Company and key partners recognized for two industry awards in the inaugural program

TEMPLE, Texas — McLane Company Inc., one of the nation’s largest distributors and an industry-leading partner to retail and restaurant brands nationwide, was recently named a winner in two categories of the inaugural Category Excellence Awards by Convenience Store News for its work alongside EG America and Albertsons.

“The McLane team continues to go above and beyond to create and implement new solutions for our customers, and we’re honored to receive these awards,” said Vito Maurici, chief customer experience officer at McLane. “Collaborating with fantastic retailers like Albertsons and EG America showcases our dedication to ensuring our partners thrive. From high quality products and marketing solutions to equipment and food safety training, our team is always delivering best-in-class expertise and support.”

For McLane’s ongoing collaboration with Albertsons, one of the nation’s largest grocery and convenience store chains, the two companies were recognized as winners in the Overall Partnership Excellence category. In 2024, McLane provided end-to-end solutions for Albertsons convenience store locations nationwide to support their goal of becoming a premier one-stop shop and elevating fresh foodservice in convenience stores as part of their growth strategy. The Albertsons and McLane teams worked together closely to implement McLane Fresh in 40+ locations throughout the country in 2024, with offerings like Central Eats, Prendisimo, Better Case Bakery and CupZa!.

“We were initially drawn to the McLane Fresh offerings due to rising demand for fresh food in c-stores,” said Donnie Green, Albertsons senior sales manager. “After discussing with McLane what might make sense for us, we were blown away with their level of personalized support and guidance in helping to get the program launched in our stores.”

McLane and EG America, one of the fastest-growing convenience store retailers in the country with 1,500 retail locations and 18,000 team members across the U.S, were recognized as winners in the Planogram Excellence category. In addition to distribution services for EG America’s wide range of convenience store brands, McLane has provided extensive planogram support as the company’s strategic partner for growth. McLane continues to support EG America’s goal of becoming America’s preferred ‘one-stop’ destination by focusing on a superior guest experience and high-quality grocery products.

“Our teams came together for a number of extremely productive planogram planning meetings last year,” said Brian Ferguson, EG America’s chief marketing officer. “Our category team worked closely with McLane experts to identify gaps and areas for improvement in our assortments. We were thrilled with the final planograms they delivered, and we implemented them in more than 800 of our locations nationwide.”

Category Excellence winners are collaborations that highlight the power of partnerships in the U.S. convenience store industry between retailers, suppliers and distributors. Nominations were submitted to Convenience Store News by c-store industry professionals and described the key contributions of the retailer category manager and the key contributions of the supplier/distributor partner, as well as provide specific metrics on how the partnership improved category sales and profits.

McLane offers customizable solutions for retail and restaurant customers, from ordering and fulfillment to equipment and in-store merchandising, aimed at eliminating barriers to entry for smaller retailers and solving logistical challenges for large chains. Click here to learn more about McLane and its retail, restaurant and e-commerce solutions.