Casey’s Announces Brands Selected at its 2024 Product Innovation Summit

Rhea-AI Summary

Casey's announced the selection of 13 innovative brands from its inaugural Product Innovation Summit, aimed at enhancing its product assortments in 2025 and beyond. The summit, held at Casey's Store Support Center, featured over twenty brands showcasing their unique products. Casey's Vice President of Merchandising, Chris Stewart, expressed enthusiasm about the productive discussions and business plans presented by the emerging suppliers. The event underscores Casey's commitment to offering diverse and exclusive products to its customers.

Among the selected brands are Health Ade Kombucha, Spin Drift, Yerbae, Hop Water, Alc-a-Chino Ready to Drink Cocktails, Country Archer Meat Snacks, Neuro Gum & Mints, and Sweet Chaos Popcorn. This initiative aligns with Casey's goal of expanding its food and beverage offerings and maintaining high-quality, affordable products. Guests can expect to see new products in stores in the coming months. Suppliers interested in the 2025 Innovation Summit can look for details this Fall.

Casey's, a Fortune 500 company, operates nearly 2,900 convenience stores and is the third-largest convenience store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S. The company is known for its freshly prepared foods, quality fuel, and friendly service.

Positive

• Casey's selected 13 innovative brands for future product assortments, enhancing its offerings.
• The summit featured over twenty brands, showcasing a commitment to diverse and exclusive products.
• New products from selected brands will be available in stores in the coming months.

Negative

• None.

Insights

Retail & Consumer Products Analyst

Casey's strategic product innovation initiative marks a significant shift in their merchandising strategy, particularly noteworthy for a company with nearly 2,900 stores across 20 states. The selection of brands like Health Ade Kombucha and Yerbae Hop Water reflects a calculated response to three key market dynamics:

1. Premium Category Expansion: The chosen brands represent high-margin, premium segments that typically command 30-40% higher margins than traditional convenience store products. This could potentially drive meaningful improvement in store-level economics.

2. Demographics & Market Positioning: The focus on better-for-you beverages and premium snacks indicates Casey's is targeting a younger, more health-conscious demographic while maintaining its traditional customer base. This dual-track strategy could expand the customer base without alienating core shoppers.

3. Competitive Differentiation: By partnering with emerging brands and potentially securing exclusive distribution rights, Casey's is creating barriers to entry and differentiation from competitors like 7-Eleven and Circle K.

The initiative's timing is particularly strategic as convenience stores face increased competition from quick-service restaurants and drug stores. The selection of ready-to-drink cocktails and premium snacks also positions Casey's to capture a larger share of the high-growth 'immediate consumption' market, which has been growing at 8-10% annually.

From an operational perspective, the careful curation of just 13 brands from over 20 participants suggests a disciplined approach to inventory management and shelf space optimization. This measured expansion helps minimize execution risk while maximizing the potential impact of each new brand introduction.

New brands will gain access to the growing retailer's stores in 2025 and beyond

ANKENY, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Casey’s selected 13 brands to be part of its future product assortments and planning from its first-ever Casey’s Innovation Summit. The inaugural event focused on discovering innovative brands and their products for distribution across Casey’s extensive network of nearly 2,900 stores in 20 states.

“The enthusiastic response from emerging and innovative suppliers exceeded our expectations. Casey’s was thrilled to see their business plans and productive discussions aimed at adding their offerings into our stores,” said Chris Stewart, Vice President of Merchandising at Casey’s. “Our guests love seeing new, diverse, and exclusive products alongside the brands and items they have come to love.”

The Summit featured participation from over twenty brands across various categories, all gathering at Casey’s Store Support Center to showcase their unique products. This event highlights Casey’s commitment to enhancing its product lineup and providing new, innovative brands to its valued guests. It also provides an opportunity for smaller startups or entrepreneurs who may not typically have the ability to get in front of chain retailers to present their business strategy and offerings.

“The summit proved to me that Casey’s understands what their customers are looking for,” said Shawn McLaughlin, Chief Sales Officer at Health Ade LLC. “Casey’s invested time to host multiple vendors and ensure that we understood their strategies and business principles, and allotted time for meaningful conversations with the Casey’s buying team.”

Casey’s 2024 Product Innovation Summit selected 20 new suppliers, including:

• Health Ade Kombucha
• Spin Drift
• Yerbae
• Hop Water
• Alc-a-Chino Ready to Drink Cocktails
• Country Archer Meat Snacks
• Neuro Gum & Mints
• Sweet Chaos Popcorn

As the nation’s third-largest convenience store and fifth-largest pizza chain, Casey’s continues to innovate and expand its food and beverage offerings, aligned with the company’s commitment to offering high-quality, affordable products that meet guests’ needs.

Guests can begin looking for new store products in the coming months. Suppliers interested in participating in Casey’s 2025 Innovation Summit can watch for details to release in the Fall.

About Casey’s

Casey’s is a Fortune 500 company (NASDAQ: CASY) operating nearly 2,900 convenience stores. Founded more than 50 years ago, the company has grown to become the third-largest convenience store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States. Casey’s provides freshly prepared foods, quality fuel and friendly service at its locations. Guests can enjoy pizza, donuts, other assorted bakery items, and a wide selection of beverages and snacks. Learn more and order online at www.caseys.com, or in the mobile app.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250123430533/en/

Media contact: media@caseys.com

Source: Casey’s General Stores

FAQ

What brands were selected at Casey's 2024 Product Innovation Summit?

Casey's selected 13 brands, including Health Ade Kombucha, Spin Drift, Yerbae, Hop Water, Alc-a-Chino Ready to Drink Cocktails, Country Archer Meat Snacks, Neuro Gum & Mints, and Sweet Chaos Popcorn.

When will the new products from the Innovation Summit be available in Casey's stores?

Guests can expect to see new products in Casey's stores in the coming months.

What is the significance of Casey's 2024 Product Innovation Summit for shareholders?

The summit highlights Casey's commitment to innovation and expanding its product assortments, which could enhance customer satisfaction and potentially drive sales growth.

How many stores does Casey's operate?

Casey's operates nearly 2,900 convenience stores across 20 states.

What are some of the new brands selected at Casey's 2024 Product Innovation Summit?

Some of the new brands include Health Ade Kombucha, Spin Drift, Yerbae, and Hop Water.

How can suppliers participate in Casey's 2025 Innovation Summit?

Suppliers interested in participating can look for details to be released in the Fall.