Centra’s Cormac Dawson on Blending Local Insight with National Scale at Centra

Mariette Kristenson, CEO of Reitan Convenience, which operates roughly 1,500 stores across seven countries in the Nordics and Baltics, shares how food and convenience have driven a decade of growth even as traditional categories decline, and how Reitan has experimented with unmanned stores, vending, and new store formats along the way.

Food and beverage expert Jen Dodd, CEO and board advisor of Main Squeeze Juice Co., explains what separates thriving food businesses from those that struggle to keep pace with a changing customer. Dodd, who has led brands including Wendy's, Dunkin', Tim Hortons, and the Melting Pot over a career spanning more than three decades, shares why authenticity, a disciplined hero product strategy and smart use of technology matter more than ever as convenience and food service continue to merge into foodvenience.

Joe Boyle, CEO of FreshStop in South Africa, tells how the retailer grew from a small produce department into a food-led convenience brand operating more than 340 stores across South Africa, Namibia, and soon Zimbabwe. FreshStop built its own barista, fried chicken, and bakery brands from scratch when the disruption from COVID-19 became an unexpected springboard for its foodservice growth. The operational realities of running convenience stores amidst electricity and water shortages and civil unrest all make for a fascinating story!

Hear about the push to turn Germany's forecourts into multi-service destinations and how AI adoption is reshaping in-store operations across Europe as Dan Munford and co-host Christian Warning preview Forecourt Tech 2026 with Frederick Beckman, CEO of Q1 Energy, and Aart van Rooijen, CEO of BigBrother International.

Retail theft is not a new issue, but is indeed a global problem today. With new technology and industry collaboration, retailers can deploy smart tactics to keep their assets and employees safe. Ed Woodall, CEO of the UK’s Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), and Michael O'Loughlin of 360 Degrees Retail Limited join Dan Munford to break down why retail crime across UK convenience and forecourt sites has become one of the sector's most urgent operational challenges.