Independent conveniencestore and gas station operator VERC Enterprises named DaveProler to the position of districtmanager, covering six of the company'slocations from Berlin, Mass. to Nashua,N.H. Proler has two years experiencefrom Greenfield, Mass.-based SandriSunoco Fuels, where he learned valuable skills as a district manager thatwould benefit him greatly in his newposition with VERC. Prior to entering…

A new Coke program is helping smaller retailers compete with—and even overtake— their more powerful counterparts. The Coolers in Convenience stores today are a great deal different than they were 20 yearsago. While carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) used to hold the top spot, they’veslowly given way to energy drinks, bottled water, enhanced waters and teas.…

A solid bakery program is key for building breakfast daypart sales. Two chains discuss how they are able to satisfy consumers while simultaneously enhancing their coffee programs. While Starbucks was a rude awakening for the convenience industry, competition formorning traffic has further increased as quick service restaurants and fast feeders, like McDonald’s, have begun offering…

Summer is quiCkly approaChing, bringing withit relaxed nights on the porch, trips to the beach andweather hotter than the grill at a Fourth of July barbeque.To complement their fun in the sun, customers want to wrap their hands around a couple of cold ones, and they will becounting on their local convenience store to satisfy…

Boosted by new flavors and additional varieties, cigars continue strong incremental sales growth. While tobacco has long been a backbonefor the industry, pulling millions in individualunit sales as well as boosting the profit from theaverage smoker’s market basket, it has not come without its problems. Consistent tax increases and society’s dour view on cigarette smoking…

Weight-Based Taxes Level the Playing Field and Preserve Retailer Profits By Robert L. Shepherd with Shepherd, Williams & Associates LLC Without question, moist smokeless tobaccois a profitable, growing and dynamic category.However, category and retail profits are at risk due to customer down-trading from premium to price-value products.Opponents of weight-based taxes have done much to muddy…

Ad valorem state taxation maintains a growing and competitive marketplace for moist smokeless tobacco. by Joseph R. Augustus, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Swisher International Inc. Tobacco Taxation Counterpoint — This is the second of a two-part series on smokeless tobacco taxation.Part one ran in the Dec. 2006 issue of Convenience Store Decisions.…

Putting flow first fuels success. In a fiercely competitive world where declining fuelmargins are forcing companies to find new ways toincrease the bottom line, can small and mid-sizedconvenience store chains stay ahead of the game? According to Jeff Morris, president and CEO of Alon USA, theycan—provided they manage cash and credit wisely, make a pointof…

Study signals strong 2007 Super Bowl sales. The primacy of beer—temporarily lost when Gallup’s2005 poll of alcohol sales and drinking habits showedwine sales ahead of beer for the first time—has beenrestored. The 2006 Gallup poll, released in late July, showedthat brew is back as the top alcoholic beverage in both volume and dollar sales. Forty-one…

Besieged by taxes and a decline in gross profit margins, there are signs that import and specialty brands could be the key to tobacco profitability. Though there have been calls by industry expertsfor convenience store companies to reduce their dependencyon cigarettes, the industry overall is becoming more reliant ontobacco sales. The National Association of Convenience…