Brands With Heart: Small Food Brands Score Big with 7-Eleven

 
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven recently completed its fourth Brands With Heart program, a competition among up-and-coming brands to earn a spot among the store’s shelves. Not only is Brands With Heart a great way to stock the 7-Eleven shelves with a wider variety of products, but it paid tribute and drew attention to some great brands that are less well-known. The chain has its own private label brand for food and beverage, but still partners with brands across the country.

Jeff Lenard, VP of Strategic Industry Initiatives for the National Association of Convenience Stores, explains the “hybrid model” 7-Eleven subscribes to, and why it benefits convenience stores across the country.

Jeff’s Thoughts

“What 7-11 in a lot of convenience retailers are doing with these types of programs are, thinking of it more like a hybrid between their own products when you have a private label and what they might have when they’re working with traditional vendors, somewhat of a hybrid, where these are different types of brands that you may only be able to find in these stores.

The second point is looking at the sense of higher purpose and why does your beverage, why does your snack taste better than the competitions? When you tell that story around the sense of purpose, you’re able to differentiate yourself, and that’s something that we’re increasingly seeing convenience retailers do to differentiate themselves in the competition because when you’re in the convenience space and everyone is in the convenience space. You need to find a way to differentiate yourself. If the only other ways are based on location or based on price.”

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Commerce media
A Look at the Rise of Commerce Media Networks: How Nift Helps Brands Own How Their Message Shows Up
July 2, 2025

As traditional digital advertising struggles to retain consumer trust, brands are exploring new, more authentic ways to connect with shoppers. Platforms like commerce media networks, which weave together commerce, content, and data, are emerging as powerful tools in this shift. Research from MG2 Advisory reveals that only about 37% of consumers feel brands genuinely…

Read More
Hospitality leadership
Heart-First Hospitality Leadership: How Saying ‘Yes’ Transforms Guest Experiences, Boosts Staff Morale, and Drives Business Results
July 2, 2025

As the hospitality industry emerges from years of pandemic-driven upheaval, hospitality leadership is evolving to meet new challenges. Leaders are looking for new ways to retain staff, elevate guest satisfaction, and drive revenue without burning out their teams. One trend gaining traction is the power of “Yes”: empowering employees to say yes more often,…

Read More
civic leadership
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth’s Civic Leadership Journey: What Politics Teaches About People
July 2, 2025

What does a mayor learn about human nature? In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, host Jason Winningham sits down with Gerard Hudspeth, longtime mayor of Denton, Texas, and a respected figure in civic leadership. Drawing from his years in public service, Hudspeth explores how leading a city reveals the core…

Read More
sepsis
Debunking Sepsis Myths – Episode 1
July 1, 2025

In the first episode of The Michael Rothman podcast, we address misconceptions about sepsis in healthcare. Although it’s often claimed that sepsis accounts for nearly a third of hospital deaths, many of these deaths are linked to chronic conditions with sepsis as a secondary factor. The frequently cited statistic that delays in treating sepsis increase…

Read More