Convenience Store Decisions articles from November 2004

Convenience Store Decisions archives from November 2004

Kwik Trip's vertical leap.(Editor's Memo)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... Visiting the sprawling Kwik Trip campus in La Crosse, WI, is a lot like I imagine it would be to get inside the operations of fictitious confectioner Willy Wonka. You just never know what you're going to see around the next corner. It almost...

Kwik Trip goes ape over bananas! The famous yellow fruit nets plenty of green for Kwik Trip, thanks to a scientific ripening operation that ensures bananas reach stores in prime selling condition.(Front End)
November 1, 2004... For Kwik Trip Inc.'s blooming banana sales, the magic number is 29--as in 29 cents per pound. Kwik Trip has been selling bananas at the same low price for more than a decade--just one more example of the company's dedication to offering...

Home repair: like its banana-ripening operation, Kwik Trip's in-house repair and maintenance department redefines the term "DIY.".(Front End)
November 1, 2004... Defining what Kwik Trip's repair and maintenance department will fix is a pretty simple task: If it can be picked up and put on a delivery truck to be brought back for mending at the homebase in La Crosse, it's fair game. A compressor is about...

Kwik Trip's big win: retailers and suppliers gathered in Las Vegas last month to honor Wisconsin's Kwik Trip Inc. as the industry's 2004 Chain of the Year.
November 1, 2004... In an ornate ballroom on the Vegas Strip last month, Kwik Trip Inc. President Don Zietlow accepted the 2004 Chain of the Year Award on behalf of the more than 6,700 "co-workers" that help his company serve 4 million customers each week. The...

The 40% solution: Kwik Trip has become one of the industry's most successful retailers by following one simple, golden rule: Do unto "co-workers" as you would have them do unto your customers.(Kwik Trip: Chain of the Year)(Company Profile)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... Up until seven years ago, retail veteran Brian Dapper felt restricted by the environment of the company he was working for. Actually, he had found that to be the case with most of the retailers he'd worked for up to that point in his life. As a...

Building the "A" team: to hire and retain co-workers that are a cut above, Kwik Trip offers benefits that are a world apart.(Kwik Trip: Chain of the Year)
November 1, 2004... When he tries to recruit people to work in one of the 13 stores he is responsible for ha Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Kwik Trip District Leader Brian Dapper doesn't have to feed anyone a line about the company. "Long-term they are going to be more...

Extreme makeover: C-store edition: stores don't make money unless they're open--and nobody understands that better than Kwik Trip's store engineering team.(Kwik Trip: Chain of the Year)
November 1, 2004... Three years ago, Kwik Trip acquired a group of stores, many of which served primarily commuter traffic. Customers stopping by the stores on their way home from work that evening saw the same store they'd always seen. But when they came back the...

Iron sharpens iron: Kwik Trip's board of directors helps the company hone its competitive edge.
November 1, 2004... How do you make a strong company--with a solid business model and dynamic leadership--even stronger? You surround it with, and make it accountable to, a strong board of directors whose leadership experience, business expertise and commitment to...

The central nervous system of Kwik Trip: a 24-hour Communication Center gives Kwik Trip's co-workers a "one-stop shop" for curing store-related ills.(Kwik Trip: Chain of the Year)(Company Profile)
November 1, 2004... Todd Bornholdt remembers the days of being jolted awake by late-night telephone calls. He would pick up the receiver on his nightstand and, still in a daze, say, "Thanks for calling the Byron Kwik Trip." Much has changed for Bornholdt in the...

Building a community: assisting people in need--customers and co-workers--has become a fundamental part of Kwik Trip's culture.(Kwik Trip: Chain of the Year)
November 1, 2004... Wisconsin winters are famous--or perhaps infamous--for their bitter cold. But for Director of Marketing and Advertising Gary Gonczy and a brigade of fellow Kwik Trippers, it's the perfect time to go swimming. A late-winter dip known as the...

A-B Petroleum gets secure with Armor Safe.(Products At Work)
November 1, 2004... "(Armor Safe) was serious about helping me handle our money and auditing. These safes are helpful in maintaining cash, keeping it secure and helping me keep track of my cashiers." Hiring employees honest enough to not steal from their...

Dandy candy.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Adams & Brooks introduces two c-store items sure to stimulate the interest of snackers. Coffee Rio, the gourmet-flavored caramel made from fresh dairy cream and premium coffee, now comes in brightly colored, pocket-sized "perk packs," in a...

Fan-friendly packaging.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drives the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will have his likeness displayed on Budweiser's new "8-pack" packaging. In 2005, the new packages will be found in all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race...

Cut (or fork) it out.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Dixie Foodservice announces a new and strong addition to its line of single-use cutlery, Dixie Tuflery products. The Tuflery line of forks, knives and spoons provides exceptional rigidity and break-proof strength to accommodate the changing...

Spud-tastic.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Strike it rich with the golden color and buttery, almost nutty flavor of new Lamb's Supreme Yukon Gold potato products from ConAgra Foods. ConAgra Foods selects the finest Yukon Gold potatoes from prime growing regions and runs them through its...

