In the days when a can of soda or ice cream were 25 cents, owning a grocery or convenience store was simpler. With less competitors, with easy-to-track daily loyal foot traffic and limited inventory, it was sufficient for a small business to have a simple cash register at the checkout counter. Cash registers have, in…
Food Sales Make Up For High Gas Prices In Today’s C-Store Market
“Food is the future of (the c-store) industry,” says Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president to The Gazette, an Eastern Iowa newspaper. Food sales accounted for 16.9% of a record $195 billion of in-store sales at convenience stores in 2011, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), which means many c-store chains have been…
Walgreens Decreases Sales In July
Walgreens experiences slightly fewer sales in July 2012 compared with July 2011. Walgreens announced a 3.7% decrease in July sales from the same month in fiscal 2011. The company reported sales of $5.59 billion in July 2012 compared with the $5.81 billion from July 2011. Compared with prior months during this calendar year, July sales…
WilcoHess Partners With OpenStore by GasBuddy
“With these social and mobile initiatives, our company will be better equipped to meet our customers’ needs on a much more tailored level,” says WilcoHess spokesperson. Over the past year, WilcoHess has strategically realigned its non-traditional marketing and branding strategies to focus on tapping into a new industry demographic and, in turn, drive sales by…
Growing Roller Grill Sales
Roller grills—if handled correctly—offer a great opportunity to grow sales. But as simple and relatively labor-free as they are, they still require management oversight, employee training and some marketing savvy. It’s not that complicated, but it is that essential. “Let me give you an analogy,” said H. G. Parsa, chairman of the Department of Foodservice and…
NACS/CCRRC Releases Report On Shopper Motivations
Study identifies five compelling new platforms that can drive convenience retail growth. Convenience retailers seeking a profitable path to the future now have five compelling growth platforms to explore, following recommendations offered in the final section of a new NACS /Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council (NACS / CCRRC) study posted on www.ccrrc.org. “C-Growth: Using Shopper Research…
The Pantry Divesting 37 Stores
Four company-owned and 33 leased sites are available in nine Southeastern states. The Pantry Inc. is selling 37 stores located in nine states throughout the Southeast as part of a strategic divestment. The facilities are located in a variety of markets in Alabama (2), Florida (4), Georgia (4), Kentucky (1), Mississippi (1), North Carolina (13),…
Cumberland Farms Celebrates the New Year With Free Coffee
Customers welcome in new years with a free cup of Joe. For the fifth consecutive year, Cumberland Farms will offer free coffee starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 until 5 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012. An annual community service tradition, Cumberland Farms encourages customers to stop by any one of Cumberland…
Taking Social Media to the Next Level
C-stores are adding Facebook pages, but to profit from social media, retailers need to also engage fans with text and email marketing campaigns. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. Anyone still questioning the power of social media need only look to Japan. The country, which between earthquakes, tsunamis and radiation fears has seen tourism drop, is…
7-Eleven Celebrates Veteran’s Day
“With this year’s Veteran’s Day falling on 11/11/11, the timing seemed perfect to say thank-you to the men and women serving our great country. For those who are here, we can say thank-you with a free Slurpee. For those serving, we hope to raise enough funds to help the USO distribute 40,000 care packages,” says…