Convenience Store Decisions articles from January 2005

Convenience Store Decisions archives from January 2005

Lessons from the battlefield.(Editor's Memo)
January 1, 2005... I'm penning this memo just a few days after Christmas. But the spirit of the season hasn't exactly lifted me. I'm not thinking about what I'm doing on New Year's Eve, or what resolutions I'll fail to follow over the next 12 months. My thoughts...

Meat marketing: in search of a truly unique foodservice offering, NOCO Express found a hometown partnership that really "beefed up" store sales.(Front End)
January 1, 2005... There's a delicacy that originated in Buffalo, NY, called a Roast Beef on Weck sandwich. It's a hot roast beef sandwich where the meat is aged three to four weeks in a cooler and hand-carved on a kaiser roll encrusted with caraway seeds and...

Spoons and 'toons: cereal ain't just for breakfast anymore. A new concept called Cereality caters to all customers and all dayparts by recreating a cherished childhood experience.(Front End)(Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe services)
January 1, 2005... Starbucks may soon have competition for consumers' "third place," after home and the office. Near the University of Pennsylvania campus in downtown Philadelphia stands the Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe, an 1,800 sq. ft. "restaurant" that...

Paying a premium: healthcare costs are on the rise nationwide. Self-insured Sheetz takes a committee-based approach to curtailing healthcare expenses.(Front End)
January 1, 2005... During the past five years, businesses across the country have seen health benefits costs jump an average of 14% per year. As a result, companies are making tactical moves to help stop the bleeding, so to speak. Whether it's increasing employee...

Wal-Mart's small mart: might the world's largest retailer take a run at operating convenience stores? Absolutely: "fire when ready ...".(Big-Box Battle Plan)
January 1, 2005... I made a presentation at the National Association of Convenience Stores' 2004 annual conference in Las Vegas last October. My speech centered around my book, What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World. I am...

Speedy recovery: darker days behind it, Fas Mart stands poised to reap a bountiful harvest.(Fas Mart Convenience Stores)
January 1, 2005... When Brad Chivington joined Fas Mart Convenience Stores Inc., he had a sobering realization just a few months into his tenure as senior vice president of sales and marketing: "What have I gotten myself into?" In early 2000, Chivington came...

Flavor boost: cigars and moist smokeless tobacco items bearing exotic aromas and tastes account for much of the non-cigarette tobacco category's recent sales growth.(Other Tobacco Products)
January 1, 2005... 'Who would have guessed that apple would be such a strong flavor?" asks Kent Raphael, vice president of merchandising for Village Pantry LLC (Indianapolis, IN). He's not asking about a hot-selling juice drink or candy. Rather, he's talking...

Hot doggin': hot dogs have long been a staple on convenience store roller grills, but new items help spice up sales.
January 1, 2005... For as long as Jeff Beal can remember, foodservice has always set apart Johnny Quik Food Stores, Inc. (Fresno, CA). Eight years ago the 20-store chain tried its first Subway, which has yielded three more franchises since, along with four...

Ice, ice, baby: are you producing the right type of ice for your customers' dispensed beverages? If so, are you producing enough of it?(Well Equipped)
January 1, 2005... Having the right type of ice and producing the right amount of ice in a cost-effective way are critical to maintaining profitability at the beverage center. There are two basic types of ice made by two different types of machine processes....

Big-time (small) seller.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Hatco Corp.'s new Glo-Ray Mini-Merchandiser with slanted base, model GRHW-1SGDS, uses the patented heated glass shelf to radiate heat downward and conduct heat up to provide ideal warming temperature in an attractive display package. Doubling...

Hot times.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Just Born's Hot Tamales has sweet Valentine's Day news. Due to a huge reception in 2004, Hot Tamales will again treat fans to the candy card product. Hot Tamalescandy cards feature an explosive cover that reads "You're my favorite flavor"...

Muffin magic.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Otis Spunkmeyer introduces Caramel Apple Muffins to its premium line of baked goods. Bursting with juicy apples and velvety-smooth caramel, Caramel Apple is a unique muffin flavor that will satisfy customers' craving for innovative new...

Boasting broaster.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... The Broaster Co. introduces Broaster Recipe Beer Battered Onion Rings, another addition to the company's ever-expanding line of high-quality, ready-to-cook frozen foods. Offering superior quality and flavor, the new frozen onion ring selection...

Shake it up.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Good Humor-Breyers introduces a totally new way to eat ice cream. No spoons or bowls, kids just shake new Popsicle Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Shots--micro-sized vanilla ice cream beads with real pieces of chocolate chip cookie dough...

Weight limits.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Ohaus Corp. launches its new FD Food Portioning Scale Series, specifically designed for use in food preparation and processing where cleanliness is a must. The new scales combine NSF/USDA-AMS food safety certifications, precise weighing...

Free and clean.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... To keep hands clean, even when exiting public restrooms, Hospital Specialty Co. offers San-Eaz Sanitary Door Handle Tissues for an additional measure of personal hygiene. Place San-Eaz Sanitary Door Handle Tissues near any door handle. When...

Smile starter.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Kids Klassics from Brakebush offer fun-shaped, breaded chicken products that have all the elements for success. Operators appreciate them because they are fully-cooked and easy to prepare--just heat and serve. Kids love their fun shapes and...

Coffee craze.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Blue Bunny's new Cappuccino Fudge Blitz Premium ice cream has a whole "latte" flavor n a personal size Package in pint-sized containers, Cappuccino Fudge Blitz is a fresh blend of coffee-flavored ice cream, white chocolate cremes, mocha...

Low-carb contender.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... InBev USA is launching a new member of the Beck's family--Beck's Premier Light. Beck's Premier Light is a heavyweight champion in taste, but will be a featherweight when it enters the low calorie ring starting in the first quarter 2005. With...

Brew right.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... FETCO introduces the newest addition to its innovative Extractor Coffee Brewer series: The CBS-2042. The brewer is designed to brew directly into the one-gallon L3D model LUXUS Thermal Dispenser. It keeps coffee fresh and hot for hours with no...

Dog catcher.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Spirit Specialty Solutions Inc. introduces the Dog Catcher line of grill corrals that maintain neatness and prevent grill items from "walking" side to side. They also help separate cooked from unheated product and, by design, offer many...

Lock and load.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... General Electric's Security business introduces AccessPoint, a new line of consumer key storage devices designed to keep spare and emergency keys accessible but secure. This trio of devices is the first installment of a new line of innovative...

No fuss pizza program.(New Stuff!)
January 1, 2005... Operators have not had an efficient, economical way of providing great-tasting New York-style pizza until now. Cheetaria Pizza has designed a complete pizza and equipment package that will have retailers serving delicious pizza in just two...

Pod people.(Backroom: "stuff you need that we didn't have room for anyplace else")
January 1, 2005... The hot dispensed beverage category represents 32.8% of all food sales in the convenience channel--approximately $14.4 billion, according to the NACS State of the Industry report. It seems coffee is the one convenience staple everyone will make...