In 2024, a $385 million deal with Brentwood, Tennessee-based Delek US established Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. of C.V. (FEMSA) in the Southwest United States. And in February, it started rebranding convenience stores it acquired from Delek US Holdings Inc. to OXXO.
Evans (pictured below), lead retail category manager at OXXO USA, was a finalist for center store, large chain, in CSP’s 2025 Category Manager of the Year (CMOY) awards.
He shares how the companies are integrating and what’s he loves about the center store category.
- Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. of C.V. (FEMSA), which owns the DK and Oxxo brands, is No. 32 on CSP’s 2025 Top 40 Update to the 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2025 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
This year's CMOY awards featured 14 winners across seven categories. Winners from both small (99 or fewer stores) and large chains (100 stores or more) were selected for the first time in each category.
Here’s what Evans shared about his category.
What was most successful for you in 2024 in terms of best products as well as best merchandising techniques?
We went heavy into queue lines in the franchise stores last year. Those are the zigzag aisles near the front of the registers. You see them at other stores at the registers or the way to self-checkout. That was at Circle K Franchise. I joined OXXO in December, responsible for packaged beverage, candy, salty, ice cream and packaged sweet snacks. I was with Circle K Franchise for almost 15 years, also center store, before joining OXXO USA. The best way to describe franchise was we let the corporate sites work out all the bugs before went ahead with it. I was the queue line guy and helped us roll out queue lines successfully at over 200 locations.
What’s a key goal you’ve set for this year?
There are so many goals, it's hard to pick just one, but I'm saying the key one would be to integrate the stores in the United States. As a company, we are the only convenience-store chain that is 100% Hispanic owned. That's a major change in the industry, so you're going to see a huge rollout. And it's a huge challenge for us because there are so many logistical things that are needed.
What new product/s have attracted you?
A lot of new stuff is out there. Some of the new things are the Snickers Butterscotch Scoop and the new Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s. Those are already out in stores. There’s another one I'm hesitantly excited about. It’s a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with PB&J. Hershey’s has added strawberry jelly to the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Another one that I think will do really well is the Salted Caramel Butterfinger bar. It’s the first new Butterfinger flavor in 10 years, coming out in April.
On the salty side, there are a few new things, but we are sticking with proven items, going back to our roots. We are going to be relying on our vendor partners to make sure that we carry the right items. With us being in the Southwest, a big portion will be Fritos Flamin’ Hot chips. We’re going to be leaning in pretty heavy on that. That’s where a lot of the growth is coming from in the category—hot and spicy—for the salty side. For the sweet side, growth is coming from novelty, nonchocolate and sour. Kids love their sour. Adults, too.
What's your biggest category challenge this year?
Integrating a Mexico system into a U.S. system is probably the biggest overall challenge this year. We have so many different types of shelving and display racks. OXXO is looking to upgrade our equipment, and it will be a challenge to get it right so we can grow. We will go away from shelving that we can no longer find and be able to have a dedicated 3-foot shelf with hooks that we can use. So that's going to be our biggest challenge.
Another challenge will be integrating our pricebook and getting the most out of our PDI system. A few other things, like getting us all on the same email address because OXXO was only in Spanish. That’s one of our goals in the first quarter. We’re also launching a Facebook group for OXXO USA, and an OXXO USA website. The future is really bright. We have a blank footprint and we're going to be able to put our stamp on who we are. Our CEO said every store will earn the right to become an OXXO. We're not just going to put a new name on the building. We're going to have certain criteria to meet, so the first OXXO USA locations won’t be branded until March or April, and we’ll start with only 10 of them. [The change from Delek to OXXO USA] will be a slow rollout to really get it right. Every store will get an interior remodel, so this will be new for customers. When we travel around the stores in the Southwest, the question we ask everyone is, “What do you want to see in your OXXO?” The coffee, the foodservice, the Hispanic products—everyone wants those things. So, we won’t brand the store until we’re ready to have those things available.
What do you love about the Center Store category?
I love that I don't have any repetition in my days. I work with some of the best people in the business that make my job fun to come to work. I don't really think of it as work. Even if we weren't in business together, I think I would still be friends with a lot of people. That makes the job so much more enjoyable. I enjoy what I do and I like being able to go into a store, make a change and within a week see if it was the right change or not. That’s the thing I'm the most excited about.
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