Most of the sites for sale are located in the Greater Nashville market. Tri Star Energy LLC of Nashville, Tenn. announced yesterday that it is conducting a strategic divestiture of 22 convenience stores and retail gasoline outlets and three parcels of undeveloped land in Tennessee. Today, the location of the sites for sale were announced…
Are Your Restrooms Ready?
From mystery shoppers to checklists, creating benchmarks for employees and evaluating their success can curb customer complaints. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. A Harris Interactive survey compiled in 2011 revealed that 94% of U.S. adults would avoid a business in the future if they encountered dirty restrooms. And with foodservice infiltrating convenience stores at a…
Could We Be Midway Through Gasoline’s Preseason Rally?
By: Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric. The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. average price for all formulations of regular grade gasoline sold at retail outlets jumped another 7.3 cents through the week-ended Feb. 11, which was the eighth consecutive weekly increase in the national gasoline average. Since Dec. 17, when the U.S. average…
Brewing an Upscale Coffee Strategy
Consumers are trading up to higher margin, premium coffees and teas. By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, Associate Editor. While coffee remains the workhorse of the morning daypart, a growing number of consumers are looking for their cups to come with a pedigree. The New York-based National Coffee Association (NCA) reported that almost half (46%) of all cups…
Industry Insights on Managing Your Managers
The Convenience Store Decisions case study series examines how experts in and around the industry identify and overcome challenging operating scenarios. By John Lofstock, Editor. Sometime late last year I sat down with several members of the Convenience Store Decisions Editorial Board looking for new ideas that could help our readers think outside the box…
States Propose Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Changes
Six states look to either increase or decrease taxes on tobacco products. A number of new legislative bills proposed since Feb. 12, 2013 are seeking to alter cigarette and/or tobacco tax rates, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets noted. The following has been proposed: Hawaii: House Bill No. 657 and Senate Bill No. 492 would…
Mac’s Acquires Dickerson Petroleum
Deal includes 29 company-operated assets and 29 wholesale assets. Alimentation Couche-Tard’s wholly-owned indirect subsidiary, Mac’s Convenience Stores LLC, has acquired Belleville, Ill.-based Dickerson Petroleum Inc. & Retail Entities. Dickerson operates retail and wholesale assets in three states: Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. The company’s assets purchased by Couche-Tard include 29 company-operated retail units and 29 wholesale…
The Fuels Institute Announces Board of Directors
The Fuels Institute plans to commission and publish comprehensive, fact-based research projects that address the issues identified by affected stakeholders. The Fuels Institute has announced its Board of Directors, the election of officers and the appointment of its executive director. Incorporated last week in Virginia, the Fuels Institute is a non-profit, research-oriented think tank dedicated…
New Austin 7-Eleven Franchisee’s American Dream
A photo-op with vice president Dan Quayle changed Phuong Duong’s life. New 7-Eleven franchisee Phuong Duong ‘s journey to become an independent business owner may be longer than most, beginning almost 30 years ago in war-torn Vietnam and a treacherous boat ride to Malaysia in 1985 with her parents and two siblings. By way…
Energy Boost
XL Energy Drink, the vibrant and tasty, lightly-carbonated drink, hit the U.S. market in New York in 2006. Today, XL is represented in more than 50 countries all over the world, including the U.S., major European countries as well as in Africa and Latina America, selling over 130 million cans per year. In January XL…