Kangaroo Express’ Roo mascot runs for office—awards fans with free coffee. The Roo, the voice and mascot of Kangaroo Express Convenience Stores, is running for mayor of Charleston and Charlotte, N.C. “The Roo believes every man, woman and child deserves a break in their day. A couple minutes to grab a tasty cup of coffee…
Driving OTP Sales
While cigar sales do not approach those of cigarettes, they offer convenience stores better margins. Plus, new flavors and competitive pricing are keeping customers interested in the category. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. Other tobacco products (OTP) in general and cigars in particular continue to earn more shelf space in convenience stores, and the higher…
Honoring the Thorntons Culture
Pride, tradition, exceptional service, an outstanding culture and dedicated employees. These are just some of the unique qualities found in the industry’s top convenience store chains. For the past 22 years, Convenience Store Decisions has had the honor of recognizing this excellence in retailing and this year we are proud to honor Thorntons Inc. as…
Kid-Targeted Beverages
InZone Brands, distributed in 87% of all national chain c-stores, makes 100% all-natural juice drinks for kids, offering three juice brands for three age groups: toddlers, preschoolers and gradeschoolers. TummyTicklerTots pre-diluted apple juice for toddlers comes in a four-ounce bottle, offers 40% less sugar than regular apple juice and is pre-mixed with purified water and…
Quiet Commercial Blender
Vitamix introduces The Quiet One, a powerful, premium blender that utilizes exclusive technology for superior noise reduction. An innovative door seal design, coupled with patent-pending floating technology, significantly reduces vibration transmission and improves airflow, which reduces sound, making The Quite One ideal for any front-of-the-house environment. It operates 18 decibels below its closest competitor on…
Local Store Marketing: Foodservice Group Sales
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. One often-overlooked strategy to generate ancillary foodservice revenues is developing a program to tap group sales. Generating revenue through large group order sales is an excellent way to exponentially grow your business. The sale from the initial large group order is the first source…
Marathon Petroleum Reports Strong Q3 Profits
As Marathon Petroleum cuts costs, fuel prices continue to climb, resulting in high Q3 profits. Marathon Petroleum Corp., which split from Marathon Oil Corp. earlier this year, reported soaring third quarter profits this week, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Earnings totaled $1.13 billion, or $3.16 per share, for the three months ended Sept. 30, more than…
Starbucks K-Cup Packs Hit Shelves
Starbucks vies for a larger share of the more than $3 billion dollar single-cup coffee category. Starbucks coffee K-Cup Portion Packs for the Keurig Single-Cup Brewing system hit store shelves this week at major food, drug, mass, club, specialty, and department store retailers throughout the U.S. Starbucks Corp. is the exclusive licensed super-premium coffee brand…
Rutter’s Introduces New Appetizers
New biscuits, battered sweet corn bites and cheeseburger bites greet hungry customers. Rutter’s has heightened its commitment to providing the widest selection of fast food in central Pennsylvania by adding three new menu choices, including biscuits. The biscuits to the menu, not only enhance Rutter’s breakfast selection by giving customers another choice for their breakfast…
BOA Drops $5 Monthly Debit Fee Plan
After its competitors dropped their planned fees, and faced with public backlash, BOA cuts plans for a new debit fee. Bank of America Corp. (BOA), which announced plans for a $5 monthly debit card fee in late September, has abandoned the idea following nationwide backlash from consumers and lawmakers, Bloomberg reported. The bank fee would…