With healthcare capturing so many headlines these days, the health and beauty category (HBC) has taken on added importance in the c-store set. Fueling much of the growth: smaller package sizes that save shoppers money and stimulate impulse sales. Medford, Ore.-based Minute Market has jumpstarted its HBC sales by mixing in smaller-sized packaging, according to…
Energy for Busy Lifestyles
Marathon energy bars offer the sustained energy and nutrients needed for a busy life. As a low glycemic index food, Marathon energy bars provide the brain and working muscles with long-lasting energy and come in five flavors: Chewy Chocolatey Peanut, Chewy Peanut Butter, Crunchy Dark Chocolate, Crunchy Honey & Toasted Almond and Crunchy Multi-grain. Marathon…
Vitapak Hits C-stores
Convenience Valet has partnered with General Nutrition Corporation (GNC) to be the exclusive distributor of GNC Mega Vitapak Program in a convenient daily pack. Consumers are in search of nutritional and health products they know and trust, and this is what the GNC program delivers. With 94% brand awareness GNC’s mainstay has been their vitamin…
Demand Grows for Juices and Teas
Tea Truths The U.S. is the birthplace of iced tea. More than 80% of tea consumed here is still sold as an iced drink. Tea sales in the U.S. are expected to exceed a phenomenal $10 billion in 2010 for both beverage and non-beverage categories, according to Worldteaexpo.com In the U.S., 37% of consumers prefer…
High Margins Propel General Merchandise
The general merchandise/novelty category provides retailers with a unique opportunity to capture customers’ personal interests in a high-margin item. Novelty has evolved into a core category because retailers can anticipate 30-60% margins on novelty products. With such strong profit potential, chains in major markets can earn about $35,000 a year per store from the novelty…
The Night They Burned Tobacco Down
Increases on cigarettes have put the category’s long-term viability in jeopardy. By Jim Callahan, Convenience Store Solutions I recently saw a statistic that declared tobacco was no longer king in convenience stores. While that is not yet true for most of us, it’s about to become an indisputable fact. The entire country now gets to…
Specialty Water
TOP PERFORMERS Glaceau VitaminWater (Coca-Cola Co.) Gatorade, Propel (PepsiCo) SoBe Life Water (PepsiCo) HONORABLE MENTIONS Metromint With demand for enhanced waters showing no signs of abating, it is clear that consumers continue to seek the benefits of vitamins and other specialty ingredients in their beverages. According to a Nielsen study released in November, the unsweetened…
Dmd Keeps Ffp Out of Harm’s Way
Dmd Keeps Ffp Out of Harm’s Way Selling dietary supplements has become somewhat of a slippery slope for retailers ever since the red flag went up on over-thecounter medications containing “List One” chemicals—the primary ingredients in methamphetamine. But that’s not a worry for FFP Marketing (Fort Worth, TX), which owns 500 stores in 10 states.…
Sweet Dreams
C-store operators can improve their dairy selections if they choose to include New Blue Bunny Carb Freedom Yogurt to their frozen foods section. New Blue Bunny Carb Freedom Yogurt is a way for carb counters to reap the nutritional benefits of yogurt while watching their waste lines. Carb Freedom’s four flavors—Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach and Vanilla…
Perfecting Nutrition
ZonePerfect’s all-natural, great-tasting nutrition bars and shakes offer balanced nutrition based on a 40/30/30 ratio of carbohydrates to protein to fat, without compromising taste or convenience. The bars reflect the current culinary trends of “indulgent” with new flavors like Chocolate Coconut Crunch, Peanut Toffee and “tropical/fruity”with Orange Cranberry Crunch, Mango Orange Delight and Peach Apricot…