delivers more than 50,000 consumer products to nearly 110,000 locations across the U.S.

Source: Convenience Store Decisions

McLane Co., one of the largest distributors to retail and restaurant brands, will “transform” its annual trade show, hosting the newly rebranded McLane Engage at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas Aug. 29-31.

With the support of title sponsor Reynolds and platinum sponsors The Hershey Company, Kraft Heinz, Altria and TSN–a Bunzl Company, among others, McLane Engage brings customers and suppliers together for a full-scale trade-show experience. The trade show will feature booths from more than 160 exhibitors and include a new products showcase.

The show will provide the opportunity to build connections with industry leaders and to learn from experts in an inspired lineup of educational sessions. Daymond John, CEO of Fubu and investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” and Chet Garner, host of Emmy-award winning PBS show, “The Daytripper,” will anchor the experience with keynote talks.

“McLane Engage is a strategic decision to transform an important industry event, our annual National Trade Show, into a world-class engagement opportunity that drives growth and connection,” said Chris Smith, president of McLane Grocery. “There is immense value in facilitating an exchange of ideas among thought leaders, experts and key players in our industry, and we are proud to bring that to our partners.”

During McLane Engage, the company will also unveil new products and programs as part of an enhanced retail solution for convenience stores that will provide a robust selection of on-trend immediate consumption items. These will include beverage programs, commissary products like fresh sandwiches and salads, and meals for all dayparts. The program is bolstered by McLane’s full-service solutions that provide retailers with access to equipment, training and menu innovation resources.

To lead the enhanced foodservice retail division, McLane named its first vice president of retail foodservice, Jon Cox. Cox brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across retail, grocery and convenience-store organizations, including Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food and HEB. Prior to joining McLane, Cox served as the chief merchandising officer for Getgo Café + Market.

“I am proud to join McLane’s team at an exciting time and honored to lead our vision for the future,” said Cox. “Retail foodservice is growing rapidly, and McLane is elevating our programs to deliver innovative solutions that meet the unique needs of our customers, wherever they are on their journey. We look forward to debuting new programs at Engage.”

Visit here https://mclaneengage.com/ for more information about McLane Engage. McLane Engage is an invitation-only event for McLane c-store customers and suppliers. McLane customers and suppliers interested in attending may contact their McLane representative.

Based in Temple, Texas, McLane Co. is one of the largest distributors in America, serving convenience stores, mass merchants and chain restaurants. McLane has more than 80 distribution centers across the country, employs more than 25,000 teammates, and delivers to nearly every zip code in the United States. McLane is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Source: Convenience Store Petroleum