United Supermarkets’ third Market Street location in Lubbock, Texas will anchor a major redevelopment effort in the city. The store will be comparable in size to the city’s two other Market Street locations, but with innovations in design and service concepts. Plans also call for construction of a United Express fuel and convenience store near…
Hunt Brothers Pizza Teams With Kevin Harvick Inc.
The 2011 NASCAR season is quickly approaching, and Hunt Brothers® Pizza already has reason to celebrate. In a partnership with Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), Hunt Brothers Pizza will be the primary sponsor for two of NASCAR’s most successful and influential drivers, Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler. KHI was founded in 2001 by Kevin Harvick and…
Gasoline Price Advance Arrested, if Only for the Moment
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN A string of successive advances in the US retail gasoline price average reported by the federal government that started in late November ended Jan. 31 with a 0.9 cents decline to $3.101 gallon. The US average, which is for regular grade gasoline and reported by the…
Perkins Promoted at Rutter’s
Rutter’s Farm Stores, Convenience Store Decisions’ 2010 Convenience Store Chain of the Year, has promoted Robert Perkins to vice president of marketing. Perkins, who joined Rutter’s in 2007, had been director of marketing. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the convenience retail industry in the areas of marketing, sales, business development and operations.…
Gasoline Prices Continue Ascent
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN Retail gasoline prices continued to move higher through mid January, climbing when values typically flounder near annual lows during a time of year when winter weather usually dampens driving demand. Gasoline demand is nearly 2% higher during the four weeks ending Jan. 7 compared with the…
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…
Meeting the Demand for Convenience
Even during the holiday season customers expect their local c-store not only to be open, but to meet their diverse needs. Every year during the holidays I have cashiers tell me that customers ask them why our stores are open on days like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Customers often remark, “It’s a…
Marketing and Social Media
In 2011, look for cause marketing to be a bigger trend. An expert panel at the U.S. Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) annual meeting revealed that the trend toward cause marketing is the next step in engaging customers and increasing loyalty. But it’s not enough just to pick a cause and throw together a promotion. Customers…
Endless Pizza Opportunities
Whether going with a branded option or developing a proprietary menu, pizza appeals to a wide variety of pallets. There will always be a market for pizza. Customers love it. It’s fast, fresh and convenient—everything that helps make convenience stores a top option for on-the-go foodservice. However, choosing a branded pizza partner means balancing a…
Chicken Fuels Foodservice Flexibility
Whether it’s grilled, baked or fried, poultry meal solutions are available in a variety of dishes that are helping operators create a diverse menu. Chicken has a “health HALO,” in the foodservice industry’s parlance, meaning consumers perceive it to be a healthy alternative to burgers and pizza. Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst for The NPD…