I am working at my dining room table one morning in late February when I overhear a remarkable conversation taking place in the kitchen. Our two youngest kids, ages five and eight, are eating breakfast when suddenly the youngest, Jake, pipes up. "My cereal has whole grain," he announces to his sister. He can't read…

A study by the NACS/Coca-Cola Leadership Council urges marketers to understand the range of categories purchased by the 14- to 20-year-old demographic. By Bill Bishop, founder and president of Willard Bishop, and Martha Russell, founder and managing partner of Clickin Research One of the most compelling things about teen shopping at convenience stores is that…

Hamburger chain gains entry into the c-store industry through co-branded restaurants and frozen foods. By John Lofstock, Editor White Castle might not be a household name in the convenience store and petroleum industry right now, but give it a few more years and it might become the next brand customers crave. The Columbus, Ohio-based hamburger…

Even at 25,000 stores, SUBWAY co-founder Fred DeLuca says there is plenty of room for the business to grow. By Jay Gordon, Editorial Director Fred DeLuca never intended to be a one-store wonder. “From the beginning we had a goal to open 32 stores in 10 years,” says DeLuca of the partnership he began with…

Two experienced ’foodies’ share insights into what retailers need to do to get from here to there in the foodservice business. By Jay Gordon, Editorial Director Foodservice can be a significant differentiator for convenience retailers. It can elevate a good c-store offer and make it a great one, even a destination. But what specific strategies…

Convenience Store Decisions’ Reader’s Choice Awards honor the top performers in more than 20 in-store categories. “Honesty,” “integrity” and “committed to the industry.” These were just a fewof the glowing accolades industry-retailers had for their supplier partnersin Convenience Store Decisions‘ first annual Reader’s Choice Awards. “We consider our relationships with retail and wholesale partners to…

The car wash has matured from an ancillary service to a major profit center that could easily exist on its own. Matthew Jadali has it all figured out. Operating his third different Mobil location in the past dozen years, like most convenience store owners, he’s doggedly battling the deterioration of gas margins. His weapon of…

Motivated by the growing deep-discount price segment of moist smokeless tobacco, Fas Mart is using premium products to drive volume and maintain store profitability. Since the late 90s convenience store retailers have experienced the rapid expansion of a deep-discount price segment, often referred to as the sub-price value segment, in the moist smokeless tobacco category.…

One manager, one employee or idea can make a difference in customers’ lives. Every interaction has the potential to create positive and negative experiences. Some psychologists say that every day, more of us feel less effective than we used to feel. Even relatively minor things, such as trying to get through a voice mail system…

CSD’s Chain of the Year Award may have seemed like a ’contrarian’ strategy in 1990. Now in its 17th year, the award program plays an increasingly vital industry role. The convenience store industry in 1990, to use a boxing analogy favored by us Philadelphians, looked a little like Rocky Balboa answering the bell for the…