With the development of a new convenience store format to be unveiled in California early next year, UK retailers and analysts say marketers should prepare for Wal-Mart, Part II. By Andrew Don Not since The Beatles has a British invasion been so eagerly anticipated. But UK market observers warn that Tesco’s reputation as a bigger,…
rollin right along
The roller grill has spun itself into the spotlight at Fas Mart and Pump N Pantry, delivering nice returns to the bottom line. By Kate Quackenbush, Managing Editor Pump N Pantry hasn’t been afraid to try new items to spice up the roller grill. Not all of them have turned a profit. Take, for instance,…
category captain
banking on loyalty
Data mining and basket analysis is giving retailers an edge when going to market, while strategic partnerships keep costs down. By Kate Quackenbush, Managing Editor They have a saying at Mirabito Fuel Group: “When you attract customers with cheap gas prices, you only buy their loyalty until the next gas fill-up.” That’s the kind of…
broadening its range
Road Ranger, a chain of 50 c-stores and travel plazas, expects to nearly double in size by year’s end. By Ross Markman, Retail Relations Editor This promises to be a busy year for Road Ranger. Following an expansion two years ago from about 30 convenience stores and travel centers to 50, the Rockford, Ill.-based chain…
food for thought
By Ross Markman Retail Relations Editor Highlighted by a theme dinner that mimicked the Food Network’s popular Iron Chef television program, the National Convenience Store Advisory Group (NCSAG) foodservice conference was a success, particularly for the more than 300 retailers and suppliers in attendance. The three-day event, held in Atlanta, was the first NCSAG show…
industry sales hit new highs in 2005
Higher fuel prices, strong in-store sales spur record growth. By John Lofstock, Editor Convenience store sales climbed 20.2% to reach a record $474.3 billion in 2005, the third straight year of revenue growth of at least 16%, according to National Association of Convenience Stores’ State of the Industry (SOI) report. The results were announced last…
caring for cars in vegas
Thousands of carwash operators, equipment manufacturers and vendors filled the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center to “clean up.” By Ross Markman, Retail Relations Editor Cruising the show floor at the annual Car Care Expo in Las Vegas, dozens of current and would-be carwash operators perused new products that caught their eye, considered the future of…
the changing taste of beer
Grappling with consumers’ growing interest in wine and spirits, major beer manufacturers are turning to new tastes and flavorsand, in some places, it’s working. By Ross Markman Retail Relations Editor Forget for a moment about the rising tide of wine and spirit sales and that traditional beer companies in recent years have introduced everything from…
lottery controversy stuns iowa retailers
Operators have lost a major profit center now that the governor has banned the popular TouchPlay machines. By Ross Markman, Retail Relations Editor Eight miles from the tiny town of Larchwood, Iowa (pop. 788), Fran Zuraff faces a major competitor for customer dollarsSouth Dakota. Competition wasn’t quite as stiff until recent months, when Zuraff and…