Just 24 months ago, anyone who wanted a frontline, hourly worker’s job only needed a pulse to get hired. Now, we are faced with staggering unemployment, massive underemployment and tremendous job dissatisfaction. A new report releases from The Conference Board found that just 45% of workers in the U.S. were satisfied with their jobs, the…
Retail Gasoline Prices to Renew Move to Upside
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN Wholesale gasoline prices moved higher in metropolitan markets across the U.S., which will reverse the trend in retail prices since the middle of May from down to up. Broad-based economic data underpinned the higher wholesale prices, which continue to climb during the first day of summer.…
Pantry Shares Soar
A week ahead of The Panty Inc.’s scheduled quarterly earnings report, Analyst Mark Miller of William Blair & Co. increased his rating of the company, sending shares skyrocketing. Shares of The Pantry rose Thursday from $1.12 to $16.45 -the highest level since October and a 31% increase this month after Miller raised his rating of the…
Coke Plans New Distribution
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is testing a new method of delivering beverages to 7-Eleven stores in Southern California, using Costco Wholesale Corp. as an intermediary, Reuters reported. Currently, under Coke’s direct-store delivery model, beverages are sent from the bottling facility to a warehouse and then to a distribution center, which distributes the drinks to individual stores.…
Gasoline Prices Climbing Sharply across U.S.
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN Retail gasoline prices are poised for sharp increases across the country in early April following big gains in the wholesale market right in front of the Easter holiday, which follows mostly flat to lower prices at many local stations in late March. Driving the advance in…
Strength in Numbers
Resilient, tough and tested. These are just a few of the words analysts and retailers alike used to describe the convenience store and petroleum industry over the past 12 months. With the economy suffering its most difficult period in some 80 years, convenience stores held up rather admirably considering how consumer confidence plunged and the…
Convenience Industry Holds Strong
When history looks back on 2009 it will not be generous. The U.S. economy was, and to a certain degree, remains locked in the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment is high and the value of the dollar and consumer spending are at near-record lows. While this is bad, it could have been…
GM Calls For More Ethanol Fuel Stations
General Motors Co’s (GM) growing output of vehicles that can run on ethanol-gasoline blends won’t help cut polluting emissions or U.S. dependence on foreign oil until more stations begin dispensing ethanol, according to GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens, Reuters reported. Half of GM’s vehicle lineup will be able to run on a mix of 15%…
Boost in Crude Costs to Offset Pass Through Savings
Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN Weekly gains in the gasoline wholesale market driven by higher crude costs leading up to the Valentine’s Day weekend will interrupt the national decline in retail gasoline prices midway through February. The U.S. average price for retail gasoline prices had decreased for four consecutive weeks through the…
The Simple Secret of Free Publicity
Whether you operate a large or small chain, there are deals to be made that can attract a lot of positive attention to your company. I know some of you don’t place much of a value on publicity, but when was the last time you priced the cost of a retail ad in the local…