As customers get back into the swing of things after pandemic disruption, they’re hungry for innovative breakfast foods, and c-stores are responding with updated menu offerings. Breakfast is the core of the entire foodservice program at B-Quik’s three convenience stores in Louisiana, and sales have continued to increase month over month, year after year, even…

Retail technology is moving at breakneck speed, making it tough for c-store operators who must juggle running an efficient business while meeting rising customer expectations. Integrating loyalty apps, order ahead, delivery and point-of-sale (POS) systems, while tracking inventory and labor hours, can be daunting. It doesn’t have to be. New tech is emerging in the…

For a number of years, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has argued that the “C” in its name could actually stand for community — and during the COVID-19 pandemic, shoppers seemed to agree. This emphasis on community offers important opportunities and challenges for convenience store operators, especially when it comes to meeting consumer…

All but one of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions on millions of premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs) for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and e-liquids thus far have resulted in marketing denial orders (MDOs). “The number of denial orders was anticipated back in 2014 when Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) and other…

In today’s tight labor market and age of digital disruption, convenience store chains need young executive talent who can lead the company into tomorrow. That’s why CStore Decisions, in partnership with the National Advisory Group’s (NAG) Young Executives Organization (YEO), is recognizing the industry’s next-generation leaders who are standing out at their c-store chains for…

McIntosh Energy, a family owned and operated convenience store chain with four Stores in the Fort Wayne, Ind., market, has completed the requirements for the Safe Shop Assured program making each of its Mac Food Mart convenience stores Safe Shop Certified. Safe Shop Assured certification may be earned by retailers who satisfy a 10-point checklist of…

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…

Cannabidiol (CBD) sales in the convenience and petroleum channel are set to hit $171 million in 2021 — up 49% from 2020, according to market research firm Brightfield Group’s “US CBD Market Industry Update, October 2021.” The market is forecast to reach $449 million by 2026, representing a 21% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from…

Meat snacks sales are skyrocketing at convenience stores despite ongoing supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. C-store retailers are driving category sales with big bags of jerky, new meat snack styles, tried-and-true flavors and local products. Meat snack dollar sales at c-stores totaled $1.83 billion for the 52 weeks ending Aug. 28, 2021, up…

Alcoholic beverages from wine and beer to hard seltzer and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails sold well to millions of Americans during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when restaurants and bars across the country closed and customers flocked to their local c-store to stock up on libations to wait out social distancing orders. Now that…