Convenience Store Decisions articles from September 2005

Convenience Store Decisions archives from September 2005

The new 'new normal'.(Editor's Memo)(effects of Hurricane Katrina on the economy)
September 1, 2005... The images we see and stories we hear run the gamut, from disturbing to redeeming. America--the Gulf Coast specifically, and the rest of the nation indirectly--is working through its worst tragedy since 9/11. It's estimated that the costs of...

Serving the upper crust: true, Fuel Co. sells gas and convenience items, but the store's style and gourmet delicacies put it in a class by itself.(FrontEnd)
September 1, 2005... Not many convenience stores serve Salad Nicoise (Albacore tuna with baby greens, tomatoes, haricot verts, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, anchovies and nicoise olives with a citrus vinaigrette) or Egg Florentine (classic egg salad with parmesan and...

Casual gourmet.(FrontEnd)
September 1, 2005... Sheetz Inc. (Altoona, PA) continues to evolve with the unveiling of a new 6,000 sq. ft. store in Danville, PA. The store, which opened on August 31, blends what Sheetz has learned from its convenience restaurants (pictured) with its...

The 'O-store': Baton Rouge's upscale LA Rouge Mart meets at the intersection of Opulence and Convenience.(FrontEnd)
September 1, 2005... In 1993's dinosaurs-run-amok blockbuster Jurassic Park, the park's creator John Hammond often repeated the phrase, "spared no expense." Louisiana entrepreneur Muhammed S. Khan can say the same. But unlike the film, in which bloodthirsty...

CSD names 7-Eleven 2005 Chain of the Year; nation's largest chain honored for "culture of innovation.".(FrontEnd)
September 1, 2005... Convenience Store Decisions has named 7-Eleven Inc. (Dallas, TX) its 2005 Convenience Store Chain of the Year. The award recognizes convenience-retailing excellence in marketing and merchandising, operating efficiency and several other key...

CSD feedback.(FrontEnd)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I would like to personally thank you for profiling Open Pantry as your cover story in your August issue. I am proud of our commitment to coffee, and how Jim Fiene has developed this profit center I so exceptionally for us. I think it's also...

7-Eleven goes functional.
September 1, 2005... 7-Eleven Inc. (Dallas, TX) now offers in its stores Formula 7--a proprietary line of functional foods and beverages. The initial Formula 1 product lineup includes two nutritional bars and three beverages. The first wave of these products,...

Waterway Gas & Wash Co.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Waterway Gas & Wash Co. (Chesterfield, MO) has added Michelle Sausen as its director of merchandising. Before joining Waterway Gas & Wash, Sausen served McLane Grocery Distribution as vice president of sales for the company's Western and...

7-Eleven Inc.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Keith Morrow, chief technology officer for 7-Eleven Inc. (Dallas, TX) and the company itself have been named among CIO 100 Award winners by CIO magazine. The 2005 CIO 100 Awards recognize organizations willing to "embrace significant risk for...

Scaff's Inc./S&S Food Stores.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... The Florida Retail Federation has honored Scaff's Inc./S&S Food Stores (Lake City, FL) and its president, Lester Scaff, with the 2005 Retailer of the Year Award for Leadership. The criteria for the award consist of customer service, helping the...

Energy Recruiters Inc.(Decision Makers)(Energy Recruiters Inc)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Mike Buker, who has 18 years of experience in the petroleum marketing industry, has joined Energy Recruiters Inc. (ERI) as an executive recruiting consultant. His retail management experience began in the drugstore industry with Drug Fair of...

Kable Distribution Services Inc.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Kable Distribution Services Inc. has promoted two of its internal account executives, Bill Horan and Andy Lieb, to directors of business development. In their new positions, Horan and Lieb will assist Kable's executive management team in both...

AdSpace Networks Inc.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Digital video signage company AdSpace Networks Inc. has promoted Marc Galiano to director of national accounts and has hired Miriam Anania as a local sales manager. In his three years with AdSpace as a sales manager, Galiano has led the...

ISD Corp.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Payment management software pioneer ISD Corp. has appointed Kevin Potrzeba its vice president of sales. Potrzeba brings to ISD more than 20 years of software sales management experience, most recently serving Interface Software as vice...

Columbus Show Case.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Merchandising display/fixture manufacturer Columbus Show Case has made several changes to its sales management team. Bill Rice becomes national sales manager of the company's foodservice division, with responsibility over North American sales...

