Back in 1997 I had the opportunity to sit down with Dave Thomas, the founder of the Wendy’s chain to interview him about his retail strategy. One of the first things he said to me was, “You know why our hamburgers are square? Because we don’t cut corners.” Over the past decade many things have…
VERC Enterprises Honored by NECSA
Employees Shan Muhammad and Steve Vieira win association awards. VERC Enterprises, which operates 24 convenience stores throughout Eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, announced that two of its store managers have earned awards of excellence from the New England Convenience Store Association (NECSA). Shan Muhammad, manager of the VERC Commerce Way Mobil in Plymouth, Mass., has…
Jackson’s Minit Marts Founder Passes Away
Julian Jackson, a former bantamweight boxer and a pioneer in the c-store industry, who founded Jackson’s Minit Marts and Lil’ Champ Food Stores, died last week. He was 98. Jackson was a member of the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame and the North American Boxing Federation Hall of Fame, the Times-Union reported. Born in Perry,…
Break-Even Analysis
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. One of the most-asked questions I hear from store owners is “What sales volume does my store need in order to make money?” While it would be convenient to rattle off a sales figure off the top of my head, it undoubtedly is a…
Do You Have the Staff You Deserve?
QC Mart comes under fire after the chain’s owner launched a contest asking employees to guess which employee would be fired next. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. In October, the Iowa Des Moines Register reported on the curious plight of William Ernst, the owner of QC Mart in Bettendorf, Iowa. Faced with employees who were…
Take TV on the Road
Retailers and truckstop operators looking to boost sales of high-end merchandise should go with the flo—FLO TV that is. FLO TV Personal Television currently comes with a free six-month service. After that period, subscription service starts as low as the equivalent of $8.99 per month. The device has a 3.5-inch diagonal screen and measures 4.4…
NACS Past President Sam Jacobsen Passes Away
Sam Jacobsen, one of the early leaders who helped expand the role of NACS after its founding in 1961, and its 1971-1972 president, died Monday at his home in Madison, Wisconsin at age 84, NACS reported. “Sam’s contribution to our association and our industry goes far beyond his tenure as president,” said NACS president and…
Controlling Operating Costs
From escalating utility costs and credit card fees to labor and looming PCI deadlines, retailers have their hands full with a host of issues that are impacting their businesses. No issue is as complex and timely as PCI compliance. The stakes in the PCI game are high and, as 2010 approaches, c-store operators need to…
Design of the Times
Savvy c-store operators know that everything in a store should be contributing to sales, including displays and fixtures. More retailers are coming to realize that display and fixture design can, if done right, provide the flexibility needed to highlight food offerings as well as dry goods products and keep the sales space fresh, interesting and…
Heads-Up Server
Delta TRAK Inc. announces the new Flashlink SP (Server Package) Wireless Manager software, which uses a protected remote database server platform and offers users secured worldwide access of environmental data gathered by their installed FlashLink Wireless Systems. In addition to data viewing, the software provides reporting of data deviations. The FlashLink SP Wireless Manager…