Sushi in the c-store cooler? Burritos in the food warmer? Mediterranean sandwiches on the menu? Exotic foods are here to stay and becoming more mainstream, spicing up the foodservice section and appealing to a wide audience. With the growth of the Internet consumers today are exposed to new foods they may not be used to…

Best Practices for Reducing Operating Costs There is a lengthy list of general maintenance items retailers should have to maximize cooler efficiency. Jerry Lawson, national manager for Energy Star Small Business and Congregations Network, a division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, recommended the following no-cost tips that are designed to help reduce…

Thorntons Inc. has teamed with Growth Energy to establish 20 new E85 stations in five states. “We are very excited about the expansion of E85 fuel in our stores,” said Matt Thornton, CEO of Thorntons, which operates more than 160 c-stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. “We support the use of ethanol, wherever…

As competition heats up and consumers adjust their away-from-home consumption habits it’s critical to continuously refine your programs and strategies in order to drive profitable and sustainable growth. For the third consecutive year, Convenience Store Decisions, is proud to offer its FREE two-part Foodservice Webcast Series. Part II: June 17, 2010 2:00 PM EDT Foodservice…

At the last day of the NACStech show in New Orleans, NACS announced the five companies featuring the most exciting new technology at the expo. Attendees voted for their choices during the show using the new NACStech mobile phone app, deciding from between more than 100 exhibiting companies. The winning results were revealed at the EXPO…

At the NACS Summit in Chicago this week, Matt McCourt, director of Convenience / Spirits for SymphonyIRI Group, gave insight into consumer purchasing patterns across multiple channels and how to reach shoppers in a changing environment. “Consumers are thinking about daily living costs. We’re seeing a new conservative shopper driven by affordable indulgences,” McCourt told…

As all convenience store chains look for innovative ways to drive sales as tobacco and gas margins decline, they might take note from an unlikely teacher—a small town store in Grandy, Minn., whose unique offerings are going to new lengths to meet consumer demands. Though only 1,100 square feet, “The Shack on 65” packs the…

Resilient, tough and tested. These are just a few of the words analysts and retailers alike used to describe the convenience store and petroleum industry over the past 12 months. With the economy suffering its most difficult period in some 80 years, convenience stores held up rather admirably considering how consumer confidence plunged and the…

When history looks back on 2009 it will not be generous. The U.S. economy was, and to a certain degree, remains locked in the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment is high and the value of the dollar and consumer spending are at near-record lows. While this is bad, it could have been…

The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) has released “What’s In Store 2010”, a trends report that reveals which consumer shopping trends will have the most impact in the next five years. According to the report, the demand for low prices, health and wellbeing, convenience, sustainability, and food safety and quality are the trends to…