The popularity of e-cigarettes has risen substantially over the past couple of years, giving retailers an opportunity to make up for shrinking tobacco profits. By Frank Seltzer, Contributing Editor. Electronic cigarettes are a relatively new product, but for convenience stores they are beginning to make a big impact on sales. Electronic cigarettes were invented just [...]
Franchisees of BP, ARCO, and am/pm file class action lawsuit. The law firms of SeegerWeiss LLP and Lee Tran & Liang, APLC have jointly filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of owners of BP and ARCO gas station franchises and am/pm convenience store [...]
The VRX Co. has introduced a new product offering: EJournal, the journal printer eliminator. EJournal is a solution for convenience stores, restaurants, and many other retailers who need the ongoing data a journal printer provides, but don’t want the hassle and mess of a long daily paper tape and the difficulty of searching for specific [...]
“Leveraging the KSS Retail PriceStrat solution, we will be able to more intimately understand our shopper, deliver pricing and promotions that matter, and improve the shopping experience,” says president of B&R Stores. Lincoln, Neb.-based B&R Stores has selected KSS Retail, a dunnhumby Company, as its provider for price modeling and optimization. B&R aims to leverage [...]
“Strategically, this merger enables us to increase our infrastructure into the very important Southeastern U.S. market,” says Core-Mark CEO. Core-Mark Holding Co. Inc., a marketer of fresh and broad-line supply solutions to the convenience retail industry in North America, has closed its previously announced acquisition of Forrest City Grocery Company (FCGC). The final purchase price [...]
Summer concerts and contest celebrate the art of mixing personalized Slurpee flavor combinations. 7-Eleven, the creator of America’s iconic frozen beverage, is celebrating the practice of flavor-mixing and urging its frozen-drink fans to become bonafide Slurpee MixMakers. Using the wide array of colors and flavors available at 7-Eleven stores nationwide, fans can mix and match [...]
Convenience store operators that infuse their appetizer menus with “craveable” items can expect to gain additional consumer traffic. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Consumers are trying to cut their dining budgets, in many cases by eliminating starter items. To drive cravings and create interest in appetizers, operators must innovate with exciting dressings and dips, unusual [...]
Retailers may have different strategies when it comes to ATMs, but with interchange fees at a record high, operators should be developing programs to get cash in customers’ hands to reduce card transactions. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. ATMs are ubiquitous in convenience stores, providing cash in a bright, secure, warm and mostly private environment, [...]
While the economy may be struggling along, the third annual CSD/Humetrics HR Benchmarking Survey finds that the industry’s turnover is shrinking, hiring is increasing and investments in technology have never been higher. In order to support the convenience store industry’s forecasting and planning responsibilities for 2011, Convenience Store Decisions and Humetrics have collaborated on our [...]
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN The average price for retail gasoline in the U.S. is holding near a 33-month high, and is up more than $1.00 compared with the same week in 2010, and there’s still more upside as we move into May. According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. retail [...]
By: Lance Winslow. We all know that well lit c-stores attract more clientele at night. Folks, especially women feel safer in a well lit environment. Indeed, studies and surveys show that it is actually safer, and humans seem to inherently know this. Perhaps, the reasoning has to do with the basic “crime triangle” – that [...]
TravelCenters of America and Petro restaurants plan to feature winning recipes submitted by customers. TravelCenters of America (TA) and Petro Stopping Centers have announced the UltraChef One Million Point Recipe Challenge. Professional drivers are encouraged to enter for their chance to earn fortune and fame. Any UltraONE driver rewards program member can submit comfort food [...]
Kroger gives both cash and in-kind support, including food to local food banks, in addition to matching customer donations collected at registers. The Kroger Co. is committing $250,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to assist storm and flood relief efforts in communities across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and other affected areas in the [...]
SPIN back office conversion technology by Solutran lowers depository fees, speeds funds availability for Kwik Trip. Kwik Trip Inc., which operates 415 locations in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, has completed its rollout of SPIN, Solutran Inc.’s POS and Imaging Network solution for electronic check conversion. Following SPIN implementation, Kwik Trip has reported lower depository fees, [...]
New online interactive tools and resources are expected to draw shoppers. Sunflower Farmers Market has launched a newly enhanced consumer Website www.sfmarkets.com/ in partnership with the Grocery Shopping Network (GSN). Based in Phoenix, Ariz.- Sunflower operates 33 retail locations in six states, including Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and soon to be 34 [...]