Core-Mark Holding Co. Inc.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... Core-Mark Holding Co. Inc., one of the largest North American distributors to the convenience retailing industry, has elected two new members to its board of directors: L. William Krause and Stuart W. Booth. Krause is a board member of Sybase,...

The Hershey Co.(Decision Makers)
September 1, 2005... The Hershey Co. has added Alfred F. Kelly Jr., group president of the American Express Co., to its board of directors. Prior to joining American Express, Kelly was head of information systems at the White House and also held management...

Garb-Ko Inc.(Retailer Spotlight)
September 1, 2005... * Daniel Abraham, president and CEO of convenience store operator Garb-Ko Inc. (Saginaw, MI), has been awarded the 2005 Hedy Halpert Diversity Awareness Award by The Network of Executive Women. Abraham was recognized for being "an ardent...

Mapco gains some Clarity.
September 1, 2005... Mapco Express Inc., a subsidiary of Delek US Holdings Inc. (Franklin, TN) that operates a network of close to 400 stores in the Southeast, has adopted Clarity Systems' (www.claritysystems.com) Clarity Performance Management as its planning,...

Next stop for First Stop: handheld computing.
September 1, 2005... First Stop Convenience Stores has implemented Pricebook Connect from Tiva Software LLC (www.tivasoftware.com), in conjunction with barcode scanners from Socket Communications Inc. (www.socketcom.com) to improve the speed and accuracy of order...

Carolina Petroleum optimizes fuel ops.(Carolina Petroleum Distributors of Charlotte Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Carolina Petroleum Distributors (Charlotte, NC), which owns and operates more than 60 high-volume convenience stores under the Petro Express brand in the Carolinas, has implemented an Internet software solution from TelaPoint Inc. to streamline...

The tough questions: completing parts of the hiring process by way of Web, phone or kiosk can sidestep store-level shortcuts.(The Labor Pool)
September 1, 2005... Faithfully performing every part of the hiring process every time you hire someone is just smart business. The problem, however, is that some hiring tasks are unpleasant and most are so repetitive that managers may be tempted to take risky...

Removing obstacles.(Rising Stars)(management strategies of Brad Chivington of GPM Investments L.L.C.)
September 1, 2005... As senior vice president of sales and marketing for GPM Investments LLC, Brad Chivington does everything in his power to make sure his company's 160 Fas Mart and Shore Stop stores perform at a consistently high level. And when the stores show...

Water world: first-class service sets Waterway Gas & Wash apart from the crowd as "new legs" take it farther from its home turf in St. Louis.(Company Profile)
September 1, 2005... Some people would consider Henry Dubinsky a visionary, a man ahead of his time. As far back as 1970, he realized that carwash and gasoline were natural bedfellows. Dubinsky, chairman and chief executive officer of Waterway Gas & Wash Co., knew...

Club house: independent marketers have the ability to buy like the big boys.
September 1, 2005... Karen McGuire regards Doug Van Zee, a retail consultant for CHS Inc., as a key person in her life. As general manager of two Cenex branded locations in Mitchell. SD. McGuire doesn't have time to chase down the best deals tot her stores. But...

Eye on the prize: while creating a safer environment for employees, Kent Oil witnessed as much as a 19% increase in sales in one of two stores testing a new surveillance system.
September 1, 2005... Bill Kent has always had a simple goal: to deliver the best possible level of customer service in his stores. Up till two and a half years ago, he thought he was doing all he could to meet that goal using mystery shoppers. Then he started to...

Working with a net: meticulous vendor selection and an intense focus on proper rotation comprise some of the measures retailers take to build "fortresses" around their food programs.
September 1, 2005... With great power comes great responsibility. So said "Uncle Ben" Parker to his web-slinging nephew Peter in the 2002 summer smash Spider-Man. A similar maxim applies to convenience retailers in the food business: With the potential for big...

A volatile mixture: with gas prices reaching obscene levels, sales of premium cigarettes could suffer in the short term. But as the economy rebounds, some expect the category as a whole to return to form, with the premium segment leading the way.(Category Manager's Notebook: Tobacco)
September 1, 2005... The past 10 months have been a pretty wild ride for Julie Van Alyea. Van Alyea, retail merchandise manager for Redwood Oil Co. (Santa Rosa, CA), has noticed a significant change in her most important in-store category: cigarettes. While she has...

Redefining 'chipped beef'.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Oh Boy! Oberto Beef Jerky Crisps are a first-of-its-kind snack designed to bridge the gap between beef jerky and traditional snack chips--providing the best of both. Oh Boy! Oberto Jerky Crisps combine the great taste of seasoned, oven-roasted...

