Convenience Store Decisions articles from August 2005

Convenience Store Decisions archives from August 2005

'The most unlikely real estate'.(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Forgive me if this note gets too personal. About 12 years ago, my then-girlfriend (now wife) Donna and I were traveling the Garden State Parkway to pursue some R&R down the Jersey Shore. Ninety minutes into our trip, we pulled off at the Frank...

New recruits: BP enlists a third-party "matchmaker" for help in recruiting African-American franchisees to grow the ampm brand.(BP West Coast Products LLC )
August 1, 2005... Executive leadership at BP West Coast Products LLC (La Palma, CA) has been faced with the difficult challenge of attracting African-American franchisees to its brand. The stores, which market ARCO branded gasoline, are not being viewed as an...

Phat threads for Mickey D's.(FrontEnd)
August 1, 2005... To make its uniforms more appealing to employees, QSR king McDonald's is preparing to invest $80 million in new duds that could put employees on People magazine's Best-Dressed List. A report in Advertising Age says the chain has had serious...

Room with a view.(View-Master International Group Inc.)
August 1, 2005... Everyone remembers the Fisher-Price view-Master--that binocular-like toy at introduced generations to the world of 3-D dinosaurs, the solar system and countless other educational topics. And you can use that to your advantage. View-Master...

Job fairs fare poorly: thinking about in-store job fairs to attract employees? Think again. Try state-run programs instead.(The Labor Pool)
August 1, 2005... Recently, a reader asked me if in-store job fairs are a good way to attract potential employees. In my experience--unless you have a high concentration of stores in a particular area or are recruiting for more than one location--job fairs are...

Valero's got a brand new bag; Valero expects customers to munch as many as 1.5 million bags of its new Fresh Choices chips by year's end.(FrontEnd)
August 1, 2005... For years Valero Energy Corp. has offered a proprietary line of sandwiches under several brand names. Two years ago it took a step into the bottled water category with three packages of spring water under its Fresh Choices label. Its most...

Wawa streamlines fuel operations.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Wawa Inc. (Wawa, PA) has partnered with enterprise management solutions provider SolArc Inc. (www.solarc.com)to help manage fuel supply and trading operations for its 540 stores--nearly 160 of which sell gasoline--in five states. Launched in...

Huck's, Stop 'N Save add 'free' loyalty.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Martin & Bayley Inc. (Carmi, IL), operator of Huck's Food & Fuel stores, and Moore Oil Co. (Monroe, LA), operator of Stop 'N Save stores, have signed up for Gold Key Loyalty's "absolutely free" Loyalty Program (www.goldkeyloyalty.com). The...

Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes.(promotion of Michael MacDougall as director)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes (Canastota, NY) recently promoted Michael MacDougall to director of back-office systems and added Kevin Hilsinger as director of retail systems. In his new position, MacDougall is responsible for overseeing all store...

7-Eleven Inc.(appointment of Doug Froster and Alan Beach as vice presidents)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... 7-Eleven Inc. (Dallas, TX) has named two vice presidents to manage marketing strategy. Doug Foster, formerly managing director of marketing, has been promoted to vice president of marketing, while the company's former field merchandising...

Rutter.(appointment of Bob Sleeper)(Rutter's Farm Stores)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... York, PA-based Rutter's has added industry automation veteran Bob Sleeper to its information technology staff. Sleeper, a native of Buffalo, joins Rutter's as software application support manager. Prior to joining Rutter's, he was director of...

Dealmaker.(Rising Stars)
August 1, 2005... Rick Klyczek is what you'd call a NOCO "lifer." He started working for New York's NOCO Energy Corp. right out of school as an assistant manager in the company's NOCO Express retail division. He quickly moved up through the ranks to become store...

Lovefest building fanatics at retail.(The National Convenience Store Advisory Group FALL CONFERENCE)
August 1, 2005... The Faces of the SOI Name: Beth Home: South Roxana, IL Occupation: Stay-at-Home Mom ("But I would love to know why it's called that. Most of my 'free' time is spent sleeping.") Favorite c-store: Phillips 66 in Roxana ("The...

Are you flushing profits down the toilet? Restrooms aren't just another convenience for customers, especially as foodservice takes center stage. Facilities that instill confidence can inflate your bottom line.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... When VERC Enterprises (Duxbury, MA) first started offering restrooms, all the facilities had exterior entrances. It wasn't the most convenient set-up, but the 20-store chain felt they would work just fine--until a customer brought something...

Daily's grind: a commitment to compliance and community powers Daily's in its quest to be No. 1 in Nashville.
August 1, 2005... Rick Hamilton had seen just about everything by the time he decided to the convenience retailing business. After returning home from a tour of duty in Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, he settled in Nashville and went to work as a...

Outfoxing the competition: inventive car wash operators find faithful "companions" in pet owners wanting to pamper their pups.
August 1, 2005... Most dog owners would associate the word "loyal" with their furry, four-legged friends. And retailers--specifically those with car washes--are hoping they can make the same association with all types of pet owners. While dog washes came into...

