The National Advisory Group (NAG), a convenience store trade association focused on small, mid-sized and family-owned businesses, has appointed John Lofstock as Executive Director. In this role, Lofstock will oversee all of NAG’s educational content, membership, the group’s annual conference and the Young Executive Organization (YEO). Lofstock will also continue to serve as Editor-in-Chief and…
Giant Convenience Stores Steps up for MDA
Western Refining and its more than 224 Giant convenience stores raised the bar in its second year of supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association and its fight against muscle disease, raising $351,824 through the “Make A Muscle, Make A Difference” mobile campaign. The convenience stores–located throughout Arizona, southwest Colorado, New Mexico and southwest Texas–participated in the…
Retail Gasoline Prices Poised to Advance
By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric Climbing wholesale gasoline costs through the week ended April 29 are set to end a downtrend in the US gasoline average reported weekly by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) , which has declined for eight consecutive weeks since posting a 2013 high in late February. Wholesale costs…
Shrinking Labor Force Pressures Gasoline Demand
First quarter fuel demand jumps 1.4% in the first quarter, according to the Energy Information Administration. By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric Preliminary data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows gasoline demand in the U.S. ending the first quarter 1.4% higher than during the same three months in 2012, although down 1.2%…
Newcastle Brown Ale Extends the No Bollocks Campaign
Newcastle Brown Ale has launched ‘No Bollocks 2013,’ a new integrated national marketing campaign intended to help retailers sell more beer. As an extension of its original No Bollocks platform launched in 2012, the new work continues Newcastle’s dedication to bollocks-free ads by celebrating honesty. At the heart of the ‘No Bollocks 2013’ campaign is…
U.S. Gasoline Prices Pause Ascent—Renewed Advance Awaits
By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric For the first time since the middle of December, the U.S. average price for regular grade gasoline moved lower according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) weekly survey, pressured by worries over economic growth and the effect on fuel demand, along with lower asking prices by suppliers…
Four Tips for Squelching Negative Social Media Backlash
By Ashley Verrill, CRM Analyst for Software Advice and Managing Editor for the Customer Service Investigator Customer service expert, consultant and author Micah Solomon told me recently about one question that consistently dominates group discussion at his public speaking events: “Isn’t my brand and company in danger out there in the social media universe?” The…
U.S. Retail Gasoline Average 5% Shy of 2012 High
Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric As February nears an end, retail gasoline prices are already at highs one would expect when the weather warms, not when some parts of the country are still digging out of snow drifts. A recent double-digit jump in the retail average reported by the Energy Information Administration means…
Could We Be Midway Through Gasoline’s Preseason Rally?
By: Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric. The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. average price for all formulations of regular grade gasoline sold at retail outlets jumped another 7.3 cents through the week-ended Feb. 11, which was the eighth consecutive weekly increase in the national gasoline average. Since Dec. 17, when the U.S. average…
NACS Leadership Tackles Retail Challenges with Real Time Solutions
Customer engagement, the future of payment technologies, alternative fuels and the new legislative landscape highlight the 2013 Leadership Conference in Miami. By John Lofstock, Editor Convenience store retailers not in touch with the needs of their customers risk far more than losing repeat business and sales. They risk extinction as customers gravitate toward chains that…