Can tobacco and loyalty programs work together? Learn what is needed from the tech stack, how participating retailers compare to non-participants, and ways to evolve loyalty programs beyond traditional discounts. Case studies and real-world lessons will highlight practical strategies, common challenges and the tactics that delivered strong results.
Director of Loyalty/Tobacco Category Manager
Weigel's Stores, Inc.
Jessica Starnes serves as the Director of Loyalty and Tobacco Category Manager at Weigel's, where she oversees two of the most strategically critical areas of the business. In her role managing the tobacco category, Jessica leads with precision -…
Director of Research & Development
NACS
Jayme Gough is the Director of Research and Development at NACS. She leads NACS' consumer insights portfolio, Convenience Voices, which is a comprehensive program designed to gather and analyze feedback from convenience store shoppers. She manages…
Tuesday, Oct 06, 2026
Category managers put serious time into building the right assortment and space strategy. But at the shelf, the story is often different. Disconnected tools, manual planogram workflows, and static allocation models mean that strong category plans routinely lose their impact before they reach the store. Join RELEX Solutions for a practical session on closing the gap between category strategy and shelf reality. We'll show how space planning connected to live demand data, replenishment, and floor planning helps retail teams turn category insight into consistent, profitable in-store execution
Tuesday, Oct 06, 2026
Successful and impactful merchandising meets customers where they are. This session dives into how retailers can align product assortment, promotions and displays with key seasonal moments that drive engagement and sales. Learn how to create compelling in-store experiences that stand out, stay fresh and deliver results.
Wednesday, Oct 07, 2026
The back bar is evolving as nicotine pouches and alternative consumables compete for limited space. Hear about strategically allocating back bar space across oral nicotine, traditional tobacco, and emerging categories. Gain practical insights on merchandising, balancing profitability with security concerns, and preparing for what the future of the category could look like.