Metis Capital Ltd. is in talks with an Australian gas station company to sell its entire holding in Petro Group Ltd. at a value of NIS 120 million, 115% higher than Petro Group’s market cap, Israel’s Globes Online reported. Metis Capital’s share rose 7.3% yesterday to NIS 17.80, giving a market cap of NIS 133…
Gasoline Starts New Year Moving Higher
Retail gasoline across the major metropolitan markets of the U.S. brought in the New Year with price increases, with pump prices to continue climbing during the first full week of 2010. Underpinning the advance has been a rallying financial market for crude oil and gasoline, with crude oil again above $80 per barrel and gasoline…
New Year, New Opportunities
For many convenience store chains, 2009 could not end soon enough. A challenging economy, higher operating costs, outrageous credit card fees and an onslaught of new tobacco taxes were just some of the issues retailers had to contend with. In our ongoing effort to provide readers with the tools they need to make informed decisions,…
Names to Remember
August is always one of my favorite issues of the year. It’s the month we get to profile convenience store “Chains to Watch” for the next 12 months. This year we’ve focused in on two outstanding chains, Stripes, a division of Susser Holdings in Corpus Christi, Texas, and EZ Energy, a rapidly growing operator based…
Dealers Making a Difference
Pride, hard work and HOPE. These are the three principles that drive Levent Sertbas every day. As president of Sertbas Inc. in Paramus, N.J., Sertbas has had to deal with a number of concerns while operating his two New Jersey On the Run convenience stores, but the two most pressing issues he’s been dealing with…
Role of Technology Expanding
Whether it’s PCI compliance, overcoming high credit card fees or getting more out of a current point-of-sale (POS) system, investing in technology has never been more important for c-stores. With PCI compliance deadlines looming, many operators are still not up to speed on what they need to do, or how to do it. The Payment…
Tracking the Trends
An otherwise tough year for convenience stores was balanced out by strong retail fuel margins from the unprecedented drop in wholesale fuels prices during the fourth quarter of 2008, according to National Association of Convenience Stores’ (NACS) 2009 State of the Industry report. However, credit card fees continue to take a toll on industry profitability.…
Things I Learned on the Way to the Convenience Store
The term “blessed” is trite but, in this case, true: My journey through the convenience store industry has seen me blessed with the friendships of so many special people. More than a few of them fit the mold reserved for greatness. I’d like to share some of the wonderful wisdom I’ve learned from them.
A Call to Action
Of all the issues I’ve worked on at Convenience Store Decisions, this month’s issue stands out for the sense of urgency conveyed throughout the numerous stories. Beginning with Bob Gatty’s outstanding cover story on the opportunities in the candy category to PCI compliance, Hispanic marketing and emerging tobacco trends, retailers are being challenged at every…
Handee Marts Garners Ethics Award
Don’t think customer service makes a difference? Handee Marts’ President and CEO Mike Triantafellou would disagree. Handee Marts, which operates 67 7-Eleven convenience stores in Pittsburgh, was honored recently with the Pittsburgh Business Ethics Award (PBEA), presented by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, in conjunction with the David Berg Center…