Vending dollars.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Protocol offers appealing dispensers that provide an important service to the public while creating additional profit opportunities for retailers. Protocol Vending Machines hold large varieties of product that ensure customers' needs are met...

Cool customer.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... NESTEA introduces its newest ready-to-drink iced tea product--NESTEA ICE--that delivers an instantly refreshing cooling sensation from the inside out. Available in two flavors--Lime Iced Tea and Lemon Green Tea--NESTEA ICE will be offered in 20...

Baking breakthrough.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Rich's Exact Bake rolls are the latest breakthrough in dough technology. Exact Bake enables operators to meet the growing demand for fresh-baked, quality products without the complex and time-consuming step of proofing. It's simple: Just pan,...

Guilt-free cookie flavors.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Luna, the whole nutrition bar for women, introduces three new cookie flavors--Peanut Butter Cookie, Cookies 'n Cream Delight and Iced Oatmeal Raisin--giving women the delicious taste of cookies in an all-natural bar they can eat without the...

Silent serenity.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... The Serenity Series Cubelet Ice Machine produces up to 1,000 lbs. of ice every 24 hours and is designed to save space. The condenser and compressor are stationed outside the kitchen and away from customers, therefore producing less heat and...

Hot beverages go urban.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... International Paper delivers a cool new look for hot beverages with the exclusive Metro cup design. With its stainless steel appeal and patented KX2 technology, the Metro cup will delight on-the-go customers and add flair to beverage centers....

Cooking on-the-go.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Eagle Foodservice announces a full line of Panco transport holding cabinets for heating, proofing and heating/proofing processes. These NSF-, UL- and CUL-approved cabinets feature durable all-aluminum construction and accommodate full- or...

Frosty beverages.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Taylor is excited to introduce the Model C903, a totally automatic, two-flavor, frozen beverage system. Simply add ready-to-use, concentrated liquid mix or bag-in-box product and this completely self-contained unit automatically fills the...

Three-way car cleaning.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... D & S Car Wash Equipment Co, introduces a new Tri Gloss showerhead application system for its line of D & S 5000 touchless automatic carwash systems. The new application system provides an extremely foamy, sudsy lather with greater consistency...

Cookie crumbles.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Yogurt Raisin Sensation cookie dough, the newest addition to Otis Spunkmeyer's Sweet Discovery line, contains zero trans fat and is loaded with the wholesome goodness of oatmeal and yogurt-covered raisins. Yogurt and dried fruit sales are on...

Perfecting nutrition.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... ZonePerfect's all-natural, great-tasting nutrition bars and shakes offer balanced nutrition based on a 40/30/30 ratio of carbohydrates to protein to fat, without compromising taste or convenience. The oars reflect the current culinary trends of...

Advanced washing.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... PDQ Manufacturing offers an Advanced Flow Option on new LaserWash G5 S-Series in-bay automatic vehicle wash systems. With the addition of one Advanced Flow Option pump station (to support the standard G5 pump stations), water is increased in...

Symphony of service.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Follatt's Symphony 110 series ice and water dispensers can add a second source of ice and eliminate bottlenecks at the servery ice machine. The dispenser includes Follett's dependable Maestro icemaker that produces 400 lbs (181kg) of Chewblet...

Hot doggin'.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Travelin' Dog Inc. enters the c-store market with YiPPEE STiCKS and YiPPEE BiTES. Whether it's a quick trip to the convenience store or a seven-day vacation, millions of dogs are hitting the streets with their owners every day. To keep those...

Rye times.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... General Mills launches Gardetto's Roasted Garlic Rye Chips, a one-of-a-kind salty snack double-baked and seasoned with Gardetto's signature recipe flavor to deliver indulgent garlic taste in every handful. This introduction expands General...

Kong-like candies.(New Stuff!)
September 1, 2005... Taste of Nature Inc. will be debuting two Kong Candies that will be available for sale several months before Universal Pictures releases the blockbuster movie KONG on December 14. The 2.5-oz. KONG Cotton Candy has a nine-month shelf life and...

Who's afraid of the dark?(BackRoom: "stuff you need that we didn't have room for anyplace else")
September 1, 2005... If the "Monster" Blackout of 2003 taught retailers anything, it's to prepare for the worst. During that blackout, which affected much of the East Coast, Ohio and parts of Canada, retailers tried to go on with business as usual--or as well as...