When beer sales were made legal last August in formerly dry Clay County, N.C., Aztex Fuel & Food Centers’ Hayesville location was ready to pounce, becoming the first c-store in the market to supply cold suds. Aztex, an experienced c-store marketer, knew from its other stores that alcohol sales can drive foot traffic and increase…
New Year, New Opportunities
For many convenience store chains, 2009 could not end soon enough. A challenging economy, higher operating costs, outrageous credit card fees and an onslaught of new tobacco taxes were just some of the issues retailers had to contend with. In our ongoing effort to provide readers with the tools they need to make informed decisions,…
Going Green to Reduce Costs
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…
BP Branded Gas Exits St. Louis
Several convenience stores in St. Louis are no longer carrying the BP brand of gasoline. BP spokesman Daren Beaudo told the Southeast Missourian that the company decided to stop providing their product from its Scott City, Kan. terminal recently. “Those who own stations that carry our gasoline brand had the choice to…
Geo. H. Green Oil Distributes Holiday Cheer
Fairburn, Ga.-based Geo. H. Green Oil Inc. has raised $21,690 for Greater Atlanta’s Empty Stocking Fund, Welcome House of Newnan, Ga., and In His Great Name Ministry of, Fairburn, Ga. In a year when charities all over the country have fallen far short of previous totals, The Green Oil, Greenway Store Team surpassed last…
Iowa Faces Tank Cleanup Deadline
Iowa regulators and gas station operators are working together despite disagreements to solve remaining issues surrounding a clean up effort for leaky underground tanks before funding ends in 2016, the Sioux City Journal reported. The federally mandated effort started 20 years ago has been one of Iowa’s most successful environmental programs, according to…
Studies Show Coffee Is Good For Health
Customers are growing more health conscious. And, in an effort to limit caffeine, some choose cutting back on coffee intake as a New Years resolution. But research shows a cup of joe may actually improve health, which is good news for retailers seeking to draw consumers to their hot dispensed beverage bar in 2010.…
Thorntons Opens Six New Stores
Thorntons has opened six new stores in December 2009, four of which are in Nashville, Tenn., expanding that market to 10 locations in two and a half years. In addition, Thorntons opened a new store in the Chicago suburb of East Dundee, Ill., and another location in Champaign, Ill. With the addition of…
Seattle’s Best Coffee Grows Franchise
Starbucks is pushing for more franchisees for Seattle’s Best Coffee, one of its subsidiaries, the Seattle Times reported. Michelle Gass, who was put in charge of the brand last fall, recently hired a vice president of franchise business development, John Wuycheck. Wuycheck previously was employed as a vice president at KLMM’s Hydration Technologies…
The Pantry Joins Interchange Fight
In Vicksburg, Miss., nine Kangaroo stores owned and operated by The Pantry Inc. joined the fight against credit card interchange fees Dec. 18 by posting signs on each gas pump and placing petitions inside on counters. A manager at one Kangaroo c-store told the Vicksburg Post that as of the morning of Dec.…