C-store sales jumped 5% in 2009 despite the economic conditions, reduction in overall consumer spending. Convenience store in-store sales grew 4.9% in 2009, one of the lone bright spots in a battered U.S. economy that saw overall retail sales drop 7%, according to figures released today by NACS. The industry numbers were announced in Chicago…

At the NACS State of the Industry Summit in Chicago this week, Matt McCourt, director of Convenience / Spirits for SymphonyIRI Group, spoke on the new products in the c-store channel drawing the most excitement from consumers. Topping the list by Symphony IRI of the top new items in total U.S. c-stores for the 13…

The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) had a busy fourth quarter in 2009, lobbying the federal government on fuel issues and other business that affects c-stores. The association spent $770,000 in both the third and fourth quarter to fight for the interests of the industry, Business Week reported. The amount spent lobbying in the…

Convenience store owners scored a major victory in March when the House and Senate passed the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act in a near unanimous vote, which forbids the U.S. Postal Service from delivering cigarettes directly to consumers. At presstime, President Obama was expected to sign the bill into law. The PACT Act aims…

While frozen dispensed beverages are not a huge portion of the typical store’s overall sales, the product is proving to be quite profitable, thanks to a gross margin north of 50%. Although the slush-style drink was a c-store original, other retailers recognized its potential, and today, frozen beverages with a variety of names and logos…

NACS has announced that former President George W. Bush will be the closing general session speaker for this year’s NACS Show, which will take place Oct. 5-8 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. Bush will be the fourth U.S. president to speak at a NACS event: former President Bill Clinton served as last year’s…

NACS and convenience retailers are enjoying a huge win today, thanks to enactment of the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act), which addresses the long-standing convenience store industry concern of tax evasion via remote sellers of tobacco products. Today’s White House signing by President Barack Obama caps a 10-plus year effort by retailers to…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations to tighten the standards controlling ozone emissions into the atmosphere could push a number of countries out of alignment with ozone standards and have strong implications for petroleum retailers, NACS reported. As it stands now, retailers in severe non-attainment designations would be required to install stationary Stage…

Kum & Go, L.C. has collected more than 40,000 signatures from customers wanting to control and reduce credit and debit card swipe (or interchange) fees put on customer transactions.   The signatures were collected in just one month from all Kum & Go stores as a part of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)…

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,”…