Darren Schulte welcomed to NATSO leadership team. NATSO has appointed Darren Schulte as the association’s new vice president of membership. “Darren brings a wealth of knowledge about the truckstop and travel plaza industry,” said NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings. “Combined with his retail merchandising, marketing and operations experience, Darren will be a valuable [...]
Amid fears of increased crime and drunkenness, city officials look to convince QuikTrip to withdraw its request to sell hard alcohol. City leaders in Des Moines, Iowa are scheduled to meet with QuikTrip Wednesday to request that the c-store chain refrains from selling hard alcohol at its Ingersoll Avenue store, for which QuikTrip has submitted [...]
By Ali Farsai Savvy owners realize that on their utility bill, they are paying for energy efficiency in the form of utility taxes and fees. If you are paying to subsidize a program, you should also take advantage of its benefits before they run out of funding. Funding on all energy efficiency programs are [...]
Mars offers its multi-piece format to enable sharing or saving a piece for later. Mars Chocolate North America is clarifying its 250-calorie commitment, after some media reports incorrectly noted that the company planned to eliminate larger format candy offerings as it looked to keep products from exceeding 250-calories. “Mars already has made the switch [...]
General Mills Convenience is bringing everyone’s favorite flavor, chocolate, to its popular line of Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards bars with new Fudge Crunch. The newest flavor features a chocolate cookie base with a layer of chocolaty fudge drizzled in milk chocolate. New Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards Fudge Crunch complements the growing line of Sweet Rewards [...]
Sweet Leaf Tea is an organic, all-natural iced tea beverage made with high quality tea leaves, real sugar and certified organic ingredients. Everything from the packaging to the ingredients to the branding of the tea is made specifically to be enjoyable no matter where customers consumer it. Flavors include Organic Original Sweet Tea, Organic Lemon [...]
Smart safes are getting smarter and so are the convenience store operators who use them. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor It’s all about the money, so handle it intelligently. Having a smart safe—and training employees to use it effectively—relieves a lot of the traditional headaches associated with handling cash, according to Los Angeles-based retail security [...]
Alternative products are helping to shape the future of convenience store tobacco sets. By Lou Maiellano. Imagine, if you will, that European explorers land in Africa, North America or South America in the 14th, 15th or 16th centuries. Upon landing, these explorers find the inhabitants of these exotic new lands drinking a strange, energizing brew [...]
After rebranding a number of its locations under the CITGO brand, Big Apple Food Stores looks to expand its retail portfolio in 2012. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor C.N. Brown’s Big Apple Food Stores has had a busy 12 months. The 82-store chain with locations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, completed an aggressive push [...]
When it comes to competing in the fuel business, convenience store retailers must fight to maintain their market share. By Jim Callahan. I received an inquiry from a small retailer in the Northeast recently who had lost a huge chunk of his fuel volume due to some fierce new competition. This is an issue that [...]
New facility to feature administrative offices, as well as a warehouse, gym, kitchen, 573-square foot humidor and more. Smoker Friendly is set to officially break ground on the build of its new corporate headquarters on March 1 at 11 a.m. Smoker Friendly International is a family-owned cigarette and tobacco store retailer based in Boulder, Colo. [...]
“Trace is a natural match; he’s been called the hardest working man in country music, and that aligns well with our work ethic at Pilot Flying J,” says CEO. Pilot Flying J has announced that country music star Trace Adkins will serve as a company spokesperson for the spring launch of its loyalty program, representing [...]
Latest acquisition strengthens Sunoco’s position as fuels retailer and convenience store operator in Florida. Sunoco Inc. has acquired 11 retail locations in Daytona, Fla., and the surrounding communities in Volusia County from First Coast Energy L.L.P. Each location will be company operated and include an APlus convenience store. “We continue to grow in areas where [...]
“The c-store industry is shifting to accommodate the on-the-go customer with mobile coupons, quick alerts to phones, and creating numerous portals to communicate and build loyalty with customers,” says president of Robinson Oil. Rotten Robbie, an independent private brand operator of 34 fueling stations and c-stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area, works hard to [...]
Hoshizaki America’s ice machines manufactured in Peachtree City, Ga., now feature a label with QR Codes specific to make, model and serial number. Customers and service technicians can use their smartphone to scan the QR code for convenience. The scan is a direct link that automatically pulls up a mobile Web page specific to equipment [...]