On Aug. 26, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lowered the hammer on approximately 35,000 flavored e-cigarette items by issuing marketing denial orders (MDOs). The ruling prohibits interstate commerce for these products, resulting in convenience stores, vape shops and tobacco retailers immediately pulling them from store shelves. One week later, the FDA released approximately 300,000…
NTI Store Development Prognostications for 2022
Last month, I predicted that potential tax increases by the Biden administration could alter the structure of mergers and acquisitions by increasing store leasing at the expense of real estate ownership transfers. In this follow-up article, I’ll look into my crystal ball and offer some thoughts on what the future might hold for new-to-industry (NTI)…
Evaluating Real Estate Sites
Evaluating potential new sites for the multi-unit operator can be a daunting task. The operator is constantly chasing several potential opportunities — whether through new builds or through acquisitions — only to have a few select sites come to fruition. Complicating the site selection process is generally a lack of an evaluation tool that can…
How to Plan for the Pending Cookie Apocalypse Using Autonomous Check-In, Checkout
As the unanticipated impact of the pandemic magnified the need for online to offline (O2O) solutions and order ahead for convenience stores, so too will the pending cookie apocalypse by Google drive the business case for autonomous check-in and checkout. Verifiable O2O attribution from known users commands the highest trade promotion, placement and slotting fees,…
Flavor Bans Bring Unintended Consequences
Recent peer-reviewed studies show that banning flavored tobacco products or flavored vaping products has significant negative public health impacts policymakers must consider in deciding the proper scope of regulation. Several studies indicate banning all flavored tobacco products actually increases the number of young people who smoke cigarettes. The first study, published in June 2020 in…
Hispanic Flavors Come Into Focus
Mexican foods like burritos and tacos have long been popular menu items, but c-stores are expanding further with other Hispanic or Latinx foods, like empanadas, tamales and more. Fresh ingredients and customization take the offer up a notch. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Gate Petroleum’s GATE Fresh Kitchen stores serve a variety of items made fresh every day,…
Yesway Accepts CStore Decisions Chain of the Year Honors
CStore Decisions honored Texas-based convenience store chain Yesway as its 32nd Chain of the Year during a Wednesday, Oct. 6, reception at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show (NACS) in Chicago. CSD Editor-in-Chief John Lofstock explained that while many industry awards are focused on chain size and store counts, he stressed that CSD’s Chain…
NACS Show Kicks Off in Chicago
The 2021 NACS Show, Oct. 5-8, kicked off in Tuesday in Chicago at McCormick Place Convention Center. Tuesday’s education sessions ran from 12 p.m. through 3:30 p.m., followed by the Opening General Session featuring Jennifer Powers. Meeting Consumers Where They Are — Everywhere In one of the first sessions of the day, Matt Miller, global solutions…
Overcoming Supply Chain Disruptions
In the battle to be the first to market with new products, retailers face fierce competition from other industry operators and cross-channel marketers. Despite the battle for that share of wallet, chains have come to depend on their wholesalers and product manufacturers for the information they need to make smart business choices. The convenience store…
Warrenton Oil Acquires Abel Oil
Warrenton Oil Co., a family-owned and operated company founded in 1972 and located in Truesdale, Mo., announced the acquisition of Abel Oil Co., a family-owned and operated Missouri-based company located in Louisiana, Mo., and founded in 1940. The acquisition includes Abel Oil’s 18 Missouri convenience stores, currently operating under the Abel’s Quick Shop brand. Terms…