One of the key lessons I learned from one of my mentors in the publishing business is that it's not the job of a trade magazine editor to be smarter than anybody else (you can only imagine what a relief it was to hear that). Instead, our job is to know where to find the [...]
CSD survey finds marketing, communications and wireless technology are keys to unlocking future growth. By most accounts, 10 years really isn’t all that significant a span of time. But to suppliers of convenience stores, a decadeparticularly this past decadehas been monumental in the ongoing evolution of the c-store industry and the customers it serves. During [...]
Greg Hendricks thought it was just a regular day when the vice president of Taylor Petroleum breezed into the Radio Shack where he was working in 1983. He asked Hendricks if he liked working with computers, which he did, and brought him on board the company's pump maintenance team. Twenty-three years later, Hendricks' technology roots [...]
McLane: K&G, Brewer Oil re-up K & G Stores (Lone Tree, CO) has extended its service agreement withMcLane Co. Inc. (www.mclaneco.com).Michael Hayes, K & G vice president of sales and operations, said his company'srelationship with McLane has helped grow the business with good merchandisingand solid overall service. K & G has been a marketing leader [...]
A look at the Fina brand 16 Years (200 CSD Issues) Later By Jeff Morris President and CEO, Alon USA Jeff Morris, president and CEO of Alon USA, reflects on the growth of the Finabrand since the company was profiled in the inaugural issue of ConvenienceStore Decisions 16 years ago. After reviewing the article about [...]
ACRC working overtime on legislative agenda, retailer recruitment. The federal government is poised to enact legislation substantially affecting over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals. Do you know what they are? If not, the American Council on Regulatory Compliance (ACRC) says your business is at risk of losing a potentially high margin, high profit category. ACRC, a Falls Church, [...]
With credit card fees eating away at fuel margins, NACS is promoting an alternative. While in-store sales are flat, retailers’ biggest concern is profit margin erosion triggered by escalating credit-and debit-card processing fees. Beset by record-high gas prices over the past two quarters, convenience store and petroleum marketers are struggling to maintain profitability. In addition [...]
American Auto Wash launches a proprietary fuel offering with plans to introduce it to franchisees in the Mid-Atlantic. In Greek mythology the griffin has served many purposes including the guardian of treasures and kings. Kevin Kan hopes his Griffin will represent similar riches. Kan, president and CEO of American Auto Wash Inc., rolled out the [...]
Jenny Bullard pinpoints trends that have shaped the industry and identifies new developments leading it into the future. Jenny Bullard is a portrait of the consumate professional company’s needs to grow business, and the industry as whole is benefiting. As a foremost authority on developing c-store technology solutions, Bullard has been actively involved in many [...]
Nearly 300 attendees from 135 companies met in Los Angeles for one-on-one strategic planning sessions. Ed Roitz said he came to the Convenience Store Decisions/ECRM Convenience/Front End/Checkstand Conference with an open mind. By the end of the first day, he had an open wallet. That’s because Roitz, president and CEO of Fleming Petroleum Corp. (Pittsburg,Kan.) [...]
It hardly seems appropriate for me to write about the joy of producing Convenience Store Decisions' milestone 200th issue, especially since I've been here barely long enough to figure out the voice mail system. But while my contribution to CSD encompasses all of six issues, I have had the good fortune of literally growing up [...]
Rutter's Holdings Inc. (York, PA), parent company of Rutter's Farm Stores andRutter's Dairy, was named 2005 "Business of the Year" by the Central PennBusiness Journal . The award honors Rutter's contribution to the centralPennsylvania business community, which includes leadership, innovation and growth."This award really means we have great employees who go the extra mile everyday [...]
Kum & Go has promoted Dennis Folden, who has been with the chain since1976, to chief operating officer. Folden's previous position was executive vicepresident. In his 30 years with the company, Folden has held roles as storemanager, retail supervisor and vice president of marketing, among others. AsCOO, Folden will manage the day-to-day activities of the [...]
Keeping a close eye on competitors, and an even closer eye on the changing needs of customers, is the key to becoming a destination. The late ’90s brought a lot of changes to Bill Gordy’s Delmar, DE-based convenience store business. As he witnessed the beverage category explode with the introduction of new SKUs, he saw [...]
Years ago, communities had little voice in whether a store would be built.But as markets grew more saturated, communities felt as though they were losingtheir identities. "Today, four or five people sit on a board and make the decision whether astore will be built," says Jim Fiene, senior vice president of Open Pantry FoodMarts of [...]