New products, flavors and sweeteners have helped energize sales. ew market research from Y-Pulse LLC shows that today’s preteens and teens are interested in more sophisticated and trendy beverages, including those served up in convenience stores and even their school cafeteria. In a recent online survey, Y-Pulse asked middle and junior high school students to [...]
Do you fully understand your core demographic of 18-34 year old shoppers? Wonder about their price sensitivity toward key products like foodservice and beverages? Join us at the 2011 National Advisory Group (NAG) conference, September 10-13th to hear an exclusive MSA report from its pioneering cciPanel, the consumer research field’s first mobile panel to capture [...]
Is your chain meeting the rigid ADA compliance standards? Many operators think they, but are not and as a result find themselves facing federal fines and even litigation. Join us at the 2011 National Advisory Group (NAG) conference and hear from M. Bradley Gaskins, a leading accessibility architect who specializes in helping retail operators, including [...]
Valero Energy Corp. has donated $3 million to Feeding America, as part of its “Fill Up to Fight Hunger” campaign. Motorists across America fought hunger in their communities simply by filling up with fuel at participating Valero-branded outlets for the past three months. For each 8-gallon fuel purchase made at a participating Valero outlet, Valero [...]
How versed are you on current labor laws regarding union organizing? Do you know about the rules changes in regulations occurring within the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor? Do you have a strategy plan for maintaining positive employee relations and effective union organizing strategies and tactics? If not, plan on [...]
GKdirect (formerly Lion Uniform Group) is excited to once again offer pink ribbon apparel this year for the annual Fueling Awareness, an Industry United for a Cure campaign. In workplaces across the country, employees will wear company-branded pink ribbon Awareness Apparel to show their commitment to a cure for breast cancer. Many convenience stores large [...]
One week after the National Restaurant Association announced new dates for its annual conference, the National Confectioners Association, sponsor of the SWweets & Snacks Expo, said that the dates of the 2012 EXPO have changed to May 8-10 in an effort to avoid G8 Summit activities happening later in the month. Last week, NATO announced [...]
Aloha Petroleum Ltd., the Hawaii-based gas retailer and convenience store operator, has unveiled the first ‘ground-up’ version of a new prototype design for its convenience store-fuel sites that highlights the chain’s local roots. Designed by CBX, the strategic branding and retail design consultancy, the 3,000-square-foot store and adjoining gas islands with five pumps opened in [...]
Rutter’s Farm Stores’ exceptionally diverse menu is expanding to include sloppy Joe sandwiches and chicken wings. Chicken wings are now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at most of Rutter’s 56 Central Pennsylvania convenience stores. The wings are available in quantities of 6 or 12 and in 3 flavors: original, hot and [...]
The Category Management Association (CMA) has released a first-of-its-kind survey of the methods and practices used by manufacturing companies to measure the return-on-investment (ROI) of their category management functions. While results indicate broad acknowledgment of the growing importance and analytical sophistication of category management, survey participants across all channels say they need standard metrics and [...]
In our ongoing effort to provide the most relevant and timely industry data, Convenience Store Decisions has reached a deal to serve as the excusive media sponsor of the new Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cciPanel) launched last month by Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA) and Paradigm Sample. The cciPanel is the consumer research field’s first [...]
This spring, 7-Eleven rolled out its own private label premium beer called Game Day, which is produced by City Brewing in LaCrosse, Wis. Executives figured that “since brands are weaker at that price segment they can capture the full margin rather than pay a premium to a supplier,” according to Harry Schuhmacher of Beer Business [...]
Larger, single-serve packages are increasing in popularity as customers are trading down to save money. While some Americans hit hard by the recession are drinking less but better, others are opting for cheaper brands, while still more are selecting single beers instead of packs and taking a long look at craft beers, which some see [...]
With margins from tobacco and fuel lagging, frozen beverages have stepped up as a pleasant surprise for retailers—whose goal now is to keep the momentum going. “It’s really a growth category for us, even though it has not been something we’ve spent a lot of time on in the past,” said Jennifer Vespole, senior category [...]
With graphic new warning labels destined for individual packages and higher tobacco prices, retailers are facing a harsh new reality. On November 10, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled 36 graphic warning label images, one of which will be selected to go on every cigarette package no later than Sept. 22, 2012. [...]