Morinaga America Inc. (MAI) promoted Teruhiro Kawabe (Terry) from president, CEO of MAI to chief representative for the USA and president/CEO as of this month. In his new role, Kawabe will oversee and supervise Morinaga America Foods Inc., the production facility in North Carolina, and Morinaga America Inc, the U.S. corporate division of the company.…
Circle K Offers Free Coffee for a Taste Test
Circle K announced it is giving customers a free cup of coffee on Jan. 25, so they can tell the difference between barista-brewed and Circle K coffee. To redeem, customers can first personalize their cup of coffee via the self-serve coffee machines and then take their coffee to the register. “At Circle K, we’re really proud of the…
How to Leverage Your POS System to Grow Your Business
Small business owners with limited budgets can find it difficult to compete with big-box retailers and leverage their company’s growth. However, small businesses can successfully compete with even the largest corporations, by implementing smart marketing strategies, providing excellent customer service, and offering innovative products and services. Elie Y. Katz, President and CEO of National Retail Solutions…
Snack Sales Outlook
Both meat and salty snacks remain bulwarks of the convenience store industry. And during uncertain economic times, with other staple product categories facing some very real challenges, bulwarks are a good thing to have. “Both (salty snacks and meat snacks) are good categories that saw growth in 2022 and should grow in 2023,” predicted Rich…
Kum & Go Expands to New Market
Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go opened the doors to its first store in the Grand Rapids, Mich., market located at 2134 Alpine Ave. NW in Walker, Mich., Jan. 19. The Walker, Mich., store is the first of several Grand Rapids, Mich.-area Kum & Go locations set to open in the next year. Its second…
Shell Acquires Volta
Shell has acquired Volta Inc. in a cash transaction valued at approximately $169 million. The acquisition brings Volta’s electric vehicle (EV) charging to Shell’s established brand with hopes of long-term growth opportunities. According to Volta, Shell will acquire all outstanding shares of Class A common stock of Volta at 86 cents per share in cash…
What Is Shrinkflation?
In today’s inflationary environment “shrinkflation” is impacting products at retailers across channels, and customers are noticing. Alternately called the grocery shrink ray, deflation or package downsizing, shrinkflation refers to maintaining or even upping product prices even as that product shrinks in size, quantity or quality. According to a recent consumer survey by Morning Consult, nearly…
Will the End of Flavors Mean Better Cigars?
Change always produces unintended consequences to go along with whatever seemed like a good idea at the time. When desktop computers took much of the drudgery out of corporate planning and finance, the intended benefits would include reduced paper use that would save entire forests. The result turned out to be a 10-fold increase in…
Spinx Donates Over 2,000 Meals
The Spinx Co. commemorated its 50th anniversary by donating over 2,000 meals to multiple non-profit organizations. Spinx celebrated 50 years in business on Dec. 1, 2022. Spinx launched The Cluk Truk in 2020 to serve its fried chicken in a new way for surrounding communities. As part of its year-long celebration, Spinx selected one organization…
Pilot Embarks on New Horizons
As it welcomes 2023, Pilot Co. is in full swing with its $1 billion New Horizons initiative, modernizing its fleet of U.S. travel centers and enhancing the guest and team member experience at its sites. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based company announced the New Horizons initiative in March. The goal behind New Horizons is to create a…