Archive for 2005
interview with the slurpee
CSD lands the interview of the year- an exclusive with one of 7-Eleven’s coolest personalities: the Slurpee. Turning 40 this year hasn’t slowed down this icy icon. CSD: First of all, we’re big fans. How do you prefer to be addressed Mr. Slurpee, Big Slurp, the Slurpster? Slurpee: Slurpee is fine. And I appreciate the [...]
at 7eleven the customer is king
A recent Convenience Store Decisions study of convenience store customers and their shopping habits showed that 7- Eleven truly is America's preferred convenience store. Customers listed several reasons for their fondness of 7-Eleven, ranging from proprietary products like the Slurpee, to the people behind the counter, to the consistency from store to store. What also [...]
a conversation with jim keyes
Jim Keyes, who recently stepped down as president and CEO of 7-Eleven Inc., is as passionate about growing people as he is about growing merchandise sales. While leading a franchise-based company for two decades comes with its share of challenges, it also comes with many rewards, especially relating to people development. A tireless advocate of [...]
give them what they want to give
This holiday season the name of the game is convenience. With that inmind, more and more consumers are putting an end to the frenzied shopping thattraditionally accompanies the holiday season. Instead, shoppers are opting forgift cards purchased at the checkout line at local grocery, drug or, yes, conveniencestores. Gift cards accounted for more than $17 [...]
colossal success
Despite its size, 7-Eleven Inc. employs the grace, speed to market and creative thinking often seen in aggressive start-ups. CSD honors the industry’s mightiest retailer for its all-consuming drive to serve the customer. Like many of his peers, California franchisee Jas Dhillon believes thepower of the 7-Eleven brand lies in its ability to stay relevant, [...]
valero sings a new tune
With the holidays right around the corner, San Antonio, TX-based ValeroEnergy Corp. has introduced several new in participating Valero Shamrock CornerStores, making holiday shopping that much more convenient for customers. Theproducts include a new line of Texas-themed music CDs, a variety of popularvideo games and a selection of blockbuster movies. In nearly 600 of its [...]
iron man
While Bruce Earhart may have been ready to "sing the blues" after a couple of consecutive 14-hour days, his band Eugene and the Night Crawlers hasn't yet written a song about the convenience retailing business. How he found his way to the c-store industry might offer great material, but Earhart seems to have found his [...]
red hot eats
Great Expectations The Power of a 94′ Milkshake Keynote Speaker: Thom Crosby, President & CEO, Pal’s Sudden Service Thom Crosby calls today’s young workers “part of the best trained, most highly educated and prepared workforce that America has ever seen.” Pal’s philosophy of empowerment has cultivated a crew of store-level strategic thinkers that has propelled [...]
marked for growth
Independent marketers with a thirst for alternative fuels find value and stability with GROWMARK’s FAST STOP brand. Doug Finkbeiner thought the sky might fall when a couple of big boxesopened up in Lapeer, a small town north of Detroit, last year. To counter thepresence of a new Meijer supermarket/fuel center and a Wal-Mart Supercenterwith a [...]
missed you in las vegas a nacs postshow report
Couldn’t come to the NACS Show this year? Then register to attend this one-hour whirlwind tour of NACS highlights as the CSD Group proves that what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Want to catch up on everything you missed at the 2005 NACS Show in Las Vegas? CSD Editors will share their [...]
didnt make it to vegas
Let us share some of the highlights with you. Didn’t make it to Las Vegas for the NACS show? Here’s a sampling of highlights from the show floor: Robbie Mfg. (www.robbiemfg.com) provides “grab and go” packaging for hot and cold foodservice items. 7-Eleven is using Robbie-made pouches in a market test of buffalo wings in [...]
building fanatics at retail
Every element of the National Convenience Store Advisory Group’s Fall Conference was designed to help retailers turn customers into fanatics about their brands. How do you motivate your stores (and staff) to peak performance? How do youget to the next level of sales and profitability? The answer may lie in developinga closer connection to your [...]
up the creek
Open Pantry Food Marts of Wisconsin continues to pour more of itself into the gourmet coffee business. Recently, the chain put a dynamic new face on its stores by focusing on its Willow Creek Coffee offer . While the new store design has been implemented at only seven of the chain
thumbs up for biometric check cashing
Roughly 610,000 consumers are using Paycheck Secure (www.paychecksecure.com ), BioPay’s biometric payroll check cashing system, at more than 400 retail locations throughout California. To date, Golden State retailers have cashed more than 5.8 million checks, totaling $2.7 billion, through Paycheck Secure since its launch in 2001. An additional 57,000 individuals in Arizona, Utah and Nevada [...]
splash time
Rutter
