instore - February 2018 - 34

Insight Insider

"We've led in this space for our customers
for nearly the last decade by providing better
quality products than what have traditionally
been available and that are on trend for today's consumer," he says.
When it comes to fresh, Core-Mark has
made a big push to help its retail partners
grow their fresh and perishable sales, Bratta
says. That includes working with local commissaries to bring fresh sandwich and other
fresh and perishable products to customers,
and continually looking for ways to improve
upon what it can source or develop for its
partners.
Similar investments have been made in meeting growing demand for foodservice products. "We're keenly aware of how important
foodservice is to our industry and are fully
committed to further developing products
that will help our retailers grow their spaces
in this important space," Bratta says.

CORE-MARK'S TRI-TEMP TRAILERS DELIVER CHILLED, FROZEN AND AMBIENT PRODUCTS ALL AT ONCE.

But its overarching goal, Bratta says, hasn't
changed much in 130 years - to provide customers with the best possible service, and to
help them grow their sales and profits.

and placement opportunities, key item pricing and how they can maximize their store
layout from a macro standpoint."

The competition in Core-Mark's corner of
the distribution world is fierce. The company has several large and hundreds of small
competitors in the convenience space alone,
Bratta says. But Core-Mark has succeeded
in differentiating itself from the crowd in
various ways.

Core-Mark is also able to provide its customers with a level of flexibility very few
other broadline suppliers in the convenience channel can offer, Bratta says.
"We're able to offer anything from a 'drop
and go' type of delivery all the way to a fully ordered and merchandised program for
our retail customers, as well as any variation in between."

Take, for instance, the company's pioneering
work in vendor and supplier consolidation.
"With our Tri-Temp fleet of trailers, we're able
to deliver many of the products that may have
traditionally come from DSD suppliers." At
the top of that list, he says, are fresh food and
foodservice items. Also included are things
like ice cream, novelty items, general merchandise, produce and other items needed in
small-format retail stores.

The foundation of the Core-Mark platform
is a state-of-the-art supply chain that features refrigerated docks and its fleet of tritemperature trailers built specifically for
delivery to convenience stores, Bratta says.
Those trailers allow Core-Mark to deliver
chilled, frozen and ambient products all at
the same time.

Core-Mark also distinguishes itself from its
competitors with its FMI category management system, which helps its retail partners
better compete within their markets, Bratta
says. "It helps our customers better understand their store's demographics, product

34 * FEBRUARY 2018 * commissary INSIDER

Big growth in
prepared foods, bakery
Fresh and foodservice are growth drivers
and differentiators in the c-store channel,
Bratta says, and Core-Mark seizes opportunities in those categories whenever it can.

The biggest difference between Core-Mark
and many of its competitors in the foodservice realm, Bratta says, is that Core-Mark
doesn't just carry products - the company
also takes an active role in the development of many of those products. "We specify
items, flavor profile, texture, packaging and
other elements," he says. "The last thing our
customers need is more 'me too' products
that are uninspiring to their consumer, and
we work hard on the product and programs
we support to bring items that will generate
not only the initial sale but many return visits based on the quality of the items we sell
to our customers."
To that end, in 2017 Core-Mark launched, in
cooperation with its supplier partners, both a
fried chicken program and a pizza program.
In addition, Bratta says, the company has
sourced and co-developed, with two artisan
bakery supplier partners, a line of premium
bakery items for both general and Hispanic
markets. "(These programs) help our retailers in ways that existing programs in the marketplace were unable to provide," he says. "It
also helps them differentiate themselves in
the communities they do business in."
Core-Mark launched its chicken program
not because of a lack of quality in the market, Bratta says, but because of difficulties
some retail partners were having getting the
variety of product they needed. "There are
some excellent suppliers out there now, but

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