By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. Ever drive down the road and out of the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of a 20-foot pink gorilla in a bathing suit on top of a store? That is a retailer attempting to overcome what I call the “retail wallpaper…
Thorntons Expands in Florida
Thorntons embarks into a new metro/state region for the first time since 2007. Thorntons is expanding into the Florida metro market of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. The first location is set to open in Spring 2013 in Clearwater. Thorntons’ strategic plan for the region is to 15-20 Tampa—St. Petersburg—Clearwater area stores in the next three years. “To…
Team Oil Leaps into Foodservice
Team Oil Inc. yesterday completed a six-month construction addition to its flagship Team Oil Travel Center in Spring Valley, Wis., opening the doors to expanded facility that includes a Subway franchise, enlarged deli area, new restrooms and a large dining area. Eric Huppert, president and general manager of Team Oil Inc, said the company will…
Shell Begins Gasoline Giveaway Promotion
Shell is hosting several “No Other Gasoline Protects Better” Gasoline Giveaways across the nation to celebrate the launch of its new Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines. With advanced engine technologies increasingly coming to the market and consumers keeping their cars longer, Shell recognizes it is becoming more important for consumers to protect their vehicles from lower-quality…
Bullish Geopolitics Overpower Bearish Gasoline Demand
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. average price for regular grade gasoline spiked to a $3.721 gallon 8-1/2 month high on Feb. 27, and is poised for a further advance despite mixed wholesale costs in early March. Retail prices have never been this high this early…
McManigal Joins Kum & Go’s Board of Advisors
“Mark’s appointment is a direct result of his deep knowledge of Kum & Go’s business model and his unique insights to our business,” says Kum & Go’s CEO. Mark McManigal, managing director of Claritas Capital is set to join Kum & Go’s Board of Advisors, beginning in October 2011. McManigal previously served as in-house general…
Kum & Go Rank Improves on Inc. 5000
Listed at No. 4372, Kum & Go moves up more than 200 spots since last year. Kum & Go officials announced the company’s inclusion, for the third straight year, in the Inc. 5000, a ranking of the 5000 fastest growing privately-held companies in America. The results of the fifth annual Inc. 5000 revealed that Kum…
The ABC’s of ASPC
Understanding average sales per customer can stop employee theft in its tracks. By Jim Callahan. Human resources guru Mel Kleiman preaches that 20% of employees are basically honest, 20% are basically dishonest and the rest tend to gravitate toward the middle—depending on how management handles the dishonest employees. The following is designed to identify and…
Fas Mart, Shore Stop To Donate $120,000
“We felt it was a good time to make these important contributions to the communities we serve,” says GPM Investments spokesperson. GPM Investments LLC, which operates both the Fas Mart and Shore Stop convenience store chains, has raised $80,000 and allocated $40,000 worth of coffee for donation to 16 local charity organizations located throughout the…
COLLOQUY Educates Loyalty Marketers
As the middle-class gets further squeezed five loyalty trends are helping merchants add value to attract customers. In its most recent issue, LoyaltyOne’s COLLOQUY magazine examined the strapped U.S. middle-class and what marketers can do to develop loyalty with this group through the lingering recession and beyond. With 50% of Americans defining themselves as middle-class,…