If you are a convenience store owner, then every day you are working to maximize the investment you have in your store or, if you own multiple stores, then all your stores. There is so much to work on it can be overwhelming. To begin with, we have to be concerned about sales and margins.…
Unpacking FDA’s Very Low Nicotine Plan
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted earlier this year that its proposed very low nicotine regulation could be published by this fall. While a comment period and review would follow, if the regulation were to go into effect, it would prohibit the sale of almost all cigarettes currently on the market. Background In July…
Six Solutions for the Tight Labor Market
We are told that the labor market has improved, but has it really? Brands often talk of having great cultures. But is that the leadership saying they have a great culture or the team that works for the leadership? Culture is defined as, “The shared values, belief systems, attitudes and the set of assumptions that…
Overcoming Loyalty Program Challenges
Convenience stores are an essential part of consumers’ daily lives, providing them with quick and easy access to essential items. In recent years, our industry has made the slow turn down the technological highway. This slow implementation of technology has laid the groundwork for many chains to develop and launch loyalty programs and custom apps…
Retailers Wait on FDA Final Rules
More than 100 cigar and cigarette makers, along with several hundred distributors and thousands of c-store retailers are waiting for the next word on tobacco flavor and menthol rulemaking from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Earlier this year, the FDA Center for Tobacco Products indicated it was still holding to an August 2023 final…
LEDs, Energy-Efficiency on the Rise at C-Stores
Convenience store retailers are increasingly considering energy-efficient options when looking to renovate existing sites or build new locations, and installing LEDs is a popular method to accomplish this. In fact, many chains are looking to move even farther forward with their alternative energy goals. TXB, which operates 48-plus locations in Texas and Oklahoma, uses LED…
Candy, Gum & Mint Sales See Upward Momentum
While chocolate dollar sales grew 14% for the four weeks ending Jan. 28, 2023, according to NielsenIQ, consumers have been especially gravitating toward non-chocolate confections, including gum, mints and gummy candy. Confection dollar sales were up 21.4%, while gum sales increased 37% and mint sales ticked up nearly 25% for the same four-week period, per…
C-Store Transformation From Food to Tech
As I step into the role of editor-in-chief, I can’t help but reflect on how much this industry has changed since I first began writing for CStore Decisions as an associate editor in 2009. In those days, c-store retailers were focused on their core customer “Bubba,” a blue-collar, white male stopping in for cigarettes, beer…
Open Pantry Walks for MS
Open Pantry, which operates seven stores in Wisconsin, participated in and sponsored a walk to raise funds for multiple sclerosis (MS) on May 7 in Milwaukee, its team walking under the “Eunice Jean Open Pantry Team” banner. “So, the reason that Open Pantry got involved in this is my mother, Eunice Buhler. When I was…
Parker’s Prioritizes Personalization With Rewards App
As technology continues to improve, convenience store retailers are coming up with new ways to incorporate technology into their stores or to enhance the technology they already have. Savannah, Ga.-based Parker’s Kitchen, which has 74 stores across Georgia and South Carolina, is one c-store that is always working to improve its technology, especially when it…