Beer and wine sales climbed at convenience stores during the pandemic, as customers turned to their local retailers for purchases as lockdowns and social distancing drew customers away from bars and restaurants. In 2021, that sales momentum is expected to continue. “We haven’t had a flat year to date and don’t expect to start in…
Meaty Sales Expected for Roller Grill
In the midst of the pandemic, some retailers paused roller grill sales, while others brought the segment behind the counter to meet COVID-19 safety requirements, while continuing to serve guests. Roller grill remains an integral and consistent part of the expansive foodservice segment at Rutter’s convenience stores, which has 78 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and…
POS & Back Office Evolve
When it comes to point-of-sale (POS) and back-office technology, a number of emerging trends are expected to pick up steam in 2021. Hybrid POS systems and hardware-agnostic POS software are two areas for convenience stores to watch in the year ahead, noted Patrick Raycroft, the Convenience and Energy vertical lead at W. Capra Consulting Group.…
Buc-ee’s Enters Kentucky Market
Texas-based Buc-ee’s will break ground on its new travel center in Richmond, Ky., on April 13. Located at the southeast corner of Interstate 75 and Duncannon Lane, Buc-ee’s Richmond marks the first Buc-ee’s travel center in Kentucky. The outpost continues Buc-ee’s multi-state expansion across the South, joining two recently opened locations in Florida, as well…
Tobacco Accessories Tick Up
For years, the most innovative development to hit the subcategory of tobacco accessories was lighter covers highlighting sports teams or colorful designs. There were even the occasional movie- or TV-based themes to attract mega fans. So when BIC introduced the EZ Reach lighter with an extended wand last summer, surely convenience store operators and managers…
NAG Scholarship Supports Higher Education
Every student’s story is different, but the financial gap in paying for college is still apparent. In keeping with that theme, the National Advisory Group (NAG) and the Young Executives Organization (YEO) created a scholarship fund for employees and children of NAG member companies. The 2021 NAG Scholarship is named after John MacDougall, who was…
Tight Market for RYO
2020 proved a tough year for the roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco segment at convenience stores. “Looking at same-store sales of 2020 versus 2019, we continued to see a downward trend on the RYO category, down 6%; however, that trend slowed some in Q4,” noted Tim Greene, category director of tobacco and general manager for Smoker Friendly.…
Build Relationships Through Loyalty Marketing
Did you know it costs five times more to acquire new customers than it does to retain current customers? And did you know existing customers are 50% more likely to try a new product of yours as well as spend 31% more than new customers? Whether or not you currently have a loyalty program that…
Kent Kwik Expands in the Texas Market With Connel Oil Acquisition
Kent Kwik parent company The Kent Cos. has acquired Connel Oil Co., dba Mr. C’s convenience stores, in Mineral Wells and Weatherford, Texas. The acquisition included six company-operated Chevron-branded Mr. C’s convenience stores, a book of branded and unbranded dealer supply accounts and a bulk plant. The acquisition increased the Kent Kwik portfolio to 59…
Flavors, Functionality Drive Bottled Water, Sports Drinks
Plain bottled water continues its popularity among consumers, but new flavors and features will bring opportunities to both bottled water and sports drinks in 2021. “Bottled water is dominated by the big brands from the major companies,” said Gary Hemphill, managing director of research at Beverage Marketing Corp. “They have the infrastructure and the economies…