Stripes is among the growing number of convenience store chains providing an authentic Hispanic cuisine to attract this growing demographic. By Pat Pape, Contributing Editor. Early each morning the parking lots of Stripes Convenience Stores fill up with the trucks and cars of customers wanting to purchase a hearty meal of breakfast tacos, carne guisada…
Sweetening Candy Sales
Avoiding common pitfalls and developing a merchandising plan can boost convenience store confectionery sales. By Heather Henstock, Contributing Editor. Keeping shelves full of customers’ favorite candy, gum and mint brands may seem like an obvious practice for convenience store category mangers. However, controlling out-of-stocks continues to be the top challenge for c-stores managing the candy…
Susser Estimates Q4 Results
Susser Holdings Corp. expects to report same-store merchandise sales growth for the fourth quarter of 2010 of approximately 7.3% year-over-year and an increase in retail average per-store-per-week fuel volumes of 4.3%. Fourth quarter merchandise margin is expected to be in a range of 33.7-34%, and retail fuel margin is expected to be 14.7 cents to…
Ethnic Fare Adds Foodservice Flair
Sushi in the c-store cooler? Burritos in the food warmer? Mediterranean sandwiches on the menu? Exotic foods are here to stay and becoming more mainstream, spicing up the foodservice section and appealing to a wide audience. With the growth of the Internet consumers today are exposed to new foods they may not be used to…
Seizing Smokeless Opportunities
Just when you think you know everything about the mercurial business of tobacco, a bit of trivia comes along that gets your attention. Distributors and retailers have had reams of information to study in the past two years as major changes in legislation, taxation and consumer habits have forced domino-effect adjustments. Manufacturers, chain executives, category…
Empowered by Energy Efficiency
With energy costs soaring and customers rewarding sustainable behaviors, many convenience store chains are realizing the need to upgrade stores to be more energy efficient. World marketed energy consumption is projected to increase by 44% from 2006 to 2030, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The increase could hit c-store retailers especially hard…
Stripes Works Toward Energy Efficiency
More than 440 Stripes c-stores throughout Texas are becoming more energy efficient and stand to collect up to $175,000 in rebates under TXU Energy’s Energy Efficiency Rebate Program. The 29-month contract represents an annual load of 155,000 MWh-enough to power 8,600 homes-at more than 440 Stripes stores primarily located in West and South Texas. Under…
Stripes Helps Raise More than $103,000 for Children’s Miracle Network
The 9th annual Stripes Kicks Cares For Kids Radiothon raised $103,488.25 for Children’s Miracle Network this past weekend, and donations are still being accepted on the Kicks 99.1FM Web site. The event took place live from Music City Mall in Odessa, Texas. Those who tuned into Kicks 99.1FM between Feb. 19-21 heard stories of care, love…
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…
Changing its Stripes
Susser Holdings Corp. at a glance A dynamic marketer Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, Susser Holdings is the largest non-refiner, convenience store operator in Texas, with additional stores in Oklahoma and New Mexico. It operates 516 convenience stores through its Stripes LLC division and is the 19th largest c-store chain in the U.S. Convenience Store…