Deliverance: pizza delivery didn't work out as expected for this small Carolina chain. The chain still "delivers" ... just not pizza.
August 1, 2005... Mike and Brad Woodie were probably the type of kids who weren't afraid to fall off their bicycles. The two--president and vice president, respectively, of Woodie's (Charlotte, NC)--looked at the neighborhood around their newest Woodie's store...

Coffee talk: espresso and cappuccino machines can elevate convenience stores to the same level as gourmet coffeehouses.(Well Equipped)
August 1, 2005... Espresso and cappuccino are hot in more ways than one these days. Espresso is an Italian-style coffee, usually made by the cup, using high-pressure hot water forced through finely roasted coffee to create the distinct potency and flavor....

Cold, hard cash: Indiana's Circle A Food Stores jolts awake its packaged beverage sales with unique approaches to marketing water, CSDs, isotonics and energy drinks.(Category Manager's Notebook: Beverages/Beer)
August 1, 2005... Water is vital to sustain any life, whether it be that of a human, an animal or a beverage category. Despite a furious wave of new item introductions in every beverage subcategory, consumers always seem to return to their colorless,...

Promotional playtime.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Give customers a chance to win the world's largest toy-filled Halloween treat this fall. This complete month-long contest will help retailers gather an important mailing list and serve as a giant 6' or 8' tall display for the entire month of...

Cooking on a tilt.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Cleveland Range Inc. introduces new ultra-efficient tilting skillets to its Short Series line, which combines powerful yet energy-saving cooking with low-height convenience. With a 35" rim height, 10[degrees] tilt feature and open base, the T-1...

Citrus selection.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... The Meridian Beverage Co. introduces a new flavor in its AquaCal line of naturally flavored purified water fortified with calcium and vitamin C. The new flavor, Navel Orange, is bursting with taste. Along with all other flavors (Strawberry,...

Being bad tastes good.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Autofry, the No. 1 selling line of ventless and automated deep-frying systems, introduces its ventless burger and french fry program. Retailers can now prepare delicious burgers and fries in seconds without the need of a hood or grill thanks to...

Self-assembled storage.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Walls + Forms Inc. offers a ready-to-assemble commercial grade counter. With no bolts or screws needed, even a novice can assemble these units; the only tool needed is a rubber mallet, which is provided with the counter. Thanks to its slot-fit...

Sports sparking.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Scripto introduces a new line of C-thru, texture grip lighters for the sports enthusiast. The new sports-themed lighters feature a clear-wrap design, combined with a raised texture, creating the ultimate 3-D effect and feel. The five-piece...

Light up lives.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Modular Dispensing Systems' Modu-Light self-illuminating cup dispensing cabinets are like nothing retailers have ever seen before. No electrical power is needed to turn the lightweight, yet sturdy and durable panels into glowing custom decor...

Ice capacities.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Hoshizaki's Air-cooled Cubelet Ice and Water Dispenser is a hands-free operational unit producing up to 288 lbs. of ice within 24 hours. The self-contained design reduces opportunities for cross contamination and the exclusive CleanCycle12...

Packing a punch.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Nitro2Go manufactures a premium 12 SKU product line of all-natural dietary supplements available in 2-ct. single packets and 30-ct. bottles, and two energy drink formulas--Regular and Light--in both 8.4-oz. and 16-oz. cans. Nitro2Go, which...

Self-servicing stride.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Building on a long tradition of manufacturing reliable, secure and trusted ATMs, Tranax Technologies Inc. has created the first in a new line of non-cash dispensing kiosks. Incorporating many of the features found on a standard retail ATM, the...

Free to fry.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Frymaster Dean continues to lead the industry with innovative designs that meet customers' changing needs. The new Frymaster Application Series combines an open pot and tube fryer in the same cabinet and shares a common filter. Frymaster and...

All-natural treats.(New Stuff!)
August 1, 2005... Sconza Candy introduces a new line of six packaged natural confections right from the farm. Called the Sconza Naturals, each of the creations starts with a whole premium dried nut or dried fruit which is drenched in chocolate or yogurt. From...

Novelty Inc. helps Huck's 'Git-R-Done'.(Products AT WORK)
August 1, 2005... "The key to selling [general merchandise] is making sure you have something new in front of the customer. That is what Novelty Inc. continues to do year after year, which has enabled us to continue to grow this category." Randy Fulkerson,...

Clicking for bargains: looking to rediscover a long-lost childhood toy and pick up a new roller grill at half the cost? Point your mouse to eBay.com.(Back Room)
August 1, 2005... Only five weeks elapsed from the day Raymond Hall decided to open his own restaurant to the day he had all the equipment he needed to operate his Riverside Dell in in the northwest Connecticut town of Torrington. New to the restaurant business...