Convenience stores are expanding their brew programs and condiment offerings, allowing guests to customize each cup. By Heather Henstock, Contributing Editor. Jerry Weiner watched in awe as a customer crafted coffee to her specification at a Rutter’s Farm Store. She combined three coffee varieties in her cup and added at least five different creamer flavors…
Weigel’s Marks A Milestone with Aggressive Expansion Plans
As it celebrates its 80th anniversary, the Knoxville, Tenn., chain is opening new stores, embracing an expanded foodservice program and investing in cutting-edge technology. By Erin Rigik, associate editor. With lofty expansion plans ahead, a focus on foodservice and a strong push to capture the elusive female demographic, Weigel’s Inc. is poised to make a…
Valero Corner Stores Team With UTSA Roadrunners
Roadrunners fans will enjoy free samples from Valero during football games this fall. Valero Retail Holdings Inc.’s Corner Store locations have become the official convenience store sponsor for the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners’ inaugural football season. During the upcoming season, Valero employees will be at all Roadrunners’ home games giving free…
The Pantry’s CEO Resigns
Edwin Holman, chairman of The Pantry’s Board of Directors, is expected to take the helm in the interim while a new CEO is retained. The Pantry Inc. has announced that Terrance Marks, CEO and director of the company, has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to resign. The Board of Directors has formed…
C-store Puts An End To Loitering With Classical Music
Panhandlers and loiterers move on as classical music fills the air around store. A United Dairy Farmers (UDF) convenience store in Columbus, Ohio, found a unique solution to what was a growing problem with loitering outside its location. UDF began blasting classical music, which can reportedly be heard all the way down the…
Nevada Grocery Kiosks To Offer DMV Transactions
Some 40 kiosks will roll out at grocery stores in Nevada, offering customers an easy way to renew car registration and perform other DMV related tasks from their local grocery store. Nevada has approved a 10-year, $27.6 million contract to install kiosks in grocery stores statewide where Nevada residents can renew car registrations, extend drivers…
Shell, Citi Renew Credit Card Issuing Relationship
New multi-year renewal extends decade long relationship. Citi has announced a multi-year renewal of its long-standing U.S. credit card relationship with Shell. Citi has issued Shell branded credit cards since 1999. Shell has more than 14,000 Shell-branded stations in the U.S., the largest branded station network in the country. Citi provides Shell consumer and commercial…
Wholesale Gasoline Costs Mixed in Mid-August
Wholesale gasoline costs were mixed through the week-ended Aug. 22, while the New York Mercantile Exchange September RBOB (gasoline) futures contract edged higher. In California, wholesale gasoline costs moved up on a sharp drawdown from state specific gasoline inventories, while in the Midwest costs were higher as refining activity eased. Gasoline costs in the Northeast…
Managing the Distribution Network
There are endless perks and possibilities for convenience store chains of all sizes that embrace self delivery. By Pat Pape, Contributing Editor. In the highly competitive convenience store industry, retailers must constantly search out new ways to control expenses, boost profits and improve margins. For chains of a certain size, self-distribution has the potential to…
Red Eagle Oil Files For Bankruptcy
Red Eagle cites the economy and an inability to collect money it was owed for its Chapter 11 status. Red Eagle Oil Inc., a Cody, W.Y.-based fuel distribution business and chain of gas stations/convenience stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Aug. 1 in Wyoming’s federal bankruptcy court, citing millions of dollars of debt, the…