Convenience Store Decisions articles from March 2007

Convenience Store Decisions archives from March 2007

Car wash & equipment.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... GROWING THE CAR WASH BUSINESS has proved to be a smart business decision for retailers looking to grow incremental sales, and there seems like there is plenty of room for growth in this segment. Yet, of the 34 chains representing approximately...

Technology.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)(Gilbarco Veeder Root wins the survey award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... THE 56 KEY DECISION MAKERS surveyed represent 16,485 stores across 52 chains. Gilbarco/Veeder Root was the clear winner of this category, with 29% saying it has the best product quality. Waycross, Ga.-based Flash Foods has been ahead in the...

ATM & POS.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... THE 35 KEY DECISION MAKERS responding to the survey represent 10,646 stores across 34 chains. Payspot came out on top across all the questions in the survey, but Cardtronics and Triton followed very closely behind. Waycross, Ga.-based...

Convenience store shoppers want convenience.(BackRoom)
March 1, 2007... A comprehensive new study by Meyers Research Center (MRC) finds that convenience store shoppers are seeking cold beverages, friendly employees and know what they want before they get through the door. The findings are part of Meyers'...

Five questions with E-Z Mart's Sonja Hubbard.(BackRoom)
March 1, 2007... Q What do you see as the greatest opportunity in the convenience retailing business at present? Convenience. It's what we what we sell and what customers want. People are more pressed for time than ever so convenience is more important...

Beer, wine & spirits.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... BEER SALES ARE BOOMING AND Anheuser-Busch is leading the way, according to the 71 category managers representing the 67 different chains that participated in CSD's Brand Preference Study. The category managers, which represented a total of...

Get stylish with BIC! Fashionable new designs take the historic quality of BIC's past and bring it to the consumers' future.(Category Update: General Merchandise)
March 1, 2007... SOME THINGS NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE, AND OFTEN TIMES THE THINGS THAT DO WILL COME BACK AGAIN IF YOU HANG ONTO THEM LONG ENOUGH. Going out of style has never been a problem for BIC. In fact, the company is constantly rejuvenating its offering...

What are the c-store customers buying?(2006 BRAND PREFERENCE STUDY)
March 1, 2007... TOP TEN PRODUCT CATEGORIES Cigarettes 34.4% Foodservice 11.9% Beer 11.7% Packaged Beverages 13.3% Fluid Milk Products 2.2% Candy 3.6% Salty Snacks 3.2%...

List of chains interviewed.(2006 BRAND PREFERENCE STUDY)(Statistical table)(List)
March 1, 2007... List of Chains Interviewed COMPANY CITY STATE 7-Eleven Inc. Richardson TX 7-Eleven Inc. Dallas TX AHC ...

Branded fast food.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... THE 49 KEY DECISION MAKERS surveyed represent 15,111 stores throughout 48 chains. Twenty percent of those respondents were executive management, 76% were operations management and 4% were purchasing management. Subway topped the list for...

Prepared hot & cold sandwiches.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... DELI EXPRESS TOPPLED ALL OTHER companies mentioned in the survey, with 28% of respondents saying it has the most effective sales program and 27% suggesting they have the best product quality. The 60 key decision makers surveyed represent...

Making the most at the car wash: discounting and sacrificing fuel margins may not be the most effective way to build incremental sales.
March 1, 2007... After more than 30 years in the retail car wash business, Paul Vercollone qualifies as an expert on the subject of selling car washes to the motoring public. And with his many years of experience, Vercollone has a message to those operators...

Cigarettes.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... IN THE 2006 NACS SOI, cigarettes dominated in-store sales, accounting for more than one in every $3 spent in stores (34.4%). And for the 77 chains participating in CSD's Brand Preference Study, Philip Morris was voted as the top cigarette...

Cigars & smokeless tobacco.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... RETAILERS CAN EXPECT THE OTHER tobacco (OTP) category to keep on growing with flavored cigars driving that growth. Cigar sales last year jumped 5.2% and accounted for 30.48% of OTP sales. As a category, OTP accounted for about 4% of the c-store...

Candy, gum & mints.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... CONVENIENCE STORES ARE A LAUNCH pad for new candy products. In 2005, total candy sales at convenience stores totaled $5.5 billion according to the National Association of Convenience Stores 2006 State of the Industry report. Candy sales at...

