Emphasizing snacks throughout the day as a meal replacement or an afternoon treat is driving sales across all age groups. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. The past year was a strong one for nuts, seeds, crackers, pretzels, popcorn and trail mixes, according to convenience store sales data from SymphonyIRI. The largest of these subcategories, nuts,…

With Big Tobacco now in the game, electronic tobacco products are poised to take an enormous leap forward. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. While some view electronic cigarettes as a threat to the cigarette industry, others see them as a lifeboat of sorts, providing smokers who don’t want to or can’t smoke cigarettes anymore—for a…

Cash control programs and effective employee training will help minimize theft and ensure the well being of your employees. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Keeping theft at bay has always been a major concern for c-store retailers. While technology has come to the rescue in the form of safe and cash-management systems, the best way…

Whether it’s embracing healthy snacks or sticking with tried-and-true brands, convenience stores must closely monitor sales data to track what their customers are buying in this important core category. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor Recent consumer research seems to suggest that many convenience store customers looking to buy salty snacks leave the store empty-handed. Knowing…

Today’s card capabilities surpass the features offered by many checking accounts. These features include managing prepaid purchases through mobile devices and social media accounts and the ability to make person-to-person transfers. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Prepaid cards can be tied to financial services such as remittance and bill payments, but that may mean competing…

Emphasizing quality and a dynamic product assortment has had positive effects on food sales at the roller grill. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Rollers grills can do a lot, but they do not sell for themselves. Managing roller grill food sales is no different from other foodservice categories in that convenience store operators need to…

The newest safes and interactive security systems, including those that tie neatly into a point-of-sale (POS) system, can help operators track cash and monitor employees on a shift-by-shift basis. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Follow the money is good advice when it comes to unraveling conspiracies, but it is even more important when it comes…

From healthy foods to a radical shift in goods and services, retail futurists offer a glimpse of the changing consumer needs that could shape the convenience store industry over the next 10-20 years. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Customers seeking today’s newest phone apps. Electric fueling stations rather than gas islands. Stores that change format…

Americans aren’t eating out as much as they used to, but they are eating more chocolate, which means the time has come for c-store retailers to rethink, revamp and restock their chocolate sets. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Data from Experian Simmons research group noted that, among chocolate eaters, 56.4% have visited a c-store in…