Rutter’s Farm Stores (York, PA) has appointed Brian Matlock vice presidentof foodservice. A native of Monterey, CA, Matlock is a veteran of the convenienceindustry. Prior to joining Rutter’s, he served Worsley Cos. (Wilmington, NC)as category manager, fresh foods and proprietary beverages. From 1997 to 2004,Matlock worked in logistics, operations and merchandising for 7-Eleven Inc.,most recently [...]
Amphire Solutions (www.amphire.com ) has introduced Amphire Reconcile, a hosted, Webbased solution that gives retailers the ability to ensure compliance of contracts and rebates with trading partners and streamlines workflow for greater profitability. Trading partners using Reconcile would collaborate onlinein real timeto create, store, edit and manage contracted prices and rebates. Reconcile is centered on [...]
Some people say the U.S. can free itself from foreign oil dependence if it buys from the Midwest rather than the Middle East. Will the industry allow that to happen? Back in February, a gasoline distributor told Karen Riley, vice president of operations for nine-store Jiffy Mini-Marts Inc. (Terre Haute, IN), about an alternative fuel [...]
Wawa Inc. (Wawa, PA) has unveiled a new campaign “gottahava Wawa” for billboards, transit ads, radio and in-store promotions. Wawa hired Richards Group, which counts QSR chain Chick Fil-A and QuikTrip Inc. among its clients, to spearhead the campaign. The campaign started with billboard and transit advertising, then moved into radio and newspaper ads. Customers [...]
A new study reveals that customers are ready to take their relationship with your stores and employees to a new level. Are you? Kathy (not her real name) is a grandmother in her late 40s who recently movedfrom an apartment in Scottsdale, AZ, to a house in Phoenix. “So I don’t havemuch connection to my [...]
Advertising is a severely underutilized tool for convenience retailers, according to one industry guru. So, how much should you allocate for your ad budgetand where should you invest it? Each year, convenience retailers spend an estimated $300 million in advertising.That sounds like a lot of dough, but John Matthews, president of marketing consultingfirm Gray Cat [...]
Singles may account for the bulk of a convenience retailer’s packaged beverage sales, but multi-packs represent a home-run growth opportunity as “gateway items” to other impulse purchases. About three years ago, Diane Clark surveyed her market to see her conveniencestore rivals getting aggressive with multi-pack soft drinks: large warm displays,both inside and out. Her 27 [...]
Together, Darcy Paluch and Steve Hendrickson have nearly 30 years of experience with Moyle Petroleum (Rapid City, SD), which operates 35 Common Cents Food Stores in five states. Both started their retailing careers at store-level, learning the trade from the inside out. Despite the challenges, Paluch, marketing director for Common Cents, sees a huge upside [...]
When Chevron Corp. (San Ramon, CA) wanted to upgrade the gourmet coffee offerat its ExtraMile Convenience Stores, it went north of the border to tap Canadianroaster Van Houtte to do the brews for a pilot program in the Seattle market.Since May, 43 ExtraMile units in the area have been featuring Van Houtte brandedcoffee stations. The [...]
Labeled “cannibalistic” by some, drive-thru coffee kiosks on c-store lots can perk up in-store java sales. Over the past 11 years, more than 70 of Montanabased Mountain Mudd’ssignature green 8′ by 8′ drive-thru kiosks have popped up in parking lots spanning21 states, and founder Brenda Burkhartsmeier has plans to take over the nationalNo. 2 niche [...]
Retailers trim energy costs by investing in building-control systems geared specifically for their stores Checking the fence line? Use a quarter horse. Entering the Preakness or theKentucky Derby? Saddle up a thoroughbred. Plowing the field or pulling a heavyload? Enlist a draft horse. And a Morgan is just right for pleasure riding.The point is, using [...]
To maintain uptime and reduce servicing, the latest generation of electronic power conditioners guards data in case of power failure or lockups in ATM systems. To maintain uptime and reduce servicing, the latest generation of electronicpower conditioners guards data in case of power failure or lockups in ATM systems. In the race to deliver 100% [...]
Vic Shealy, president of Citizens Fuel Co./Citi Stop Convenience Stores (Asheville, NC), has concentrated on soft benefits since he bought the business in 1974. “We don
When employees perform below expectations, chances are it’s not a training issue. Often, employees fail because of the systems that are supposed to support them. Researchers tell us that when employees who know how to perform the dutiesof their jobs aren’t performing them, lack of training is rarely the cause. Job-related training salespeople say otherwise, [...]
Casey’s and CJ’s don’t skimp when it comes to offering fresh pizza. Dedicated labor and attention to detail keep these programs profitable. Easy doesn’t necessarily mean better. That’s the view of Casey’s General Stores(Ankeny, IA) when it comes to foodservice. With more than 1,300 corporate-ownedstores and 19 franchised stores covering nine Midwest states, the company [...]