First it was PCI, now retailers have to prepare for the widespread launch of Near Field Communications, which is expected to become a widely used system for making payments by smartphone in the U.S. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. The convenience store industry is increasingly turnings its gaze outdoors to the forecourt, not only for [...]
West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association works to recycle and encourages other organizations to join in the cause ahead of America Recycles Day. The West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association, representing convenience stores, independent groceries and petroleum marketers across the state, is working to do its part to recycle and conserve resources. The [...]
Give customers a chance to win the world’s largest toy-filled Halloween treat this fall. This complete month-long contest will help retailers gather an important mailing list and serve as a giant 6′ or 8′ tall display for the entire month of October—at a cost of about $3 per day. For under $100, retailers get the [...]
Cash Solutions is offering a free equipment promotion to retailers opening a merchant account that could attract more customers by allowing them to accept Visa and MasterCards. The new VeriFone Omni 3740 is shipped to a retailer programmed and ready to use, with all the processing capabilities needed for a compact point-of-sale terminal with [...]
The Chiquita To Go program offers retailers the opportunity to sell quality bananas and earn higher margins. With Chiquita’s “stay fresh” technology, bananas stay fresh up to seven days longer, significantly reducing waste. Using the Chiquita To Go merchandiser, retailers can place a display of 10 bananas on the counter for increased impulse purchases, attracting [...]
Drug chain Rite Aid is supporting AHA’s “Go Red For Women” movement by providing free heart health guides in all of its stores nationwide now through March and online. One in three women dies from cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), but there are steps women of all ages can take to [...]
Customer Commitment The biggest hurdle some retailers face when implementing a loyalty program is getting customers to notice the many benefits. When Mid-State Petroleum launched its loyalty offering last November company Vice President Tony Perez launched a promotion to give away $10,000 in rewards at each of his locations. New customers received a $5 reward [...]
Savvy c-store operators are using customer loyalty/scan-data-analysis programs to improve merchandise planning, forecasting and point-of-sale (POS) data management, and to provide a technology platform for long-term growth. When done well, the inevitable result is to empower store personnel to react quickly, make more informed decisions and improve cost effectiveness, so they can simplify customers’ lives. [...]
In a market plagued by high taxes, declining gross margin profits on cigarettes and the likely possibility of FDA restrictions on tobacco, retailers more than ever need to manage the tobacco category more closely. It’s no secret that the smokeless category has been growing, with big year-on-year gains in new product sales, flavors and line [...]
Despite the SCHIP bill and mounting state taxes, smokeless tobacco products have experienced a strong year packed with innovation, new flavors and increased consumer demand. According to the NACS 2009 State of the Industry report, smokeless tobacco sales surged 6.1% to $2.96 billion last year. The average c-store totaled $1,703 per month in smokeless sales [...]
By Bob Gatty, Contributing Editor If manufacturers, distributors and convenience store retailers would embrace some basic changes and work more closely together, they could realize a potential bonanza of hundreds of millions of dollars in new profit, according to a new joint industry study. That is the message of the soon-to-be released “Convenience, Candy & [...]
In celebration of the grand opening of its newest stores in southwest Missouri, Kum & Go, one of the nation’s leading convenience store chains, will give away a 2009 Harley Davidson Nightster motorcycle to one of its loyal customers. “The Harley Davidson giveaway is a perfect opportunity for us to get to know our newest [...]