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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]