On Thursday, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee held a hearing to evaluate the rules that Visa and MasterCard impose on retailers and on the proposed legislation to handle the issue, NACS reported. One solution debated, which is strongly supported by NACS, was the Credit Card Interchange Fees Act of 2009 (H.R. 2382). [...]
The Arizona Department of Transportation is temporarily closing 13 of 18 state-owned rest stops as part of a plan to fix a projected $100 million shortfall in highway user funds, the Arizona Daily Star reported. The closures, which could begin as soon as Oct. 19, are expected to be temporary, Linda Ritter, an [...]
A summit meeting on U.S.-Africa business opportunities drew government, private sector, and civil society leaders from around the world last week to discuss ways to improve women’s economic opportunities. At the event, ExxonMobil Executive Sara Ortwein praised The Corporate Council on Africa for its focus on women and led a roundtable discussion on [...]
In a Wall Street Journal opinion article, Muhtar Kent, CEO of the Coca-Cola Company argued that soft drinks are not to blame for the U.S. obesity epidemic and that consumers need exercise to improve health, and that adding another tax on recession weary consumers is not the answer. Kent is responding to the [...]
Promotions and sales at local grocery stores are drawing cash-strapped customers more than ever before. According to a new study from The Nielsen Company, 42.8% of grocery purchases are sold on promotion, up from 40.8% a year ago. And grocery stores aren’t alone. Drug stores also are selling a significant portion of products [...]
The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) elected the 2009-2010 Board of Directors and Officers at the group’s Annual Business Meeting, held recently in Chicago. John Sullivan, the president and CEO of Norseland Inc., Stamford, Conn., was elected as the association’s 46th president. He has been an officer and served on the Board of Directors [...]
Kwik Trip, Inc. of La Crosse, Wis., will be installing improved fuel dispensers with Gilbarco FlexPay Encrypting PIN Pad (EPP) retrofits for Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. The program begins this month with 1,157 dispensers at 164 locations in the first phase. The award-winning hardware is PCI Encrypting PIN Pad (PCI EPP) compliant [...]
Shell is once again taking part in one of the largest and most successful marketing promotions in McDonald’s history-MONOPOLY. Consumers will receive a game piece with the purchase of select McDonald’s menu items. Each game piece includes a Game Code to be entered online at the MONOPOLY 2009 Game on McDonald’s Web site (PlayatMcD.com) [...]
Sam’s Mart Corporation of Charlotte, N.C., is installing Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s Passport point of sale (POS) system at an additional 80 corporate and dealer locations in the Charlotte and Atlanta areas this year. This program builds on the base of stores that already have Passport to make it the standard POS across the chain. [...]
7-Eleven is putting a new spin on “convenient pick-up” with its new virtual dating game offered online at www.the711club.com. Challengers find themselves at Rio Janiero’s exotic 711 Club, where they select a hot “date” from a group of sexy women and men. Game play involves navigating various nightclub scenarios by selecting the correct humorous [...]
Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip, already spanning nine markets with 500 locations, has its eye on expansion and is planning to test a larger c-store design, the Tulsa World reported. “We want to be the best at everything we do. Otherwise, we don’t want to play,” QuikTrip CEO Chet Cadieux said in a recent speech [...]
In a tough economy, c-store operators are adding more services to entice customers to their stores. Alice Williams, owner of Alice’s 66 Gas N Snacks 2 Go, recently added U-Haul truck and trailer rentals to her convenience store and full-service gas station. The new service will appeal to families needing moving services. [...]
Independent gasoline-convenience store retailer Hess will now accept MasterCard PayPass at more than 870 company-operated Hess and Hess Express locations along the eastern U.S. In addition to traditional magnetic-stripe payment cards, Hess will accept MasterCard PayPass at check-out counters at these locations by early 2010 to provide customers with quicker transactions and greater [...]
Kum & Go L.C. has opened a new store in Mead, Colo. The 3,400-square-foot store took only 95 days to construct and is located at Interstate 25 and Highway 66 in Mead. “We’re excited to offer a brand new store to the residents of Mead,” said Kyle Krause, president and CEO of [...]
Suncor Energy is resuming the expansion of its St. Clair Ethanol Plant near Sarnia, Ontario. The $120 million construction project, expected to be completed in late 2010 or early 2011, will double the plant’s current ethanol production capacity from 200 to 400 million litres per year. “This is great news for Suncor, [...]