The tax bill for a spinoff is reportedly less than the tax bill for an outright sale. As would-be buyers eye a chance to bid on Valero Energy Corp.’s Corner Store chain, after it was announced the company plans to divest the stores, San Antonio Business Journal has reported that Valero could instead opt to…

By John Matthews, Founder, Gray Cat Enterprises. Some of the local store marketing strategies that I have highlighted over the past year are designed to increase awareness and sales for your brand, others because it’s the right thing to do. Working with charities over a period of time enables you to give back to the…

Love’s to open a “state-of-the-art” travel stop in Davenport, making it the third Love’s store in Iowa, says Greg Love. Loves is building a new convenience store and fast food restaurant in the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center in northwest Davenport. Love’s Travel Stops will build the new facility in the industrial park on Northwest Boulevard,…

Roadrunner Markets refines its retail operations with the addition of a c-store prototype, a renewed commitment to foodservice and a firm emphasis on customer service. By John Lofstock, Editor. At a time when customers demand fast service, quality foods and convenient locations, Roadrunner Markets is pushing ahead with a retail strategy that would make even…

Thorntons embarks into a new metro/state region for the first time since 2007. Thorntons is expanding into the Florida metro market of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. The first location is set to open in Spring 2013 in Clearwater. Thorntons’ strategic plan for the region is to 15-20 Tampa—St. Petersburg—Clearwater area stores in the next three years. “To…

By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate” – from the movie, Cool Hand Luke  Fire. Aim. Ready.  If this is your communications plan…..you may want to read on. Amazingly, many companies do not think about communications—both internally and externally—until it is a…