RELEX Diagnostics to Help Improve Store Performance for Circle K’s European Network 

Retailer to gain insights into supply chain performance to improve product availability and customer satisfaction.

RELEX Solutions, a provider of unified supply chain and retail planning solutions has expanded its collaboration with Circle K, a global leader in convenience and mobility. RELEX Diagnostics will be implemented by Circle K to support the improvement of visibility into root causes of stockouts and increasing product availability.  

With over 4,800 stores operating under the Circle K brand in Europe, Circle K has a broad retail network offering fuel, electric vehicle charging stations, fresh food and beverages. Since partnering with RELEX in 2016, Circle K has successfully rolled out a unified setup for space planning and supply chain optimization across its European business units. In addition to this, demand forecasting and replenishment will be implemented at Circle K and Couche-Tard locations in the U.S. and Canada. 

Circle K focuses on making travel easier for customers by offering convenient stops with the products their customers need for their journey. As such, there was the requirement for a tool that provided a comprehensive view and automatic analysis into product availability issues. The addition of diagnostics capabilities was the answer to this issue and marks the next step in the ongoing collaboration with RELEX, reflecting Circle K’s commitment to using innovative solutions to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. 

With RELEX Diagnostics, Circle K will benefit from functionality that is integrated with the planning processes and offers detailed insights into the reasons for stockouts and spoilage. This includes root causing that spans end-to-end operations, indicating whether supplier performance is the main factor, for example, or if pack size is causing issues, or in-store balance corrections are affecting KPIs.  With this information, RELEX can help Circle K understand the root causes and then focus on fixing those issues with the relevant parties. Circle K offers a variety of perishable and fast-selling products, and with this added end-to-end visibility, they can take steps towards more precise management of inventory for improved KPIs. 

“As we continue to streamline our supply chain processes with RELEX, we are always seeking new ways to make improvements,” said Ole Christian Remen, Head of Supply Chain and Merchandising Support, Europe, Circle K. “This solution will allow us to achieve better alignment with our demand forecast to enhance our store performance and ultimately ensure that our customers always find the products they need when they visit Circle K.” 

“We are pleased that Circle K continues to recognize our efforts to streamline their supply chain processes and provide value-added functionalities,” said Tiina Kanninen, Vice President, Customer Success, RELEX Solutions. “RELEX Diagnostics will provide them with the tools they need to be proactive and improve product availability in their stores. We look forward to supporting Circle K in the next phase of their journey with RELEX.”