New products and core beverages will always drive cold vault sales. Retailers have to know how to market them effectively to maximize profitability. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Bottled water sales continue to rise steadily, which is good news for overall packaged beverage sales in convenience stores. NACS reported recently that in the wake of…
Chocolate Sales Boost Confections
Despite the weak economy, consumers continue to indulge in candy. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. The confectionery retail market has grown across all trade channels, but convenience stores have outpaced the overall retail market. Iconic brands (Hershey, Nestlé, Mars) prowl the chocolate landscape and provide consumers an affordable indulgence in a bitter economy. According to…
Designing a Winning OTP Strategy
Convenience stores have evolved from being a destination for cigarettes to a destination for tobacco products as a whole. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. It was inevitable that the conversation on convenience store cigar sales would shift eventually from rapid growth to supplier relations, category management and marketing. As cigarette regulations and prices and taxes…
Mean Healthy Business
While some c-store operators are gingerly testing the waters of healthy lunch and dinner solutions, others have plunged right in as the tide of consumer demand moves steadily toward fresher fare. By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, Associate Editor. With the opening of its latest store in Marshfield, Mass., Tedeschi Food Shops launched a new initiative that puts…
Emphasizing a Strong Breakfast Business
Given that the morning daypart is such a high-growth segment, it should be no surprise that the industry’s leading retailers are focusing a lot of effort on solidifying their offerings. By John Lofstock, Editor. Americans are more amenable to buying meals at convenience stores, but won’t budge when it comes to quality, price or convenience…
Retailers Urged to Lighten Up
While LED lighting has helped many businesses reduce their carbon footprint, each retailer must decide if the endeavor is a worthy long-term investment. By Pat Pape, Contributing Editor. During holiday season 2011, the 74-foot Norway spruce in New York City’s Rockefeller Center was covered in 30,000 multicolored light-emitting diodes (LED). Those glowing decorations were an…
Capturing Hispanic Customers
Offering quality customer service with bilingual employees and traditional foods can drive retail loyalty among the growing Hispanic population. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. Today, Hispanic food is mainstream and attractive to a wide array of demographics seeking spicier flavors, but the secret to keeping your Hispanic customers’ repeat business lies in more than just…
Home Service Oil Opens Two Express Marts
At 6,500 square feet, the new Hillsboro location is considered one of the largest c-stores in Jefferson County. Home Service Oil Co., which operates Express Mart convenience stores in and around Jefferson County, Mo., just south of St. Louis, has recently opened two newly-built Express Marts that are enormous in size. Their new Hillsboro location…
VeriFone Bringing Lottery to Card Payment Screens
“Convenience, speed and security are the three key elements that make payment systems in taxis, at fuel pumps and other VeriFone-enabled locations ideal venues for expanding access to lottery tickets,” says VeriFone vice chairman. VeriFone Systems Inc. today announced that it plans to deliver lottery sales through card payment acceptance systems in taxis and at…
iSIGN, ADCENTRICITY, Team to Target Customers
Partnership drives customer engagement at point of decision at MAC’s convenience stores. Deepening its long-term relationship selling the Mac’s Couche-Tard digital network with a combined offering with iSIGN, ADCENTRICITY now provides retailers with the first-ever end-to-end value solution. iSIGN Media Solutions Inc., a provider of interactive mobile advertising solutions that serves advertisers, manufacturers, retailers and…