Approximately 79% ofall attendees plan to buy one or more ofthe products or services they discovered atthe NACS Show last year. Follow-up researchindicates that actual purchases six to ninemonths after the event are even higher thanwhat was planned. The show hours are: Wednesday, Nov. 7 from 12 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 from 12 p.m.-5:30…
diversified tobacco offering
Specialty and imported tobacco brands offer retailers an opportunity to cultivate a promising profit center. Retailers looking to develop an effective strategy forboosting sales would be wise to examine specialty andimported tobacco brands. Specialty tobacco shops havealready come to realize that brands like Djarum are attractinga new base of consumers that expect quality and value.…
a small rush
Living Essentials’ 5-Hour Energy is helping retailers capitalize on consumers’ needs for a timely energy boost. After surveying the flood of energydrinks introduced over the pastfew years, Living Essentials noticeda weakness in the category. Themajority of drinks continued to grow in packagesize and contained too much sugarand herbal stimulants. To fill the void of people…
a seed of profitability
Zotes is transforming the seed category with innovative marketing and unique packaging. It has been an unexpected and exciting last two years for ZotesSunflower Co., as the seeds steadily climbed to its current numberone spot in the category touting convenient packaging andunique flavors. While other seeds in the category are packaged in bags anddisplayed on…
familial operations
Unlike many retailers profiled in Rising Stars, Kurt Straube always knew he would have a career in the convenience industry. Kurt StraubeDari Mart Stores His grandparents purchased afarm in Junction City, Ore., back in 1940, which grewinto Lochmead Dairy, a milk processing plant, and Dari MartStores in 1965. Three generations of his family have been…
indulging new demographics
Research by Mars Snackfood U.S. shows retailers can attract a broader base of consumers with an emphasis on new and premium products. The female customer today makes approximately 85% of allconsumer purchases, so it’s no wonder that convenience storeowners are among the many retailers eager to cater to thisemerging customer base. Traditionally focused on male…
new solutions for old stores
Searching for higher and better uses for units that are terminally ill. At the time of this writing, thelong, hot summer of 2007 is finallywinding down and the prospectof a cooler football-inspiredautumn is rapidly taking shape. Duringthis time, my company has been workingon several marketer divestitures that havecommonality in the need to determine anon-traditional future…
effective local store marketing
Developing your own coupon book can drive consumer loyalty and cultivate a new customer base. Growing up in Michigan, Iwas a part of a very prestigioushigh school baseball teamthePlymouth Canton Chiefs. Year inand year out, our team was highly rankedand continually vied for the state championship.Playing on this team was a signof prestige at the…
cenex gets in style
Generation Image Renewal program calls for the renovation of the chain’s 1,600 convenience stores and the addition of 550 more. Cenex, the convenience-retailing brand of CHS Inc., islaunching a multimillion-dollar rebranding and expansioneffort that will elevate the chain’s visibility in smalland major markets and enhance its overall competitiveviability. As part of its “Generation Image Renewal,”…
mso no more
Shell announced that it is removing the multi-site operation model from the U.S. going forward. What does this mean to the company and Big Oil as a whole? Shell Oil Products turned headslast month when the oil giantannounced it would be disassemblingits multi-site operator (MSO)partnerships across the country to continueits strategy of putting the stake…