In 2024, staffing issues and inflation both remain top challenges at convenience stores. As retailers look to better recruitment, hiring and retention practices, they’re continuing to raise starting wages and improve benefits to best appeal to employees who are feeling squeezed by the rising cost of living. For the 16th consecutive year, CStore Decisions and…

  As your c-store chain navigates the year ahead, CStore Decisions’ 2024 Category Management Handbook is here as a reference on emerging trends, recent data and examples of how fellow retailers are raising the bar. This year we examined 29 key categories across foodservice, beverages, candy, snacks, CBD, ice cream and dairy, health and beauty…

CStore Decisions, for the 12th consecutive year, is recognizing the convenience store chains performing best on social media platforms. This year we looked at performance across Facebook (FB), Instagram (IG), X — formerly Twitter — and TikTok. For the fourth year in a row, CStore Decisions partnered with Rival IQ to determine the winners. Rival…

Throughout 2023, the c-store industry has faced countless setbacks and challenges, from ongoing tobacco legislation, the lingering effects of COVID, labor shortages and much more. In 2023, retailers showed exceptional strength through innovation, strong leadership and adaptation to a changing c-store landscape. Many operators turned to foodservice, as the category continues to pick up steam…

The COVID-19 pandemic may no longer be a primary concern in 2023, but its impact on the economy and the workforce lingers. In fact, staffing ranks as the top concern for c-store retailers in 2023, followed by inflation. CStore Decisions and Humetrics, for the 15th consecutive year, have collaborated on the Human Resources (HR) Benchmarking…

For the 11th consecutive year, CStore Decisions is celebrating convenience store chains standing out on social media for their creativity and engagement across platforms. The winners of the 2023 social media awards are brands that present a clear voice across social media platforms, understand their audience, have a clear strategy and know how to engage…

C-store retailers have faced several challenges in 2022, from labor shortages, continued supply chain issues, a lingering pandemic, mounting inflation, a gas price surge in summer, tobacco and vape regulations, and ongoing digital disruption. Headwinds, including a potential recession, the rise of electric vehicle charging, fast-moving technological changes and a growing customer demand for foodservice…

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply challenges and labor shortages, c-store retailers are evaluating labor management practices in 2022 as they look to better attract, train and retain quality workers in today’s increasingly competitive landscape. CStore Decisions and Humetrics, for the 14th consecutive year, have collaborated on the annual Human Resources (HR) Benchmarking…

CStore Decisions, for the 10th consecutive year, is recognizing convenience store chains standing out on social media. For the second year running, CStore Decisions partnered with Rival IQ to determine the c-store chains going above and beyond on social media. Rival IQ, which was recently acquired by global consumer and market intelligence company NetBase Quid,…

Throughout 2021, c-store retailers have grappled with ongoing challenges due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain issues, labor shortages and continued digital disruption. Next-generation retailers have been leading the charge in this new convenience store landscape, helping their chains adapt to the latest technology innovations, better recruit and retain quality candidates, and discover…