How PDI offers unrivalled software solutions for convenience and fuels industry – CEO Jimmy Frangis

Jimmy Frangis, CEO of PDI, has a clear strategic vision

Jimmy Frangis, CEO of PDI, has a clear strategic vision and direction for the business which delivers solutions to help convenience retailers and petroleum wholesalers thrive.

“Our vision is to be the leading global provider of enterprise software solutions to the convenience retail and wholesale petroleum industry,” he says.

With a 35-year heritage, people-first business approach and best-in class technology, PDI is well on its way.

Today, PDI serves over 1,500 customers, and its ERP, fuel pricing, logistics and marketing cloud solutions are in more than 200,000 locations in over 50 countries around the world.

Nearly three years ago, the company, which had successfully built a strong reputation in convenience retail, acknowledged the need to change and adapt to new market conditions.

“For much of PDI’s 35-year history, we were primarily focused on delivering enterprise-class solutions to the convenience retail market in North America,” Frangis explains. “But the industry began to evolve, and so did our customers’ needs. Both wholesalers and retailers were merging and consolidating, investing in adjacent lines of business and looking for solutions to optimise every part of their operation, generate revenue and provide actionable insights.”

Acquisitive route

Market changes, coupled with a desire to extend its global coverage and provide a broader range of solutions to customers, spurred PDI on the acquisition trail.

Frangis again: “Over the last few years, we performed several acquisitions to increase our international footprint and expand our solutions portfolio to better support our customers,” he says. “When you combine our deep industry expertise and end-to-end solutions, we’re uniquely positioned to holistically serve our customers-regardless of size or geographic location-across the value chain.”

The acquisitions included FuelsPricing, whose solutions optimise the fuels pricing process in both the retail filling station and wholesale B2B fuels market.

According to Frangis, empowering customers at the consumer level-whether through loyalty or price optimisation applications-is an integral part of PDI’s strategy to help them thrive. “The acquisition of FuelsPricing increased our global reach and provided a great solution that helps businesses maximise volume and margin at every location,” he says.

While the FuelsPricing acquisition delivered world-class expertise in optimising the fuels pricing process, optimisation isn’t new for PDI, however.

“We’ve interfaced with major third-party price optimisation providers for years, and we continue to do so because we ascribe to an open solution philosophy,” says Frangis. “We did, however, feel it was important to fill that gap in our portfolio and give customers the choice to have a single provider address all their needs.”

In all, PDI completed 15 acquisitions over the last few years, significantly expanding its solution capabilities for convenience retail, wholesale petroleum and logistics companies. Most recently, PDI acquired CStorePro, a provider of simple, self-provisioning and cost-effective mobile software designed to give single-store operators centralised visibility into sales, pricing and promotional data with real-time dashboards.

“For a long time, PDI was considered the provider of choice for large c-store chains, but through our acquisitions, we’ve been able to offer solutions to  smaller chains,” said Frangis. “This latest acquisition positions us to supply the entire c-store market-including single-store operators-with cutting-edge solutions that power their business.

Challenges and opportunities

Given PDI’s global coverage the business is extremely well-placed to comment on the trends and challenges that are impacting the convenience retail industry on the worldwide stage.

For Frangis, whose introduction to the convenience industry came 20 years ago, there are three standout themes.

“First, we’re seeing continued consolidation through mergers and acquisitions,” he says. “Second, fuel margins and tobacco sales are decreasing. Lastly, labour costs continue to rise.”

As a result, operators are being forced to streamline existing processes, reduce costs and find new ways to attract and retain customers to maintain historical profit levels, Frangis says.

Best-in class technology

Fortunately for convenience retailers and petroleum wholesalers, technology, and PDI’s solutions in particular, can help them to solve their dilemmas.

“The reason we’ve been investing so heavily in expanding our capabilities is so we can help retailers confront and overcome these challenges,” Frangis says.

“Consolidation often introduces challenges like operational complexity, disparate systems and data delays or inconsistencies. Our comprehensive solution portfolio helps retailers achieve a single view of their business with real-time insights to make faster, better decisions.”

The business is also at the forefront with the latest techniques such as AI and machine learning. Frangis again: “Our price optimisation software combines machine learning and data from multiple sources to help retailers reach their fuel margin goals.

“We’re also providing just-right staffing tools powered by transaction data to reduce labour costs, better controls and planning capabilities to accommodate the growing demand for foodservice, and our recently launched PDI Marketing Cloud Solutions offering to help retailers attract and retain new customers, even as in-store traffic decreases in other retail spaces,” he says.

Future proofing

PDI has a rich, 35-year heritage, but its people-first approach and appetite for leading edge technology remains unwavering.

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and as we have in recent years, we’ll continue looking for opportunities to holistically meet their needs, now and in the future, by expanding our portfolio and increasing our capabilities through acquisition and R&D,” Frangis says.

“Yes, we’re growing, but one thing that will never change is our commitment to cultivating a high-values, high-performance culture. Since our days as a start-up, it’s been the foundation of our success, and it will continue enabling us to build the solutions our customers rely on to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers every day.”