The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has opened registration for its 34th annual conference taking place from Aug.18-20 at the Renaissance Depot Hotel in Minneapolis. This year’s “Accelerate” conference theme and programming focus on the latest growth strategies and market opportunities shaping the future of the ethanol industry. “With high hopes of gathering safely, in person,…

HJB Convenience Corp. President Raymond Huff, in partnership with StrasGlobal’s new resource for independent convenience store operators, Resources for Retailers, shared an independent retailer’s story of persistence and the course of action he took to stay in business with the Payroll Protection Programs (PPP1, PPP2) and Employee Retention Credit (ERC) funding. Colorado-based HJB Convenience Corp.,…

Chicken’s a super versatile and popular foodservice offer across all dayparts. In restaurants, servings of chicken wings were up 7% in 2020 vs. 2019 despite an 11% decline in trips to commercial restaurants over the same time period, according to NPD Group/CREST data. Additionally, total U.S. wing retail sales during the pandemic months totaled almost…

In the midst of the pandemic, some retailers paused roller grill sales, while others brought the segment behind the counter to meet COVID-19 safety requirements, while continuing to serve guests. Roller grill remains an integral and consistent part of the expansive foodservice segment at Rutter’s convenience stores, which has 78 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and…

GPM Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of ARKO Corp., is adding a fried chicken filet sandwich to its existing value menu at 150 stores. The value menu initially launched last summer to offer customers convenient, affordable and quality foods during difficult economic times. It began with just one menu item — two for $1 hot…

When it comes to point-of-sale (POS) and back-office technology, a number of emerging trends are expected to pick up steam in 2021. Hybrid POS systems and hardware-agnostic POS software are two areas for convenience stores to watch in the year ahead, noted Patrick Raycroft, the Convenience and Energy vertical lead at W. Capra Consulting Group.…

Creating an exciting retail grand opening or anniversary event requires work upfront, but in the long run will make your store drive sales. Still, this can often be a challenge for small, independent convenience store chains who often lack the promotional power of huge chains. But with some careful planning and strategic attention to detail,…

CStore Decisions April 2021 Digital Edition is sponsored by Perfetti Van Melle. The 13th annual CSD/Humetrics HR Benchmarking Survey showcases how c-store retailers are navigating human resources challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. CStore Decisions and Humetrics, for the 13th consecutive year, have collaborated on the annual Human Resources (HR) Benchmarking Survey, which polled c-store retailers…

One of the trends in the convenience store industry for 2021 is giving customers options for alternative fuels, as CStore Decisions recently reported. A major reason for this is the fast-growing sustainability movement. The general public, businesses, elected officials — all are pushing for action that helps the environment. C-stores can both meet that customer…

Texas-based Buc-ee’s will break ground on its new travel center in Richmond, Ky., on April 13. Located at the southeast corner of Interstate 75 and Duncannon Lane, Buc-ee’s Richmond marks the first Buc-ee’s travel center in Kentucky. The outpost continues Buc-ee’s multi-state expansion across the South, joining two recently opened locations in Florida, as well…