John Matthews

When I started Gray Cat Enterprises in 2004, I was living in Chicago and for the first couple of years, all of my clients were based in Illinois. This was fine at the time, since I had a boatload of opportunities. Then, a buddy of mine told me about LinkedIn, so I looked into it…

Nobody saw this coming. Just two months ago, we were in our 11th year of an economic expansion; unemployment was at a 50-year old low; and March Madness was right around the corner. Then the bottom fell out. With roughly one-third of the world’s population in a lockdown (just think about that for a moment),…

You own a bunch of stores all varying in size and age. Over the years, product assortments and sets have come and gone, and you have ridden certain designs into the ground. Each of your stores needs a refresher, but you do not know where to start. How does a multi-unit operator approach this? This…

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, famously said, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.” Think how much has changed in the convenience store industry in the past 10 years.   Restaurant-quality…

I remember my first interview with a convenience store chain. I had just spent nine fast-paced years with Little Caesars Pizza as the national marketing director. We had grown from 1,300 stores to 5,000 stores in less than five years, and had revenues exceeding $3 billion. My role was to oversee all of the field…

Recently, I spoke for the sixth time at the M-PACT Show, which is the largest gathering place in the Midwest for energy and convenience industry leaders. It is one of my favorite places to present. This year’s presentation was called There’s a New Store in Town – Are You Ready for the Disruption? This was…

Technology is continuing to change the face of foodservice in convenience stores. With every passing day, month and year, better for-you foodservice options continue to infiltrate the convenience store industry. Slowly but surely, the c-store industry is broadening its foodservice options for customers in a way that rivals restaurants. In fact, according to Nation’s Restaurant…

Before rushing to technology, understanding sales forecasting basics can help position convenience store retailers for success. By John Matthews A while back, a gentleman that wanted help selling his company approached me. I listened to him describe all the attributes of his company and I was intrigued. He gave me an overview of the past,…

There are many factors in creating good managers. Trust is a key consideration. By John Matthews Retailers require good people to reach their goals and convenience stores are no exception. Surrounding yourself with talented people enables all ships to rise—the company, the employees and yourself. While developing an impressive team does not happen overnight, it’s…

So many products, so little time. By John Matthews. A category manager will massage their planograms in search of the “unicorn” of displays, spending hour upon hour trying to get it just right. While the customer clearly appreciates the latest products, sometimes they just appreciate their product in stock and on the shelf. It can…