The British retailer pulls out of Japan, leaving many to speculate on the future of Tesco’s struggling U.S. venture Fresh & Easy. Tesco has announced it is pulling out of Japan after eight years of heavy losses, leaving some analysts to speculate on the fate of Tesco’s embattled Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets in the [...]
General Mills has introduced Chocolate Chex Mix Cookies & Cream to c-stores. It is the first salty snack mix to include the popular Cookies & Cream flavor. With 60% less fat than regular potato chips, Chocolate Chex Mix Cookies & Cream combines sweet-coated corn Chex with real chocolate cookie crunch. Each 4.25-ounce bag is suggested [...]
YoCream International Inc., a manufacturer and wholesaler of frozen desserts and beverages, has reported its financial results for the third quarter ended July 31, 2010. Sales for the three months ended July 31, 2010 increased 15.6% to $18,445,000. Sales for the nine months increased 12.1% to $41,721,000. Net income increased 25% to $2,141,000 for the [...]
Casey’s General Stores Inc. has released its first quarter of fiscal 2011 results ended July 31, 2010, and with it an announcement that it has signed commitments to acquire an additional 52 locations, which it anticipates purchasing by the end of the calendar year. Casey’s reported basic earnings per share of $0.73 and approximately $6.2 [...]
There’s little doubt that bakeries are big. Bakeries, pastry shops and bagel sellers are growing at a rate of 5%, according to AnythingResearch.com. When launching a bakery program, convenience store retailers are urged to start with an in-depth market study that profiles the target customer base, current sales in the market area for the product [...]
McDonald’s has it. Dunkin’ Donuts has it. And if your c-store doesn’t have it, you’re likely losing customers to the QSR down the street. In 2010, featuring a value meal with your foodservice offering is essential to driving new customers through your doors and securing them as regular visitors. C-stores with foodservice programs are facing [...]
Sushi in the c-store cooler? Burritos in the food warmer? Mediterranean sandwiches on the menu? Exotic foods are here to stay and becoming more mainstream, spicing up the foodservice section and appealing to a wide audience. With the growth of the Internet consumers today are exposed to new foods they may not be used to [...]
The coming of summer means a lot of things—chief among them an insatiable hunger for hot dogs, burgers, sausages and brats. No c-store foodservice program is complete without them or the opportunities they represent. “Who doesn’t like a hot dog?” said Kim Loniecki, director of branded foodservice for Wesco Inc. in Muskegon, Mich. “When you’re [...]
Americans want it, but lots of operators are nervous about it. That’s why working with distributors and training employees on how to handle chicken is so important. Consumers have very definitely stated preferences for chicken items, which is why chains like Wawa feature chicken prominently on their menus. For example, the Pennsylvania-based operator features chicken [...]
Quiznos, one of the nation’s premier quick service restaurant (QSR) chains and pioneer of the toasted sandwich, has launched a new breakfast program, available for its 175 convenience store locations nationwide. The new breakfast menu is part of the company’s convenience store growth strategy and ambition to be the premier QSR partner for the convenience [...]
Save-A-Lot food stores, one of the nation’s hard discount grocery retailers is expanding its presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with the opening of a new store at 2627 W. Jefferson Blvd in the historic Oak Cliff community. A series of Grand Opening events will run from March 4-9, with an official Dollar-Cutting ceremony beginning [...]
Consumers in the U.S. might be trimming the fat from their budgets and diets, but contrary to predictions, they continue to demonstrate a healthy appetite for foods featuring health and wellness claims. From alpha (antioxidants) to omega (omega-3-fatty-acids), foods touting the kind of heart healthy, joint buffering, free radical extinguishing properties that appeal to aging [...]
Most convenience store operators don’t offer a whole lot of seafood on their menus, which is usually fine, because convenience store customers aren’t looking for seafood. Logistical issues, product-paucity, quality and food safety concerns are among the fears retailers have about investing in the seafood segment. But given seafood’s health benefits and generally growing popularity [...]
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. is getting into fresh foods and prepared meals to draw “time-starved” customers to its more than 7,000 stores, Business Week reported The drugstore chain has been talking with foodmakers including Unilever NV, Nestle SA and Sara Lee Corp. about creating private-label and branded products, according to Bryan Pugh, vice president of [...]
As foodservice sales make up for lost gasoline and cigarette profits, more retailers are jumping on the pizza bandwagon. It’s a wise move considering Americans love their pizza. According to Parade magazine, 94% of the U.S. population eats pizza; Pizzaware.com noted that Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day (350 slices per second); [...]