A federal program is threatening milk and ice cream prices, which could impact c-store sales. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Even with all of the options that packaged goods manufacturers give consumers today—brands, flavors, package sizes, price points, promotions and much more—ice cream has remained a pretty simple retail category. Enter the federal government. In [...]
Chuck Bosselman, chairman of The Bosselman Cos., has passed away. He was 67. Bosselman lost his battle with cancer on Saturday in Grand Island, Nebraska, surrounded by his family. A leader among leaders and visionary of the company, Bosselman was a second-generation business owner. His father, Fred, founded the first Bosselman’s location in 1948. In [...]
Wanting to help save the world is admirable, but unless a real cost-savings can be realized convenience store operators seem to agree this economy is not the best time to be experimenting with “green” investments. The key to sustainability issues, then, is finding that balance, and that’s where several c-store chains are differentiating themselves. Scott [...]
Dennis Peters has no complaints about the proprietary fresh chicken program at two of his 24 Friendship Foods stores in Ohio. It’s popular, it’s profitable and it’s been a proven concept for the past 12 years. Well, maybe there’s one complaint. It’s a little too fresh. Not “peck-you-on-the-hand-when-you-grab-it” fresh, but certainly fresh enough to see [...]
Fleet Card Facts There are an estimated 650,000 fleets in the U.S. for a total of nine million vehicles. Currently, fleet cards are the fastest growing segment of MasterCard’s business. Most fleet cards offer valuable and robust reporting/management tools The tools can track mile-per-gallon variances, driving patterns, fuel purchases, calculate various tax exemptions and more. [...]
Looking for a new tax accountant? How about a local bakery? The search may be a little easier—and more lucrative—thanks to the highly successful loyalty marketing program at Express Convenience Stores. The 19-store Wisconsin-based chain, which is operated by US Oil Co. Inc. and has units from Oshkosh to Green Bay, launched its GoFor Rewards [...]
7-Eleven Timeline 7-Eleven Inc. began almost 81 years ago when a Dallas ice dock operator decided to add milk, eggs and bread in response to his customers’ needs. The company’s first expansion outside Texas was into Florida. The retailer entered the franchising arena in 1964 with the acquisition of Speedee Mart, a chain of franchised [...]
“In a business like cigars, where unit volume is growing 10% plus year-over-year, emerging strategic thinking in convenience retail suggests that retailers can grow even faster by employing a “price-for-volume” strategy for key products.” David Bishop, partner, Willard Bishop This summer, we examined how convenience retailers could manage the cigar category differently to realize above-market [...]
The convenience store front counter provides the perfect canvas to showcase a mix of hot new items and profitable impulse buys that will grab customers’ attention. But experts agree that this area is among the most underutilized selling place in the entire store. Boosting impulse sales at the front counter is extremely important because the [...]
Beer sales make up a big chunk of c-store sales. To keep it that way, retailers are taking new approaches to fend off the competition. The beer category has earned its spot in conveniencestore cold vaults. Despite the fact that the limited demographicand space restraints steal some of the product’sfull margin-growing potential, it’s still a [...]
COUCHE-TARD THROUGH THE YEARS ALAIN BOUCHARD STARTED Alimentation Couche-Tard with one store in 1980. In 1986, with a network of 34 stores, a predecessor of Couche-Tard completed an initial public offering and listed its shares on the Montreal Exchange. After establishing a leading position in Quebec, Couche- Tard expanded through internal growth and acquisitions in [...]
Poor safety methods could sicken customers and bring down an entire organization. Going above and beyond what’s required is the key to a healthy program. By Michael Ferrari, Staff Writer Adding a foodservice programis an excellent way toincrease profitability and developa more loyal, destination-mindedcustomer base. Committing to foodservice,however, opens the door to new dangerssuch as [...]
With an increase in smoking restrictions and the threat of increased taxes, retailers and analysts express serious concerns for cigarette profitability. Convenience stores, backin the good old days beforethey offered the types foodserviceand products thatcould rival other retail segments, wereknown mostly for three things: Cokes,smokes and gas. But despite the industry’sonce-strong foothold, cigarette salesare slumping. [...]
Fresh off the acquisition of Cummings Oil, Andrea Jackson leads Jacksons Food Stores’ retail strategy. By Shahla Hebets, Publisher Keeping a low profile hasits advantages, but eventuallya chain’s success starts toattract the attention, and eventhe enmity, of the competitors around it.Jacksons Food Stores is one of the conveniencestore and petroleum industry’sbiggest success stories, yet it [...]
The precise mix of equipment and marketing can quickly make the car wash one of the most valuable profit centers in the store. By Kim Sharrah, Associate Editor With high gasoline pricessqueezing fuel margins, theaddition of a car wash canturn a major profit for operatorslooking to make up some of therevenue lost at the pumps. [...]