Altria Group Inc. announced Howard Willard’s retirement as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Altria, effective April 14. Willard, who was recovering from COVID-19, decided to step down following 28 years of distinguished service to the company and its subsidiaries. Following Willard’s retirement, Altria’s Board of Directors elected Billy Gifford to serve…
Pilot Company Donates $100,000 to Support Professional Drivers
Pilot Company has donated $100,000 to St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund (SCF) to support professional drivers and their families in times of need, and especially through the COVID-19 crisis. “Our country depends on professional drivers to keep our economy moving every day,” said Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Company. “When professional drivers are…
FriendShip Cares Bonus Program Recognizes Employees During COVID-19
Ohio-based FriendShip Food Stores’ new FriendShip Cares Bonus program provides a $2 per hour bonus to store employees as well as bonuses of $100 per week for store managers, district managers and facilities team members. “There is nothing more important to me, or to my family, than serving our people and our communities,” said Brian…
TravelCenters of America Furloughs 3,000 Employees Due to Restaurant Closures
TravelCenters of America (TA) provided business updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic, announcing that it has furloughed approximately 2,900 field employees, as well as approximately 122 corporate employees. Currently, all TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express travel centers remain open, providing essential services to drivers across the nation with fuel, showers, restrooms, quick-serve restaurants and…
7-Eleven’s Prepaid Mastercard Offers Alternative to Brick-and-Mortar Banks
The Trans@ct by 7-Eleven Prepaid Mastercard offers an alternative to brick-and-mortar banks and can help cardholders receive direct deposit payments such as government benefits or paychecks. The U.S. Treasury Department recently began sending out economic impact — or stimulus — payments, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some people may have to wait weeks…
New Research Identifies Key Trends in Grocery Shopping Behavior Amid COVID-19
Service Management Group (SMG) research has identified three trends in grocery shopper behavior and a few tips to help stores remain agile. Trend 1: Grocery pick-up orders have increased since the pandemic. In recent years, the evolution of e-commerce has led brands to invest in services that make the shopping experience easier for customers. The…
GetUpside Acquires A-Frame Ventures, Announces Additional Hiring
GetUpside has acquired A-Frame Ventures and brought two new executives on to the team. Even amid the current COVID-19 environment, GetUpside will continue to hire locally in the Chicago, D.C., and Austin markets. Meredith Sadlowski, former Senior Vice President of branded sales and marketing at Gulf Oil, has joined GetUpside as president of fuel and…
Cigarettes Face New Battles
For convenience stores in 16 states, implementing 21 as the federal minimum purchase age on tobacco products was a nonissue. They had already made the necessary signage and point-of-sale verification adjustments to abide by state tobacco-21 and experienced the fallout. “When we went to 21, we didn’t see a very big sales decrease,” said Reilly…
Tallying Up Tobacco Add-ons
For most consumers, lighters, ashtrays, papers, matches and pipes may be impulse purchases, but for c-stores, they shouldn’t be an afterthought. Granted, tobacco accessories account for the smallest percentage of tobacco-related transactions, both in numbers and dollars, but each additional basket item offers a chance to boost profits with every tobacco sale. Even at an…
Wawa Foundation Provides Additional $250,000 for Nonprofits, Local Food Banks
Wawa is dedicating the day of its founding on April 16 to essential workers and everyday heroes by giving recognition and resources to those helping others impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. April 16 is the date the first Wawa store opened in Delaware County, in 1964, and six years ago, the date marked the launch…