Plaid Pantries Inc. has unveiled its first customer smartphone app, which has been deployed across its more than 100 convenience stores in Oregon and Washington to enhance the customer experience, provide greater convenience and build customer loyalty. The Beaverton, Ore.-based chain has partnered with VERGE Connect to power the new branded smartphone app, which enables…
Energy Shot Sales Surge
Although some c-store operators admit to being worried about regulators turning their focus to energy shots, many have voiced the opinion that the category has at least another year of strong growth ahead of it. According to numbers from SymphonyIRI Group for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 26, 2010, energy shots saw a whopping 35.58%…
Tapping the Power of Candy
Despite the economic slowdown, chocolate remains a relatively inexpensive indulgence for cautious consumers. By Howard Riell, Contributing Editor. Americans aren’t eating out as much as they used to, but they are eating more chocolate, which means the time has come for retailers who haven’t already done so to rethink, revamp and restock their chocolate sets.…
Maintaining Strong Smokeless Sales
The slew of new regulations governing the sale of tobacco products has convenience store operators scratching their heads and wondering where the next assault will come from and what to do about it. For example:• The federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act) went into effect on June 29, 2010. Its goal is to…