Swiss Farms, America’s Drive-Thru Grocer, opened its first franchise store on Dec. 17, with veteran Starbucks and Auntie Anne’s franchisee and a 2010 IFA Franchisee of the Year, John Betz. The store, which is located at 6 South White Horse Pike, Somerdale, N.J., is also Swiss Farms’ first expansion into New Jersey. “I am excited…
C-Store Competitors Drive Sales With Social Media
Dunkin’ Donuts is using social media platform Foursquare to secure loyal customers in the Florida market, Nation’s Restaurant News reported. It recently launched its first Foursquare regional promotion in two markets in Florida. The promotion offers users of the location-based game the chance to win a free donut after they “check in” at the same…
Electronic Wallet: The New Way to Pay
The thirsty teenager steps up to a bright red vending machine and takes out her mobile phone. She places the phone near a reader attached to the machine and a cold can of cola is immediately dispensed. This scene is repeated thousands of times each day for thirsty consumers—in Japan. For almost six years, Japanese…
Starbucks Flavored Coffee Reaches Supermarkets
Starbucks Corp. flavored coffee is headed to U.S. grocery stores this June, BusinessWeek reported. Customers will have the chance to buy vanilla, caramel and cinnamon flavored varieties from Starbuck’s new Natural Fusions line to brew at home. The 11-ounce packages will be available for a suggested retail price of $8.99. About 60% of Starbucks customers…
7-Eleven Looks To Las Vegas
Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. is ready to expand in Las Vegas, with 15-20 more stores in the next three years. Starbucks, meanwhile has closed 12 locations in the area, Las Vegas Review Journal reported. The c-store chain already runs 160 convenience stores in Clark County, Las Vegas, but recently hired a commercial real estate firm to…
Mac’s Convenience Stores To Add Seattle’s Best At 600 More Locations
Mac’s Convenience Stores, a subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., and Seattle’s Best Coffee LLC, part of Starbucks Corporation, have entered an agreement for Mac’s to exclusively brew Seattle’s Best Coffee in Ontario in the convenience store channel. This agreement expands the more than 14-year relationship between the brands and leverages each company’s world-class capabilities with…
C-stores, Starbuck’s Most Affected By Ongoing Coffee War
As the coffee war continues between QSRs, coffee franchises and c-stores may be feeling the pinch more than the local Dunkin’ Donuts, Reuters reported. Although McDonald’s has tried to undercut competitors on price, Dunkin’s market share in coffee is steady and growing, Mark Nunnelly, managing director at Bain Capital, said at the Reuters Private Equity…
Investing in a Foodservice Future
At first look, boosting business with breakfast sales may seem like a strange idea in these tough economic times as today’s high unemployment means fewer workers stopping for breakfast en route to work. The fact that teenagers and men between the ages of 18-35, who are some of the c-store industry’s most frequent visitors, have…
Make Coffee More Profitable
Tips for Preparing the Perfect Cup • Always use fresh, filtered water. • Always use fresh, whole bean coffee. Coffee is perishable: use within two weeks of roast date. • Store coffee beans in an air-tight container away from heat, light and moisture. No freezer or refrigerator. • Grind just before brewing—a timer will help…
Frozen Sales Heating Up
Since its invention about half a century ago, the frozen dispensed beverage has become a convenience store tradition, with three out of every four U.S. convenience outlets housing a frozen beverage bar. While frozen dispensed beverages are not a huge portion of the typical store’s overall sales, the product is profitable, thanks to a gross…