Wawa Provides Red Cross Support with Chain Wide Blood Drives

Wawa Provides Red Cross Support with Chain Wide Blood Drives

Wawa is encouraging customers to join its efforts to help the American Red Cross save lives. From Feb. 15 until March 31, Wawa will be hosting blood drive sites at 20 sites in four of its operating states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Wawa Associates have supported the American Red Cross blood drives for [...]

Wawa Title Sponsor of Welcome America! Festival

Wawa Title Sponsor of Welcome America! Festival

Wawa Inc. has signed on to be the title sponsor for Welcome America!, a multi-day festival that celebrates America’s birthday.    The partnership will help continue a tradition of nearly two decades of excellence and build on the success of last year’s festival. Mayor Michael Nutter and Wawa officials made the announcement about the sponsorship at [...]

Time to Get Fresh

Time to Get Fresh

If you’re not doing foodservice, consider this your call to action. As the economic downturn eases, the restaurant industry will see a gradual improvement in 2010, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2010 Restaurant Industry Forecast. Industry sales are expected to reach $580 billion this year, up 2.5% in current dollars over 2009. But that’s [...]

The 2010 Foodservice Report

The 2010 Foodservice Report

Convenience store operators still not convinced foodservice is the future take heed. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) is predicting record-high sales of $580 billion in 2010. Furthermore, of the 70 different retail segments NRA tracks, the group identified convenience stores as the food industry’s “bright spot” when it comes to meeting consumer demand for fresh [...]

Empowering Foodservice Customers

Empowering Foodservice Customers

The latest technologies being used to manage c-store foodservice programs—from touchscreens and POS ordering terminals to digital signage—are allowing marketers to enhance communications and streamline operations. Touchscreens communicate the menu in a very efficient way. This is especially important as chains look to build incremental sales and make more subtle changes like expanding the number [...]

Wawa Assists Haitian Relief Effort

Wawa Assists Haitian Relief Effort

In response to the devastation in Haiti caused by the recent Haitian earthquakes, Wawa Inc. has launched of a chain-wide, in-store crisis campaign, designed to send aid to those affected.  The campaign is being held  in partnership with the American Red Cross and allows customers to help contribute to the disaster effort  through scannable UPC [...]

Wawa Guided by Rich History

Wawa Guided by Rich History

The seeds for Wawa convenience stores were sown in 1902 when George Wood started a dairy with a small herd of cows and a processing/bottling plant in Wawa, Pa. Using the slogan “Buy Health by the Bottle,” the business grew throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a team of milk men delivered dairy products directly [...]

Turning a Foodservice Profit

Turning a Foodservice Profit

C-store operators looking to grow their foodservice programs just may be overlooking, or at least underestimating, one of the best tools at their disposal: the humble roller grill. As in-store menus have expanded to include fresh foods and entrees, the time-honored roller grill has quietly continued to please customers and bolster bottom lines thanks to [...]

Nice Guys Do Finish First

Nice Guys Do Finish First

Congratulations to Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, Convenience Store Decisions’ 2009 Convenience Store Chain of the Year. The Chain of the Year award remains the oldest and most prestigious award in the industry. This year is our 20th anniversary of presenting the distinction to a deserving chain and we’re honored to have recognized some of [...]

Meeting the Demand for Fresh Foods

Meeting the Demand for Fresh Foods

Americans are more amenable to buying meals at convenience stores, but won’t budge when it comes to quality, price or convenience factors like portability and packaging. That means there’s the potential for some real money in home meal replacement (HMR), but it has to be done well, and in just the right locations. Then there’s [...]

Make Coffee More Profitable

Make Coffee More Profitable

Tips for Preparing the Perfect Cup • Always use fresh, filtered water. • Always use fresh, whole bean coffee. Coffee is perishable: use within two weeks of roast date. • Store coffee beans in an air-tight container away from heat, light and moisture. No freezer or refrigerator. • Grind just before brewing—a timer will help [...]

Changing its Stripes

Changing its Stripes

Susser Holdings Corp. at a glance A dynamic marketer Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, Susser Holdings is the largest non-refiner, convenience store operator in Texas, with additional stores in Oklahoma and New Mexico. It operates 516 convenience stores through its Stripes LLC division and is the 19th largest c-store chain in the U.S. Convenience Store [...]

Acquisitions Fuel EZ Energy’s Growth

Acquisitions Fuel EZ Energy’s Growth

EZ Energy USA At a Glance Headquarters: Mansfield, Ohio Stores: 92 (68 company-operated and 24 dealer-operated sites) Total Estimated Sales: $480 million Markets of Operation: northeast and central Ohio, Pittsburgh Retail Brands: ampm, Easy Trip Fuel Brands: BP, Marathon Fuel Volume: 160 million gallons annually While many marketers are struggling to ride out this economic [...]

Convenience Concerns

Convenience Concerns

I was getting breakfast at my local convenience store recently, an unbranded joint close to my office, when I noticed a new addition to the store. Right by one of the two pay stations was a neatly handwritten sign that read, “No Cell Phones in Line.” I have to admit this message surprised me. The [...]

Riding Out the Economic Storm

Riding Out the Economic Storm

Facing one of the most difficult financial crises in the nation’s history, convenience store operators must maximize store performance and drive efficiencies. That old axiom “fall back, spring ahead” takes on an entirely new meaning for 2009. Faced with the worst recession in more than half a century, springing ahead means fighting for survival for [...]