Carb blocker.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Anti-Carb is a revolutionary new product especially designed to help reduce carbohydrate absorption. This new supplement-with its unique formula of vitamin C, biotin, chromium, banaba extract, astragalus, genugreek extract and milk thistle, all...

Crisp of a different flavor.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Nestle introduces a new twist on Butterfinger, the Nestle Butterfinger Crisp. The layers of wafers and Butterfinger Creme filling wrapped in a chocolate coating with Butterfinger sprinkles are available as a single 1.76-oz. bar that retails...

Let them have it their way.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... The BUNN Corp. is entering one of the industry's fastest-growing categories with its BUNN My Cafe Commercial Grade Pod Brewer for coffee and tea. This state-of-the-art brewer makes restaurant-quality single-serve coffee in about 30 seconds and...

Modus operand-fry.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Autofry introduces the Autofry model MTI-40C, a ventless, fully enclosed and automated double-basket deep fryer. The compact design of the MTI-40C takes up less than three feet of counter space. As with all Autofry models, employees never come...

Popping good.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Popcorn Chicken from Brakebush can be used as appetizers, pizza toppings, salad toppings, wrap ingredients and more. These bite-size morsels of plump, juicy chicken provide fun flavor with heat-and-serve convenience. Brakebush's Popcorn Chicken...

Cheesy snacking.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Sargento Foods Inc. is dipping into snacking excitement with the introduction of Sargento Cheese Dips!. Available in three popular flavor varieties, this line of portable, single-serve snacks is perfect for time-pressed cheese enthusiasts. Each...

Hands off.(New Stuff!)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Eagle Foodservice Equipment introduces its new Touch-Free Handwashing System. which incorporates design features that enable foodservice workers to improve food safety and minimize contamination through safer handwashing practices. The system...

Redesigned resource.(New Stuff!)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Continuing its efforts to be the preferred online resource for beer retailers, Miller Brewing Co. has completed the redesign of its Miller Advantage Web site (www.milleradvanrage.com). The redesigned site builds off results of a survey of...

Color sensations.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Masterfoods USA has created a color and taste sensation with the new M-AZING Bar, the first candy bar to infuse color in a chocolate bar. The smooth milk chocolate pops with bursts of bright green, red, yellow and orange, courtesy of another...

Stiff drinking.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... MoonShot Beer is a light-bodied pilsner-style brew that contains 45mgs of natural caffeine--the equivalent of half a cup of coffee--combining the mellowing effects of beer with the energizing qualities of caffeine to give customers an entirely...

Blow by blow.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... PDQ Mamufacturing inc. introduces the MaxAir Stand-Alone Dryer, which optimizes air velocity and flow. Through innovative design, the MaxAir Stand-Alone Dryer delivers high-velocity air to the vehicle surface--where it's most important--by...

A pioneer in the field.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Pioneer Snacks Road Ready Canister Snacks are a new line of unwrapped dry sausage sticks packed in clear plastic reclosable canisters. Bright, innovative graphics, including the new "Check the Carbs" logo, are printed on clear labeling so...

In the bag.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Follett Corp.'s ice Device non-mechanical dispensing system delivers exceptional labor savings, safety and sanitation to foodservice operators. Bagging is fast and easy when combined with the bagger accessory--ice flows by gravity through the...

Powerful flavors.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... PowerBar has expanded its ProteinPlus Carb Select line to include new Peanut Caramel and Chocolate Carmel Crunch flavors to complement its existing Chocolate Peanut Butter and Double Chocolate flavors. The new flavors are now available through...

Magical treats.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Kids can get a real, live taste of the wacky fun of the Fairly OddParents, the No. 2 show on all television for kids ages two to 11, right behind SpongeBob Squarepants. Popsicle will introduce Cosmo as a cool, refreshing ice pop that features...

Taste bud wake-up.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... FUZE Beverage LLC adds two new high-energy, great tasting beverages to its Mega Energy line--lime mojito and diet cranberry lime. The new Mega Energy lime mojito energy drink has no high-fructose corn syrup or preservatives, but includes...

Car wash comrade.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Maek VII introduces three new offerings to help retailers with their car wash businesses: a 99% uptime guarantee, the GT-300 promotional offer and enhanced rev enue opportunities with Hub Scrub. Only Mark VII guarantees operators' uptime and...

Worn with pride.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Nostalgic Images Inc. introduces a profitable seller that will tug at customers' sense of pride. Magnetic car ribbons come in 20 different styles-from civic-minded "Support Our Troops" to the new "Support A Cure" for breast cancer--are made in...

Fantastic fountain flavoring.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Dr Pepper introduces Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper and Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper in its heartland markets, with a national rollout planned for January 2005. Reminiscent of fountain favorites from the 1950s, Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper is the first...

(Bread)stick around.(New Stuff!)
November 1, 2004... Piccadilly Circus Pizza's Double Dippers Breadstick program is a freezer to oven foodservice concept to help retailers control labor and grow the bottom line. Double Dippers Breadsticks come in three mouthwatering flavors--Garlicsticks,...

Dynasty builders.(the last word)
November 1, 2004... I distinctly remember the conversation I had with Don Zietlow the day I called to confirm Kwik Trip's selection as the 2004 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year: "You will have a good time doing this story," he promised, "because...