Sales in other categories may be suffering from the COVID crunch, but not pizza. “COVID-19 brought sudden gains to the modestly growing pizza category in 2020,” noted market research firm Mintel’s recent report “Pizza Restaurants: Incl Impact of COVID-19 US, September 2020.” “These gains are likely to have residual staying power over the next year…
New Data Reveals Growth Potential for CBD Sales
2021 data from Pittsburgh, Pa.,-based market research firm CivicScience reveals new information about the CBD c-store consumer. According to the survey, generated Jan. 11, 2021, weighted according to U.S. Census figures for gender and age, 16% of consumers have already purchased CBD/Cannabidiol products at convenience stores. The survey also shows that 10% of consumers have…
Thorntons Community Store Opens Its Doors
Thorntons opened its newest location — a non-profit community store in partnership with the Louisville Urban League. This first-of-a-kind store will operate as a sustainable not-for-profit venture with all profits from sales being reinvested by the Louisville Urban League to promote community equity and empowerment. It will also serve as a local recruitment and training…
Coffee Ready to Rally
Sales of hot dispensed beverages were down 24% in the third quarter of 2020 and 36% in quarter four, in large part because “the breakfast daypart was destroyed” with commuters working from home and competition in the breakfast category increasing, reported Eric Dzwonczyk, co-leader of the restaurant, hospitality and leisure practice at AlixPartners convenience store…
Structural Plastics Corp. Appoints Graydon Stuckey as President
Structural Plastics Corp. (SPC) is introducing Graydon Stuckey as its new president. Stuckey joins SPC with over 16 years of experience in executive business development. He is an accomplished engineering professional with extensive knowledge of manufacturing processes and product design. He will be responsible for developing the organization’s long-term strategies and goals, with an emphasis…
A Return to Normalcy
Just one year ago, I sat down at my desk in my office to write the April 2020 Editor’s Memo and tried to wrap my head around the impact of COVID-19. There were still naysayers that predicted the virus was nothing more than a bad flu, while others spouted doomsday scenarios. Through it all, the…
GetGo Partners With Local Artists for Spiked Slushies Cups
Pittsburgh, Pa.-based GetGo Café + Market partnered with four Pittsburgh-area artists on original design options for its new spiked Slushies cup design. The c-store chain is now asking its customers to vote on their favorite design to determine which piece of artwork will be featured on the cups through the summer. “Our team has always…
Vroom Delivery Offers First Convenience-Focused Third-Party Delivery Program
Lou Perrine’s Gas and Grocery, FavTrip, Stop and Go Mini Mart, The Growler Guys and H&S Power Market will be the first to offer delivery through Vroom Delivery’s new convenience-focused third-party fulfillment program, serviced by the DoorDash network. Several additional retailers on the Vroom Platform are expected to roll out the program within the next…
New Report Probes the Prospects for Fuel and Convenience Retailing
Throughout the decade, fuel and convenience retailers will be tasked with answering a simple question: “why will the customer of 2030 visit my store?” Roadside retailing faces a variety of disruptive headwinds that threaten long-successful business models. The report’s five authors call for an immediate repositioning around the needs of people rather than vehicles. “The…
Electronic Payments Accelerate
The COVID-19 pandemic sped up digital disruption, with businesses rushing to enable contactless payment options from EMV to mobile wallets. “The accelerated move to contactless payments has been driven by the major card issuing banks, which expedited the issuing of contactless cards, and the retailers who accelerated the software and hardware changes needed to implement…