As vaping and e-cigarette manufacturers adjust to FDA regulations, c-stores experience a reactionary marketplace. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor When the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released its final deeming regulations officially classifying electronic nicotine delivery systems as tobacco products, it granted manufacturers and retailers a 90-day grace period before the new restrictions…

Even as cities and states invoke new legislation, cigarette sales remain steady. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor On Election Day this year, voters in North Dakota will decide on who will be the next president and whether to approve a proposed tax hike on cigarettes. Since 1993, the state tax has held at a…

Meat snacks maintain their firm grasp as a top-selling segment. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor “This is not your grandfather’s jerky,” said Norman Deschamps, an independent market analyst working with Packaged Facts, a market research publisher. Indeed, between people’s desire for protein, healthier snacks and premium products, the meat snacks category is undergoing a…

Healthier sales of bottled water bode well for c-stores as packaged beverages continue to drive profits. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor Flint, Mich., has been the epicenter of contaminated tap water. For more than 24 months, residents have battled authorities over how to clean up the lead-tainted water running through the city’s aging pipes.…

Younger consumers are redefining top sellers among packaged beverages. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor Earlier this year, John Archer noticed the display for LaCroix sparkling water in his local grocery store kept growing in size and prominence. He wondered what would happen if he elevated the brand’s real estate in his convenience store As…

Despite changes in tobacco regulations, convenience stores continue to cash in on this popular consumer product.     By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor For convenience stores, tobacco products remain the top sales driver despite significant alterations and protective measures tacked on to national, state and local regulations. While cigarettes have almost always been the target of…

As summer gets underway, energy drink producers, as well as convenience stores, hope consumers will embrace new energy selections. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor The Beverage Buzz Memorial Day Retailer Survey by Wells Fargo Securities reported recently that beverage sales notched upward 5.5%, which is a slight improvement over the 4.9% recorded during last…

After much anticipation, the FDA has released deeming regulations that will change how the vapor industry does business from now on. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its draft of proposed regulations of various tobacco products that previously were not covered by the Family Smoking…

Could the e-cigarette segment rebound now that federal regulations are finalized? By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor On May 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its deeming regulations, concluding that e-cigarettes fall within the same purview as other regulated tobacco products. Also of note, recent research results out of the United Kingdom…

With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in effect, most convenience stores are ready to follow suit. By Anne Baye Ericksen, Contributing Editor After years of political posturing, court battles and postponements, the Shared Responsibility Employer Mandate aspect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is now in full effect. For individuals,…