Mr. Bubble bubble bath gets a new look for 2011. Introduced by Gold Seal Co. in 1961, Mr. Bubble is celebrating 50 years of making bath time fun in 2011. Originally developed as a powdered bubble bath, then launched in a liquid formula in 1972, Mr. Bubble was recently improved to create even more bubbles…
Healthful Dairy Options Help Slow Market
The International Dairy·Deli·Bakery Association’s What’s In Store 2011 assesses dairy trends. An expanding array of good-for-you products is pulling health-conscious customers into the dairy department, according to What’s In Store 2011, the new report from the International Dairy·Deli·Bakery Association. The IDDBA’s 25th anniversary report finds that fortified, fiber-rich, fat-specific, and organic options line dairy coolers…
Mace Security Sells Texas Car Wash
“We are pleased to announce this sale in our continued progress in exiting the car wash business,” says Mace CEO. Horsham, Pa.-based Mace Security International Inc. has sold a full-service car wash facility and convenience store located in Lubbock, Texas. With the sale of its Lubbock location, the corporation currently has two remaining car washes…
Thorntons Kicks Off Basketball Bracket Challenge
March Madness is here, and basketball fans can enter Thorntons free online sweepstakes beginning Sunday, March 13 for a chance to win free gas for a year. Thorntons Inc. has announced its first-ever ‘Basketball Bracket Challenge’ sweepstakes where customers can score big time by winning free gasoline for one year. Sweeps players fill in the…
Fresh-Cut Produce Thrives At C-stores
Convenience stores are a “tremendous growth channel” for fresh produce, notes United Fresh Produce Association spokesperson. In today’s health-conscious world, convenience stores are stocking up on produce, changing their image in customers’ minds from merely the place to fill up on gas and grab a pack of cigarettes to a one-stop shop for everything from…
Wal-Mart Announces Healthy Foods Campaign
More healthful and affordable food options are set to become available to shoppers over the next four years. Wal-Mart and Michelle Obama have partnered on a healthy foods program wherein the big box retailer will offer more healthy foods and push its suppliers to do the same, the Washington Post reported. Wal-Mart plans to make…
CSD Partners with MSA and Paradigm Sample
In our ongoing effort to provide the most relevant and timely industry data, Convenience Store Decisions has reached a deal to serve as the excusive media sponsor of the new Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cciPanel) launched last month by Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA) and Paradigm Sample. The cciPanel is the consumer research field’s first…
Staying Focused on Frozen
With margins from tobacco and fuel lagging, frozen beverages have stepped up as a pleasant surprise for retailers—whose goal now is to keep the momentum going. “It’s really a growth category for us, even though it has not been something we’ve spent a lot of time on in the past,” said Jennifer Vespole, senior category…
Raising the Bar on Automotive Accessories
Car care merchandise is delivering incremental sales with the help of private labels and impulse purchases. Customers have long ventured into local convenience stores to grab a bottle of windshield washer fluid or oil for their cars. Years ago, a small display would hold a few bottles of automotive fluids in case of an emergency.…
The Simple Secret of Free Publicity
Whether you operate a large or small chain, there are deals to be made that can attract a lot of positive attention to your company. I know some of you don’t place much of a value on publicity, but when was the last time you priced the cost of a retail ad in the local…