VP Racing Fuels is in the process of creating alternative branding solutions for the retail industry. VP hired both Bryan Noonen and Matt Schuster to be regional mangers of branded wholesale business development because of their background on branding. VP expects to leverage the valuable industry expertise Noonen and Schuster acquired at past companies to…
Cash Isn’t King at Cleveland Car Washes
American Pride has switched from cash-based operations to tokens, and customers are coming back stronger than ever. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Brian Costa operates five American Pride car washes in the Cleveland area. All told, there are 29 self-service bays and six touchless automatics. Until early 2000 each location was quarter-based. Then, when the…
Former Pantry SVP of Operations Joins MACS
Industry Veteran Brad Williams, former senior vice president of operations at The Pantry, joins Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores. Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores (MACS), one of the largest ExxonMobil fuel distributors in the Mid-Atlantic region, has appointed of Brad Williams to its executive leadership team. Williams will serve as senior vice president of store operations and will oversee…
Thorntons Honored as 2011 Convenience Store Chain of the Year
Outstanding service, a sincere dedication to its team members and an ongoing commitment to convenience retailing earn the Louisville, Ky. chain the industry’s oldest and most prestigious award. By John Lofstock, Editor. The late Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc., once said, “A lot of companies have chosen to downsize. We chose a different path.…
Stewart Shops Profit Grew 10% In 2009
Stewart Shops saw overall sales fall in 2009 due to a decline in gas prices, but in-store sales and profits grew for the year, company officials told the Albany Business Review. Sales in 2009 for Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based Stewart’s, which has 327 stores in upstate New York and southern Vermont, totaled $1.26 billion, compared to…
Couche-Tard Pushes U.S. Expansion
When Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. was presented with CSD’s Chain of the Year honors in 2007, the company’s smart, strong growth was cited as the foundation for the honor. A little more than two years later and not much has changed. The company is still regarded as one of the savviest marketers in two countries, and…