Selling electrons is not something that can directly produce profitability to replace fuel margins, at least in today’s environment, and that is no secret to convenience retailers. Barriers to entry into the electric vehicle (EV) charging market include not just the cost of infrastructure but also demand charges from utility providers, where commercial customers are…
Announcing the Winners of CStore Decisions’ 2022 Hot New Products Contest
In the convenience store industry, thousands of new products and services are launched each year. But how can retailers predict which of those new products will ultimately be successful with customers? CStore Decisions’ 2022 Hot New Products Contest evaluated a number of new product launches and is awarding the products set for success at c-stores…
Smokeless Satisfies Consumers
Smokeless tobacco continues to be a steady favorite among convenience store customers, with retailers stocking popular items and offering promotions when available. Smokeless tobacco dollar sales at convenience stores increased by 5.1% to reach $7 million for the latest four weeks ending July 10, 2022, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI. Chewing tobacco/snuff decreased…
LEDs, Energy Efficiency Take Precedence
Businesses are increasingly turning to more advanced modes of operation. C-stores are using LED lighting and energy-efficient technology to update their locations and realizing financial and maintenance benefits with the switch. The largest benefit (to LED) is energy savings,” said Tara Hughes, senior energy & sustainability analyst, RaceTrac. “After transitioning stores to LED lighting, we…
Independent Operators Persevere
Small independent convenience store retailers are not only grappling with the same inflation, supply chain issues and labor shortages as the rest of the industry, but they’re also having to compete against larger chains with fewer resources. Still, small family chains are the backbone of this industry and many independent c-stores are succeeding today despite…
Contactless Payments Pave the Path Forward
Contactless payments are becoming mainstream in the convenience store industry, as more retailers upgrade to offer the service. As c-store operators consider how they might like to implement new technology, they also need to determine how it might impact data security. During the height of the pandemic, customers wanted to avoid touching possibly contaminated surfaces,…
Fry Cooks Up Innovation at Dandy’s
Convenience stores continue to elevate their foodservice programs, bringing in chefs to tempt customers with menu offerings that rival those from fast-food restaurants. CStore Decisions caught up with Chef James Fry, foodservice director for Dandy Mini Marts, which operates 66 stores in Pennsylvania and New York. Sixty-three of those locations offer a foodservice program. Fry,…
Growing Gilligan’s
Gilligan’s Retail, a second-generation family business, has been busy elevating its proprietary foodservice offering, rolling out new equipment including bean-to-cup coffee machines and remodeling stores. The eight-year-old company owns and operates 10 Gilligan’s sites in Arizona and two stores in Montana under the banner ‘The Welcome Stop.’ Now, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based chain is set to…
Vape and Cigar Restrictions Tighten
With the tobacco category under continuous scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), c-store retailers must consider how they need to respond, especially with the vape and cigar segments. Vape sales increased by 3.5% in Q2 2022 compared to Q2 2021, whereas cigar sales decreased by 3% for the same period, according to store…
Boosting Business With Bitcoin ATMs
With bitcoin and other cryptocurrency platforms on the rise, retailers are incorporating specialized ATM machines in their stores to stay ahead of the curve. “There’s been a large growth in the bitcoin terminal deployment in c-stores around the country,” said Bruce Renard, executive director at The National ATM Council. Both standalone bitcoin kiosks and terminals,…