Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the Canadian convenience-store chain, made an unsolicited bid for Casey’s General Stores Inc. for $36 a share in cash, BusinessWeek reported Couche-Tard offered the Ankeny, Iowa-based company, which operates more than 1,500 stores in the Midwest, 14% more than its closing price yesterday in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Including about $29 million [...]
After the first IRON MAN movie took 7-Eleven stores by storm in 2008, with customers clamoring to buy collectible cups and boosting Slurpee sales by double digits, Marvel Studios’ IRON MAN 2 is returning to 7-Eleven to celebrate release of the Paramount Pictures’ film on May 7. In both movies, Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony [...]
The Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association (FPMA) has announced the inauguration of the new Sunshine Food and Fuel Expo to be held in Kissimmee, Fla. The new show will take place from July 18-19 at the Gaylord Palms Resort. Conceived as a key part of FPMA’s ongoing re-engineering efforts, the Sunshine Food and [...]
Gulf Oil has signaled its branded return to Maryland, by announcing a branded distributor partnership with Bedford Valley Petroleum, which plans to rebrand nine retail motor fuel outlets in Pennsylvania and Maryland to the new Gulf “Sunrise” image. “We are excited to be able to bring the Gulf family to Maryland and build upon its [...]
As Earth Day approaches, The Kroger Co. is inviting customers to design a reusable shopping bag through its annual online contest. From April 12 to May 21, customers can go online at www.kroger.com/green to submit their designs for Kroger’s reusable grocery bags. The winning designer will receive a $1,000 gift card and a chance to [...]
The Valero company has agreed to a set of measures aimed at reducing tobacco sales to minors at more than 4,900 gas station convenience stores operating nationwide under Valero trademarks, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced Wednesday. “Valero owns 1,000 convenience store outlets and has nearly 4,000 franchise outlets, so this will make a difference,” [...]
While foodservice sales are soaring, the tobacco category is still as important as ever. I heard recently that the the profit convenience stores derive from foodservice has overtaken that of tobacco. Now I’m right there with the rest of the industry in joining the deli revolution, but that does not mean that I’m ready to [...]
The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) continues to receive commitments from member companies to exhibit at the association’s inaugural trade show to be held in Las Vegas in 2011. The most recent companies to commit to exhibiting are Nat Sherman, New Image Global, Smokey Mountain Chew, Zander- Greg and K. K. International Corp, NATO [...]
NOCO Express Stores have partnered with NCR Corp. to offer BLOCKBUSTER-Express DVD rental kiosks to western New York customers. By June, NCR’s BLOCKBUSTER-Express kiosks will be available at 22 NOCO Express Stores across western New York. The first kiosk was recently installed at the NOCO Express located at 58 West Main Street in Webster. “We [...]
The Kroger Co. is endorsing Rapid Recall Exchange, an online service that standardizes and accelerates food and product recalls and withdrawals. The Rapid Recall Exchange, developed by GS1 US in collaboration with the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association, is the industry’s only online standardized recall notification system. Using consistent forms and processes, retailers [...]
By Ted Thomas, Sun Exit Advisors Most convenience store owners are too busy to think about their exit plan. There comes a time, however, when business owners want to successfully leave their business. Unfortunately, when it comes time for transition, most don’t know how to accomplish that goal. A common mistake is to rush to [...]
TravelCenters of America LLC (TA) has renewed its contract with McLane, for supply chain services to its 233 TA and Petro Stopping Center branded travel stores throughout 41 states. The companies began their relationship in 1999. McLane’s 19 facilities will continue to support distribution of a broad line of products for TA. The stores offer [...]
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN Retail gasoline prices are poised for sharp increases across the country in early April following big gains in the wholesale market right in front of the Easter holiday, which follows mostly flat to lower prices at many local stations in late March. Driving the advance in [...]
In a vast departure from COLLOQUY’s 2008 report on consumer loyalty to U.S retailers, Walmart dominated the 2010 COLLOQUY Retail Loyalty Index, in results that reflect a reality of the Great Recession – low prices drove consumer loyalty. COLLOQUY, the publishing, education and research division of LoyaltyOne, previously published the COLLOQUY Retail Loyalty Index in [...]
Sweet Leaf Tea Co. has acquired Cincinnati competitor Tradewinds Beverage Co., the Austin Business Journal reported. Austin-based Sweet Leaf Tea Co. expects the purchase to help it expand its market reach, especially in the Midwest where Tradewinds has strong distribution channels. Tradewinds makes teas and juices kettle-brewed in Ohio. The company will continue day-to-day operations [...]