There is no greater ally for convenience store owners than their supplier partners. When retailers boost sales and satisfy their customers, everyone in the supply chain benefits. When Convenience Store Decisions launched its Reader’s Choice Awards four years ago, our premise was simple: To find out just who retailers identified as their top supplier partners.…
Retaining Talent For The Future
The best thing about the economy being such a dog? Employers get the pick of the litter when it comes to job candidates. Worcester, Mass.-based Honey Farms Mini-Market landed an expert last month when it hired retail veteran Lisa Clement to oversee nine Honey Farm stores in the Worcester and Middlesex county markets. Just weeks…
Road Ranger Growing
Tough economic times mean new opportunities and Road Ranger just found one. The Rockville, Ill., convenience store chain entered into operating lease agreements for 15 Fast Break Food Mart gasoline and convenience stores in the Louisville, Ky., market. The deal increases Road Ranger’s network of travel centers and convenience stores to 88 locations in seven…
Sunoco Downsizing
Sunoco Inc. said it is selling off 165 convenience stores and gas stations in the Eastern U.S. The properties are located in selected markets in Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Philadelphia-based Sunoco operates a network of approximately 4,700 retail sites—including the APlus…
Budgets Tightened, Jobs Squeezed
As retailers big and small continue shedding jobs amid economic troubles, some convenience and petroleum brands bleed a little, some bleed a lot. The industry is taking its share of hits in this economic tsunami, but if there’s any consolation, it’s this: Their wounds aren’t nearly as deep as those suffered in other retail channels.…
Cody’s Goes To Kum & Go
Cody’s Convenience Stores at a Glance Headquarters: Springfield, Mo. Store Count: 37 Fuel Brand: Phillips 66 Missouri Markets: Battlefield, Bolivar, Clever, Fair Grove, Hollister, Joplin, Monett, Neosho, Nixa, Republic, Rogersville, Springfield, Waynesville and Webb City. Distinctions: The Cody’s Gift Card, live bait, financial services, full-service delis and various leading foodservice concepts. It took the right…
Demographics Driving Cold, Frozen Sales
From movie promotions at 7-Eleven to new flavors, the cold and frozen category is generating some excitement despite the presence of chilly temperatures in many parts of the country. Actually, where you live may well play a large part in what customers want to see in your cold dispensers. Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public affairs…
McLane Focused on Mo.
McLane Co. Inc., the Texas-based supply chain services company, said it is building a 400,000-square-foot distribution center on Republic’s west side that would employ about 400 people, according to the Springfield Business Journal. McLane agreed to build the facility on 132 acres in Republic, Mo. It is buying the property from Drury University for an…
Compliance Focused
Walters-Dimmick Petroleum Inc. of Marshall, Mich., said it reached a deal to install Gilbarco FlexPay Encrypting PIN Pads at their 75 Shell-branded locations across southwestern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northern Ohio. “Acting early allowed us to save money. We could properly plan the retrofit program, take advantage of incentives available under the Shell Technology Incentive…
McLane Introduces Candy Multi-Vendor End Cap
McLane, the industry top wholesaler, today announced that its Candy Multi-vendor End Cap (Candy MVE) is now available to convenience stores across the country. This program provides retailers a cost-effective merchandising opportunity in the highly profitable candy segment. Impulse buying continues to represent a significant revenue source for convenience stores, with 37% of those sales…