Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell signed the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) and Pennsylvania Convenience Store Council (PCSC) supported “Organized Retail Crime” (ORC) legislation into law today. Representative Thomas R. Caltagirone (D-Berks) was the primary sponsor of the bill and Representative Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) was the first co-sponsor. House Bill 1720 strengthens Pennsylvania’s retail theft laws.…
Thorntons Adding E85 Pumps
Thorntons Inc. has teamed with Growth Energy to establish 20 new E85 stations in five states. “We are very excited about the expansion of E85 fuel in our stores,” said Matt Thornton, CEO of Thorntons, which operates more than 160 c-stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. “We support the use of ethanol, wherever…
Swipe Fee Debate Builds
In a letter dated June 16, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and 130 other members of Congress outline their concerns with the Durbin Amendment that gives retailers and consumers relief from outrageous swipe fees, NACS reported. They cite the benefits that all users of electronic payments systems receive and the “lack of Congressional review” of…
A Changing Landscape for CPG Retailers
The Nielsen Company’s Retail 2015 Forecast, revealed at its Consumer 360 Conference this week, showed the pace of change is accelerating as technology, marketing trends and retail formats converge to redefine how consumer packaged goods (CPG) retailers and manufacturers interact with consumers. By 2015, Nielsen predicts mass supercenters and e-commerce to be the big winners…
BP To Divest 114 Stations
BP PLC is selling 114 gas stations and convenience-store properties in 22 states, the Wall Street Journal reported. Most of the locations are being marketed as redevelopment sites, while some are being offered as part of potential franchise deals, according to the Web site of BP’s broker, Jones Lang LaSalle. BP had decided to sell…
Quick Chek Donates To Firefighters
Pictured from Left to Right: Quick Chek Assistant Store Leader Tony Elefante, Team Member Melissa Morin, Team Member Ashley Garcia, Store Leader John Thompson, Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company Chief Rudi Gaines and Lieutenant Bob Maras. Representatives from a new Manchester, N.J, Quick Chek store presented a donation of $2,655 to members of the Ridgeway Volunteer…
Free Gas For A Year
Linda Wells of York, Pa., recently became the first of eight lucky Rutter’s Farm Stores customers to win free gasoline for one year in the company’s annual summer giveaway. The “Fuel Up Free!” promotion runs through Aug. 29. Drawings are held approximately every two weeks, with the next one June 21. During the contest, Rutter’s…
BP Donates $25 Million to GRI
BP has announced significant progress in its half-billion dollar pledge to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI). Three research institutions in the Gulf region will receive a total of $25 million in fast-track funding for high-priority studies of the distribution, composition and ecological interactions of oil and dispersant. On May 24, BP announced a…
GFS To Expand In Michigan
Gordon Food Service (GFS), a family-owned foodservice distributor, plans to invest $24.2 million to consolidate several business operations spread throughout Canada into a new 100,000 square-foot facility in Wyoming, Mich. Pending all local and state approvals, the new building would be located within the company’s world headquarters campus, and would house 173 new positions the…
Strong Words, More Trials In Gulf Response
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office, summoning Americans to a “national mission” to move away from reliance on oil and develop alternative sources of energy, and noted that it is imperative for Congress to act quickly to overcome “a lack of political courage and candor” surrounding the BP Oil…