The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the rate of smoking has remained constant since 2008, but the number of smokeless tobacco consumers is rising. The smokeless category has emerged as convenient and practical for those times and locations where cigarettes are desired, but prohibited. While smokeless products represented just 6% of [...]
As the convenience store industry continues to weather the unceasing assault by legislators determined to make it harder to sell tobacco products, accessories are picking up speed based on what is still easy to sell. As a result, tobacco accessories is an emerging category that should continue to grow throughout 2011. According to SymphonyIRI Group, [...]
Amer Hawatmeh, president of St. Louis-based St. George Oil, believes in secure cash management, and that manufacturers of the newest systems need to work with retailers to make them more affordable. “The bottom line with cash management, my golden rule, is that once you have $100 in the drawer you need to get rid of [...]
C-stores debate drive-off prevention strategies as gas prices soar. As gas prices skyrocket, so do drive-offs at the pump, where customer fill up without paying, leading some c-stores to get proactive. Sgt. Chris Scott of the Des Moines Police Department told the Des Moines Register that thefts most frequently occur when gas prices take a [...]
A classic look with modern amenities wins Woods Diner recognition in campus c-store competition. The National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) have awarded New York-based Binghamton University’s Woods Diner top honors in the annual Best of Business C- Store competition. “We are very pleased to have been recognized with this award,” said [...]
Sale allows High’s to “refocus on core assets,” says High’s vice president of real estate. Hanover, Md.-based High’s of Baltimore Inc. has sold 20 High’s Dairy Stores to multiple buyers, including national consolidators, regional jobbers, and individual store operators, with help from Matrix Capital Markets Group Inc. High’s directly operated all of the units sold. Fee [...]
With the economy rebounding, 2011 is the perfect time to start driving general merchandise and health and beauty items in c-stores. “If you have cutting edge items, and word gets out, people will flock to your stores,” said Brad Lemoine, marketing director for 40 Louisiana U-PAK-It stores, a brand that unites several operators who all [...]
Salty snacks continue to drive business to convenience stores. Retailers should look to partner with suppliers to capitalize on promotional activity to boost margins and profits, as well as looking at local suppliers as consumers continue to demand products made closer to home. Steve Nalu, president of Towns Mart convenience stores in Romeo, Mich., saw [...]
Tedeschi Food Stores of Brookline, Mass., made a decision four years ago to slash the space it gave cigarettes to increase its focus on other tobacco products (OTP). Cigarette sales continued to trend downward in the chain’s New England markets—thanks to a combination of higher taxes and aggressive marketing by Native Americans—and Tedeschi wanted to [...]
The prepaid card market continues to grow, and consumers are purchasing cards more often at “prepaid malls” inside convenience stores. “Rather than going to the actual store for a (Gap, for example) gift card, they go to a 7-Eleven and get the card for that store there. For c-stores that can be significant since many [...]
Meat snacks had a robust 2010 at U.S. convenience stores, bringing in a total dollar volume of $859,071,196, according to Nielsen Co. data for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 22, 2011, up 4.8% from the previous year. The top products driving the meat snacks category for the year in dollar volume were traditional sticks at [...]
Annual program recognizes outstanding people and organizations advancing food safety. NSF International, an independent organization that certifies products and writes standards for food, water and consumer goods to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment, has announced the winners of the 2011 NSF Food Safety Leadership Awards. The awards were presented Wednesday, April 20 [...]
COLLOQUY Loyalty Census finds one-third of loyalty points are never cashed in for rewards. Americans accumulate approximately $48 billion in rewards points and miles annually, according to the results of a first-ever study on the perceived dollar value of loyalty programs that illustrates the real economic power of these programs for consumers, issuers, merchants and [...]
“The acquisition of Ro-Di Oil Co. is a natural extension of our retail business and enhances our present dealer model,” says Atlas Oil CEO. Atlas Oil Co. has successfully completed its acquisition of Ro-Di Oil Co., of Veedersburg, Ind. Ro-Di Oil Co. distributes approximately 10mm gallons of petroleum products annually in the central Indiana marketplace. [...]
A $150,000 donation by United Supermarkets assists the Salvation Army’s transitional housing program. Lubbock, Texas-based United Supermarkets has pledged $150,000 over the next three years in support of The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Home Transitional Living Program, a three-tiered approach to eradicating homeless that includes Emergency Shelter, Transitional Shelter and Transitional Housing programs. The United [...]