BP’s c-store network taps GSP Retail for customized marketing programs

Dive Brief:

BP-owned Thorntons, Ampm and ARCO convenience stores have tapped retail service provider GSP to provide point-of-purchase (POP) programs in more than 1,350 locations, according to a recent announcement.
Per the partnership, Thorntons, Ampm and Arco will each receive GSP’s store-specific kits to help them support large national marketing programs.
Thorntons has already worked with GSP, which continues to expand its customer base throughout BP’s store network and the larger c-store industry.

Dive Insight:

Thorntons and GSP have already been working together for “nearly a decade,” as GSP has helped the c-store chain with its account management and execution, Amy Nicholson, senior manager of digital and loyalty marketing at Thorntons, said in a statement.

“Thorntons was eager to share the success that came of that partnership with our new colleagues at ampm and the parent company, BP,” she said.

Before Thornton’s and GSP’s original partnership, Thornton’s POP kits often included the wrong size or type of signs, meaning associates had to request costly second shipments. To help, GSP conducted onsite surveys at all Thorntons sites and gathered data to tailor programs to each store’s needs, then used its proprietary technology to match promotional requirements with each individual store. As a result, Thorntons experienced a 33% reduction in POP spending.

Besides Thorntons, Ampm and Arco, GSP has also worked with Circle K; Pilot; Kum & Go; Texas Born; CEFCO; APlus convenience stores; 7-Eleven-owned Stripes; E-Z Mart; Tom Thumb stores; and other c-store retailers.

GSP’s POP management program provides local account management to help store owners understand site-specific needs by leveraging expertise in design, production, fulfillment, data and budget management. GSP’s proprietary technology, AccuStore, builds and maintains store profiles to determine accurate distributions for in-store marketing campaigns.

BP took full ownership of Thorntons, which operates more than 200 stores throughout the Midwest and in Florida, in 2021 and expanded Ampm to the East Coast earlier this summer.