Convenience Store Decisions celebrates its first annual Reader's Choice Awards issue by recognizing the Top Performers in two dozen categories and subcategories. The awards are a significant milestone for CSD as we move forward with our commitment to helping convenience store marketers find the solutions they need to grow profitability. The Reader's Choice Awards are [...]
Irving Oil fights backIrving Oil Ltd. (Saint John, New Brunswick) said it "will vigorouslydefend" a class-action lawsuit alleging that the chain overcharged consumerson fuel taxes in 2004. The suit was filed in February by Option Consommateurs,a Canadian nonprofit group. "We have received the legal papers and we are inthe process of reviewing them," Irving Oil [...]
Premium products driving the moist smokeless tobacco business, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco says. An influx of deep-discount products is forcing retailers to change the way they merchandise moist smokeless tobacco (MST) products and experts are concerned that these changes are adversely affecting moist smokeless profitability. As the deep-discount segment has grown in volume, it is compressing [...]
Motivated by the growing deep-discount price segment of moist smokeless tobacco, Fas Mart is using premium products to drive volume and maintain store profitability. Since the late 90s convenience store retailers have experienced the rapid expansion of a deep-discount price segment, often referred to as the sub-price value segment, in the moist smokeless tobacco category. [...]
The carwash has matured from an ancillary service to a major profit center that could easily exist on its own. Matthew Jadali has it all figured out. Operating his third different Mobil location in the past dozen years, like most convenience store owners, he’s doggedly battling the deterioration of gas margins. His weapon of choice: [...]
Regional marketers discuss hot trends in the cold vault. Variety and pricing are the keys to building the beer business, according to a Convenience Store Decisions survey of regional marketers. “We’re seeing strong sales in imports, as well as the flavored alcoholic beverages,” said Doreen Lewis, category manager of beer and wine for Portsmouth, N.H.-based [...]
Company president John MacDougall announces major staff changes as he turns is attention to real estate development. John MacDougall is on a first-name basis with all of his employees and a great many of his customers, too. Well, when customers see him in his Nice N Easy stores and recognize him from the chain’s radio [...]
A growing profit center for c-stores, Iowa’s TouchPlay machines have triggered a statewide clash that might mean the program’s removal. The controversial TouchPlay machine, which has sparked a lottery vs. casino debate throughout Iowa, is smacking the convenience store owner where it hurts mostthe pocketbook. Consider Larry Bentler, president of Houghton, Iowa-based Jet Gas Corp., [...]
Sheetz increases efficiency 13% at its Pa. distribution center using stretch wrappers. Sheetz Inc. understands that speed and innovation are differentiators in the convenience industry. The family-owned Altoona, Pa.-based chain proved it by being one of the first retailers to integrate touchscreen ordering into its Made-to-Order (MTO) food offer. It followed that up by creating [...]
Convenience Store Decisions’ Reader’s Choice Awards honor the top performers in more than 20 in-store categories. “Honesty,” “integrity” and “committed to the industry.” These were just a fewof the glowing accolades industry-retailers had for their supplier partnersin Convenience Store Decisions‘ first annual Reader’s Choice Awards. “We consider our relationships with retail and wholesale partners to [...]
Decision Makers Kyle Krause, CEO of Kum & Go announces the promotion of Brian Thompson as chief acquisitions officer. Thompson will be responsible for developing the company’s Grow Business department, an area responsible for all convenience store acquisitions and alternative business developments.He has been with Kum & Go since 2003, and was previouslyits chief financial [...]