Prepared food & fresh bakery.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... FIFTY-SEVEN KEY DECISION MAKERS from 56 stores reported that prepared foods and fresh bakery products brought in $135.7 million in sales last year. The results of this year's Brand Preference Study proved prepared food and fresh bakery to...

Daypart dining: while lunch is a proven daypart for convenience stores, truly capturing customers means creating morning and dinner offers. Three retailers share their secrets to capturing dining dollars without cannibalizing existing lunch sales.
March 1, 2007... FRIENDSHIP FOODS has made itself a food destination thanks to strong branded programs. Sixteen of the company's 25 stores offer some form of foodservice, be it Subway, Squawkers Chicken, Hunt Brothers Pizza or Bob Evans. The company fell...

Dispensed beverages hot.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... INNOVATIONS LIKE FLAVORED coffees helped the 69 chains surveyed in CSD's Brand Preference Study ring up a total of $836.8 million in sales in 2006. The chains combined operate 21,293 stores. Study participants ranked Sara Lee Coffee & Tea...

Dispensed beverages cold.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... FOR COLD AND FROZEN CARBONATED dispensed beverages, PepsiCo received the favor of most of this year's participants, with 59% deeming the company as their top category supplier. Coca-Cola was second, followed by Cadbury Schweppes, J&J Snack...

A partner you can trust.(Editor's Memo)
March 1, 2007... Finding the right supplier partners is crucial to convenience store retailers that is only enhanced in this era of ultra competitiveness. That's why Convenience Store Decisions set out to identify the suppliers and manufacturers retailers say...

Elevating the customer experience: innovation, commitment to service is the hallmark of the Parker business strategy.(Publisher's Q&A)(Interview)
March 1, 2007... The Parker Cos. is a dynamic operation with interests in real estate, building retail centers and offices, the storage business (Urban Attic), Spin City laundry, Parker's Market Urban Gourmet and, of course, Parker's Convenience Stores. ...

The debate over minimum wage: with a federal increase on the horizon, CSD polls retailers to get their take on this hot-button issue.
March 1, 2007... IN JANUARY, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES voted on something that had been set in stone for over a decade. They voted in overwhelming numbers to approve an increase in the federal minimum wage--a decision that could not only affect millions of...

Bottled water.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... THE 93 KEY DECISION MAKERS surveyed represent 28,161 stores across 88 chains. For those surveyed, bottled water earns $465 million in sales annually. Nestle Waters North America outdid both Dasani (Coke) and Aquafina (PepsiCo) with its regional...

Packaged snacks.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... PACKAGED SNACKS pulled in $912 million this year for the 90 key decision makers polled. Compare that to last year's findings, which had 69 decision makers reporting a total of $390 million, and retailers are enjoying tasty profits. Leading...

HBC & general merch.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)(home based care, general merchandise)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... THE 68 DECISION MAKERS surveyed represent 20,606 stores in 65 chains. HBC and general merchandise earn these companies $49 million per year. For Richmond, Ky.-based Red Hed Oil Inc., HBC is a mainstay category that generates 15% of inside...

Ice cream & frozen novelties.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... THE 70 KEY DECISION MAKERS surveyed represent 21,636 stores across 68 chains. Ice cream and frozen novelty earn these retailers $493 million per year. While ice cream only represents 1% of Richmond, Ky.-based Red Hed Oil's total inside...

Packaged beverages.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... NINETY-TWO KEY DECISIONS MAKERS for 87 chains reported $2.1 billion in sales for the entire packaged beverage category, which includes carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), juices and teas. As may be expected, the top sellers this year were the big...

Isotonics & energy drinks.(2007 CSD READER'S CHOICE AWARDS)
March 1, 2007... THE GROWING ISOTONIC AND ENERGY drink category continued its steady climb in popularity. Ninety-four key decision makers representing 89 chains reported that $776 million was earned by the drink category. These are strong sales compared to last...

United front.(Rising Stars)
March 1, 2007... For Sunny Singh, general manager of retail operations for Gardena, Calif.-based United Oil, good business sense just runs through his veins. Not only does he possess a strong business acumen, he's also intimately aware of the intricacies...

The evolution of cash management: from till balancing, to robbery prevention, to cash security, Tidel provides secure solutions for today's cash management needs.(Category Update: Cash Management Solutions)
March 1, 2007... The old saying goes, "A good bartender with questionable ethics will own your bar in five years." Tidel Engineering, a subsidiary of Sentinel Technologies Inc., can't help convenience store owners find good employees, but you can bet your...