Dive Brief:
- Thorntons Vice President of Information Technology David Caudill is stepping down from his post at the convenience retailer and its parent company BP, Caudill announced via LinkedIn this week.
- Caudill, who has led Thorntons’ technology infrastructure for the past three decades, is “taking a brief pause” before moving into the next step of his career, he said in his announcement. It appears Caudill is resigning from the company, although he did not state that outright.
- This leaves a hole near the top of Thorntons’ leadership team as BP continues to grow the Louisville-based chain’s c-store network.
Dive Insight:
Caudill has been in Thorntons’ tech leadership for most of the brand’s lifetime. The chain — which has over 200 c-stores across six states — was founded in 1970, and Caudill began working there in 1995, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Most of Caudill’s time at Thorntons has been spent shaping “how frontline teams work” and “how technology fuels growth,” he said in his announcement. He’s helped Thorntons build its point-of-sale system and modernize its digital ecosystem, as well as bring on its loyalty program via Paytronix in 2014.
Ever since BP took on full ownership Thorntons in 2021, Caudill has worked to unify the two banners’ systems and help modernize BP’s retail technology experience, he said.
“Technology is entering a new era — AI, automation, and experience-driven retail are reshaping what’s possible,” Caudill said in his announcement. “I’m energized by the opportunity to contribute to this next wave of innovation in a new capacity.”
A spokesperson from BP declined to comment when asked for more information on Caudill stepping down from his post and who his replacement might be.
