Today there is approximately one c-store per 2,100 U.S. residents. The U.S. convenience store count increased to a record 148,126 stores as of Dec. 31, 2011, a 1.2% increase (1,785 stores) from the year prior, according to the latest NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. The convenience retailing industry has seen remarkable growth over the last…
Thorntons Earns Top Chain Honors
Kentucky operator presented the industry’s most prestigious retail award at a gala in Chicago. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. Convenience Store Decisions honored Louisville, Ky.-based Thorntons Inc. as its 22nd annual Convenience Store Chain of the Year at an exclusive dinner at Café Spiaggia in Chicago last month during the NACS Show. More than 200…
Dissecting Private Label Trends
Private label performance is mixed across CPG channels; club and mass/super channels seeing strongest share growth. SymphonyIRI Group’s latest Times & Trends Report, “Private Label: Brand Positioning in the New World Order,” explores current and emerging trends around private label, as well as national brand efforts to protect and grow their position in the CPG…
Tracking the Trends in Convenience Retailing
Despite the global recession, convenience stores have thrived thanks to their ability to provide fast service, quality products and great value in strategic locations. As service and location remain the industry’s primary competitive advantage over supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, many of whom are moving into the fuel and fresh food business, convenience stores…
Family Mart On Wheels Heads to Disaster Areas
A new mobile c-store concept rolls into areas in Japan that are left without c-store access after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, as well as other food deserts in the country. Family Mart, a major c-store chain in Japan is launching a new fleet of mobile convenience store trucks to provide services to tsunami…
Love’s Introduces Cardless Fueling
Love’s to install RFID technology nationwide, offering greater control over fuel theft and speedier transactions for customers. Love’s Travel Stops is set to install RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology at all of its locations nationwide. When combined with a RFID tag in the cab of the truck, this technology will enable fuel transactions without a…
Coinstar Inc. Provides Q2 Results
Coinstar Inc. says goodbye to one of its executive leaders as it releases its second quarter results for fiscal 2011. Coinstar Inc., a provider in automated retail, has announced a leadership transition for the company’s redbox business, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar. Mitch Lowe has resigned as president of redbox to pursue entrepreneurial and other…
Seeking Affordable Security Solutions
Amer Hawatmeh, president of St. Louis-based St. George Oil, believes in secure cash management, and that manufacturers of the newest systems need to work with retailers to make them more affordable. “The bottom line with cash management, my golden rule, is that once you have $100 in the drawer you need to get rid of…
Margins Spark Tobacco Accessories
As the convenience store industry continues to weather the unceasing assault by legislators determined to make it harder to sell tobacco products, accessories are picking up speed based on what is still easy to sell. As a result, tobacco accessories is an emerging category that should continue to grow throughout 2011. According to SymphonyIRI Group,…
Chips Entice Customers with Healthier Options, New Flavors
Salty snacks continue to drive business to convenience stores. Retailers should look to partner with suppliers to capitalize on promotional activity to boost margins and profits, as well as looking at local suppliers as consumers continue to demand products made closer to home. Steve Nalu, president of Towns Mart convenience stores in Romeo, Mich., saw…