Breakfast has long been the strongest daypart for foodservice at Duchess convenience stores. Now, according to Nathan Arnold, director of marketing for Duchess, which operates 120 units in Ohio and West Virginia, the chain is focusing on the afternoon between-meal daypart with an updating of its cold beverage fountain areas and attention to core food…

The events of the past few years have pushed convenience stores to rethink traditional category management strategies. Once steady, reliable product families were shaken by the drastic changes ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic. When in-store traffic dropped off early on, many categories suffered the consequences, except for gift cards. Throughout the past three years,…

As we enter the second half of 2022, the petro mergers and acquisitions (M&A) environment remains positive for both retail and commercial acquisitions. However, current actions by the Fed to counter inflation by raising interest rates and the resultant cost of money may begin to dampen M&A enthusiasm, while moderating cash flow valuation multiples and…

The magnitude of supply challenges is far too complex for any one company to address on its own. Interestingly enough, supply chain cracks existed before COVID-19. Yet, many of us were not aware of the extent of these fissures until the pandemic took hold. Between 80-90% of the world’s goods travel by ship at some…

With the tobacco category under continuous scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), c-store retailers must consider how they need to respond, especially with the vape and cigar segments. Vape sales increased by 3.5% in Q2 2022 compared to Q2 2021, whereas cigar sales decreased by 3% for the same period, according to store…

The great Nat King Cole might have been speaking directly to c-store operators back in 1963 when he sang, “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Those days of soda and pretzels and beer.” Indeed, summer is the time for snacking. But knowing which salty, sweet and healthy snacks to stock and how…

As evolution continues at convenience stores, new integration needs are cropping up at the point of sale (POS). “Some of the largest shifts in the last 18 months in c-stores have been the continual expansion of EMV in the forecourt, additional payment options, including a significant increase in digital accounts for ordering online, and stored…

Cold vault beverage sales at Nouria Energy’s retail stores are strong in both unit and dollar sales year to date, reported Kevin Platt, senior category manager for the chain’s 150 stores in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Anticipating fewer out-of-stocks than in 2021 and a significant increase in consumers taking to the…

With bitcoin and other cryptocurrency platforms on the rise, retailers are incorporating specialized ATM machines in their stores to stay ahead of the curve. “There’s been a large growth in the bitcoin terminal deployment in c-stores around the country,” said Bruce Renard, executive director at The National ATM Council.  Both standalone bitcoin kiosks and terminals,…

C-stores are succeeding with deli programs with careful attention to customer demands in each market area as they work to attract customers away from the competition. In May, six out of the 11 full-service delis at Clifford Fuel Co.’s Cliff’s Local Market stores in New York broke their all-time sales records, reported Derek Thurston, the…