By Brandon Lawrence, Fuel Consultant, and Frank Beard, Director of Safe Shop, Special Projects The marketplace is running out of room for generic retailers. Convenience is being redefined, and retailers face challenges from many directions. Whether it’s goPuff, quick-service restaurants (QSRs), dollar stores, direct-to-consumer tactics or disintermediation from third-party delivery partners, it’s never been easier…
Why Safe Shop Certification Is Needed
As a consumer, it’s not easy to determine a retailer’s commitment to store safety. You want to trust that the store is cleaned, sanitized and safe. You want to know that the person scanning your snacks and beverages didn’t come to work sick — and that they have the support to stay home if they…
FDA Marketing Application Deadline Passes: What Happens Now?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set Sept. 9, 2020, as the deadline for manufacturers to submit a substantial equivalence application (SE) or a pre-market tobacco application (PMTA) for “deemed” tobacco products introduced into the marketplace between Feb. 15, 2007, and Aug. 8, 2016. Tobacco products subject to the PMTA requirements include cigars (except “premium…
Recognizing Employees During a Pandemic
The convenience store industry will always be a people business. For many years that meant putting the customer first — rightfully so, it seemed, since they were the people spending the money. But gradually, over the past decade, the top-quartile convenience store chains realized the value they had in their people and that began a…
The Interim Executive
The movie industry has been doing this for years. With a screenplay in hand, a movie production house pulls together a team of production specialists including grips, gaffers, boom operators, etc. to all assemble at a film shoot location over a few months to produce a film. Together, these experts piece together all of the components…
Foundations of Innovation
As consumer demand for touchless and frictionless experiences has risen rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, convenience retailers — on the average — are encountering greater challenges in meeting these needs than retailers in other verticals. These outsized challenges facing c-stores are in large part due to technology debt that the convenience vertical still bears and…
Why Do I Have to Praise Someone for Doing Their Job?
Do you ever feel like there is way too much appreciation going on in your workplace? If you said no, you’re not alone. Your team would probably say the same thing. A recent Gallup survey revealed 65% of employees haven’t received recognition in the last year. This directly correlates to the studies that consistently report…
Preparing for Post-Pandemic Headwinds
By Brandon Lawrence, Fuel Consultant, and Frank Beard, CStore Decisions’ Director of Special Projects Discussions of disruption often create a perception of all or nothing. This is of course a false dichotomy as reality is more nuanced. In the near future, the real question facing retailers is ‘Can your business survive if revenue drops by…
Q&A With Heather Schott, Kum & Go’s New Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager
Kum & Go parent company Krause Group recently appointed Heather Schott as its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager. Schott graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Business with an emphasis on management from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. Prior to her new role, Schott worked for Principal Financial Group for 23 years.…
Creating a Strategic Business Plan Amid COVID-19
Business planning in any environment is important, but add in the myriad of challenges brought by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and strategic business planning becomes even more essential for convenience stores looking to succeed in this uncertain landscape. So, why is business planning so crucial? In a word, it provides clarity. Investing time in developing…