Atlas Oil Company said this week that a Department of Transportation (DOT) safety audit conducted by the State of Michigan Motor Carrier Division has given the company the highest of three possible ratings. The DOT safety investigation gave positive reviews on the condition and maintenance of Atlas Oil’s trucks and security plan, as well as [...]

New York gas station owners are celebrating a new law signed last week by Gov. David Paterson that will allow them to sell cheaper unbranded gasoline, The Times Union in Albany, N.Y., reported. Owners of stations affiliated with major oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Hess and Sunoco are typically required under contract to buy gas [...]

Gilbarco and PDI said they’ve partnered to develop a full back-office system linking Gilbarco’s Express Ordering self-service kiosks and PDI/Enterprise and PDI/FocalPoint applications. The companies said retailers can benefit from streamlined foodservice inventory and accounting management from the familiar PDI system operation. Express Ordering works in conjunction with the retailer’s choice on point of sale [...]

As election day nears, things are really heating up, especially at neighborhood 7-Eleven stores. Today, the convenience store giant kicks off its third quadrennial 7-Election presidential coffee cup poll. Unabashedly unscientific, the just-for-fun poll has proven remarkably accurate in elections past, with results closely mirroring the official surveys by the country’s top political pollsters. In [...]

Starbucks said it’s planning to introduce warm sandwiches to its breakfast menu in the next week, The Associated Press reported. Additionally, smoothie chain Jamba Juice is expanding its offerings with a new breakfast menu offering a lineup of on-the-go products containing granola, yogurt and chunks of fruit, the New York Post reported. About 80% of [...]

Dallas-based 7-Eleven is bringing back its presidential coffee cup promotion – the same program whose results closely mirrored the actual results from the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, the Dallas Morning News reported. The program begins at 7-Eleven stores on Wednesday and ends on Nov. 4, Election Day. 7-Eleven customers can cast their c-store vote [...]

Aloha Petroleum Ltd., a privately owned oil marketer in Hawaii, said it has chosen New York-based retail design firm CBX to put together a new prototype convenience store debuting on Oahu in 2009. Aloha Petroleum has more than 30 company-operated Island Mini-Mart convenience stores and nearly 80 retail fuel locations on the islands of Oahu [...]

C-store loyalty marketing company Outsite Networks Inc. has awarded $10,000 to employees at Express Convenience Center in Menasha, Wis., as part of an employee rewards contest promoting Outsite’s loyalty program. More than 1,500 stores that are part of Outsite Networks loyalty program were eligible to participate. Retailers gained entry into the sweepstakes by meeting certain [...]

Alon USA Energy Inc. said its 24,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) at its refinery in Big Spring, Texas, is back online. Damaged in a Feb. 18 fire, the FCCU is operating at planned rates, enabling the refinery to return to its 70,000 bpd operating capacity. More on Alon’s refinery restart and its [...]

The Washington Post and other media outlets say gasoline shortages triggered by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike are continuing to hit towns across the southeastern U.S. this week, sparking panic buying, long lines and high prices. Portions of The Washington Post report: In Atlanta, half of the gasoline stations were closed, according to AAA, which said [...]

Wrigley shareholders approved the $23 billion sale of the company to Mars Inc., a transaction that the Chicago Tribune says will end the independence of one of Chicago’s most venerable companies. The deal is expected to close within two weeks, when Wrigley will become part of the privately-held Mars, creating the world’s biggest confection company. [...]

Retail equipment innovator Pan-Oston said its Utopia self-checkout system that was introduced to Crossroads Market near Bowling Green, Ky., about three months ago is proving to be a success. “We selected the Utopia self-checkout solution for our new Crossroads Market store because we just wanted to make our customers happy and our stores more profitable,” [...]

Philip Morris USA filed suit today in federal court to overturn a controversial San Francisco ordinance that would ban the sale of tobacco products in convenience drug stores. The lawsuit asks the court in the Northern District of California to delay enforcement of the ordinance and ultimately declare it unconstitutional. The ban, passed by a [...]