Today is the last day to take the survey! How is foodservice performing for your company? What’s your outlook for the various foodservice categories in 2012? And what are some of the best practices for marketing the foodservice category to today’s convenience store consumers? Convenience Store Decisions in partnership with David Bishop, managing partner of…
CEFCO Opens Prototype Unit in Texas
A crowning achievement of the CEFCO organization, the new store is the next generation of store design and guest experience. It incorporates a number of innovative operational enhancements made possible by an open, fresh design with modern treatments and upgraded finishes. “We are tremendously proud of what the newest CEFCO store means to the organization,”…
New Dates for the 2012 Sweets & Snacks Expo
One week after the National Restaurant Association announced new dates for its annual conference, the National Confectioners Association, sponsor of the SWweets & Snacks Expo, said that the dates of the 2012 EXPO have changed to May 8-10 in an effort to avoid G8 Summit activities happening later in the month. Last week, NATO announced…
Sweetening Candy Sales
Americans’ love affair with chocolate will never end. That said, sales of non-chocolate candy and gum are rising steadily, fueled by the economy and the search for innovative, flavorful new products. “Yes, people are right in calling this a strong category,” said Bill Singer, a principal in Singer’s Chevron Inc. in Walla Walla, Wash. “When…
Efficient Exit Strategies Sweeten Candy Profits
Developing an effective exit strategy for candy and reviewing product performance regularly can boost profits in the candy segment. “On a basic level you want to discontinue the slow moving items that rank in the bottom of the category to bring in something new that is going to contribute sales and margins to the category,”…
Customers Indulging in Chocolate
The Benefits of Chocolate Once considered a “guilty pleasure,” researchers now say that chocolate offers health benefits—when consumed in moderation and provided the chocolate is the right kind. International experiments show that dark chocolate has an impressive array of activities, according to the Harvard Health Newsletter. It’s an antioxidant that may improve cholesterol scores and…
Gum Sales Grow
The retail sector is still struggling overall, but as some segments continue to sink, others rise. American consumers are still buying billions of dollars of candy each year, and this isn’t changing as they resist making major purchases. Even during a recession, American consumers still have a sweet tooth, which explains why gum and candy…
Strong Outlook for Confections
Candy Shopper Insights Repositioning candy to the highest traffic aisle in the store could significantly boost sales, according to the “Convenience, Candy & Profit” study conducted by Kit Dietz, of Dietz Consulting. Other key findings include: • Keeping core brands in stock at all times. • Improving in-store product placement. • Understanding and responding to…
Sweet Opportunity
By Bob Gatty, Contributing Editor If manufacturers, distributors and convenience store retailers would embrace some basic changes and work more closely together, they could realize a potential bonanza of hundreds of millions of dollars in new profit, according to a new joint industry study. That is the message of the soon-to-be released “Convenience, Candy &…
Retailers Salute Their Leading Suppliers
Despite the much-ballyhooed growth of chains like Walgreens, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Wal-Mart, it is convenience stores that remain an important daily stop for the nation’s busy consumers. As a result, convenience stores represent a powerful sales opportunity for product and service supplier companies, CSD set out to find the industry’s top performers as identified…