When it comes to competing in the fuel business, convenience store retailers must fight to maintain their market share. By Jim Callahan. I received an inquiry from a small retailer in the Northeast recently who had lost a huge chunk of his fuel volume due to some fierce new competition. This is an issue that…
Big Apple Plants the Seeds for New Growth
After rebranding a number of its locations under the CITGO brand, Big Apple Food Stores looks to expand its retail portfolio in 2012. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor C.N. Brown’s Big Apple Food Stores has had a busy 12 months. The 82-store chain with locations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, completed an aggressive push…
Finding Your Way with Foodservice
Growing up in New YORK CITY few things were as natural to me as eating out. Even now with three children, a minimum of two meals a day are eaten outside the house seven days a week. The kitchen table is more of a convenient place to store things, like takeout menus and the kids’…
NACS CAFÉ Helps Identify Foodservice Solutions
Certified foodservice managers have shown that they are competent and disciplined, and they tend to display outstanding human resources management skills. By Dr. Nancy Caldarola, Education Director, NACS CAFÉ Foodservice has taken a prominent place in convenience stores. This segment has grown from a humble cup of coffee to a wide array of fresh sandwiches,…
Go Green, Save Green
How one retail chain saved $20,000 annually by turning to energy efficiency. By Ali Farsai, Contributing Editor Our family has been in the gas station and convenience store business for over 25 years and the past few years, as we are all painfully aware, business has been down. We have had to think “outside the…
The 2012 Convenience Retail Outlook
Economic uncertainty is causing retailers to be cautious as they plan for the upcoming year, but investments in technology, social media and foodservice appear to be expanding. By David Bishop, Contributing Editor. The outlook for 2012 depends largely on the focus of the question. What is clear based on the CSD/Balvor 2012 Convenience Retail Outlook…
Study Shows Website Visits Drive Brand Purchases
CPG brand Website visitors spend 37% more on the brand and 53% more on product category in retail stores. A study from Accenture, comScore Inc. and dunnhumbyUSA, aimed at helping consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers better understand the link between consumers’ usage of brand Websites and their in-store brand buying behavior, found that visitors to…
Will EMV be DOA?
Visa is encouraging retailers to move toward the EMV technology seen in Europe, but some argue by the time it’s implemented in the U.S., the technology will be outdated. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. Visa this fall announced plans to speed up the migration to contact chip and contactless EMV chip credit card technology in…
Robinson Takes the Helm at NACS
Incoming chairman promotes advocacy as he prepares to battle swipe fees, fuel standards and tobacco regulations in the year ahead. By John Lofstock, Editor. Renowned author and business strategist Tom Peter once said, “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” When it comes to the challenges facing the convenience store and petroleum industry over…
The Impact of Alternative Fuels
The political momentum to bring renewable energy products to the pumps is strong and growing. But with all the added costs to rebuild the nation’s petroleum infrastructure, is it worth it? By John Lofstock, Editor. Preparing for the future is a complex issue retailers should always be pondering. But in the fuel business this question…