CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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Canada’s most read Canadian owned and operated Convenience, Retail Petroleum and Carwash Publication Raising Awareness for Contraband Tobacco Technology Trends for POS and Cash Management Protecting your Online Reputation Rock-N-Wash Uses Social Media to Connect with a Community Clean and Cool Frozen Beverages Retrofit Technology for Glass Doors Reduces Costs
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Partnering with Branded Foodservice Programs Increases Customer Awareness
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED
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CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
Cover Story
Industry News
Instore, Nutrition & HR/Staffing
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Carwash, Petroleum Technology
13 07 20 09 What Makes a C-Store Safe In light of recent violence in convenience stores here’s a timely update on store safety and security.
Western Convenience Store Association Report .
Protect Your Online Reputation.
Sustainability Pit Stop BullFrog Power explains green energy.
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NACDA Update.
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Contraband Tobacco Why we’re still talking about this issue.
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Petro-Canada in Kamsack Providing a great customer experience.
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The United Distribution Network Providing sales and marketing expertise.
Anthony doors offers a look through their Glass Doors.
Clean and Cool Beverages A look at frozen beverages and how you can capitalize even in winter.
Rock-N-Wash Connects with customers on social media.
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Water Reclamation and Regulation.
ATM’s Is your store reaping the rewards?
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A Perfect Pair Partnering with branded food service programs.
www.wpma.com
May 9 – 11, 2016 Int’l Carwash Association The Car Wash Show Nashville, TN
www.thecarwashshow.com June 1, 2016 WCSA CS Expo 2016 Anvil Centre New Westminster, BC
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The Underlying Problem for Carwash Owners.
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WashTalk This Winnipeg Carwash goes above and beyond offering some of the best customer service and high tech equipment.
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Upcoming Events February 16–18, 2016 WPMA Expo The Mirage Hotel Las Vegas, Nevada
Cash Management and POS trends.
June 8 & 9, 2016 Atlantic Convenience Stores Association Maritime golf tournament Fox Creek Golf Club, Moncton, NB July 7, 2016 WCSA 7th annual Charity Golf tournament Glen Eagles G.C.C. Cochrane, AB
August 25, 2016 Atlantic Convenience Stores Association Newfoundland Charity Golf Tournament St. John’s, Nfld October 18 – 21, 2016 NACS / PEI 2016 Georgia World Congress Centre Atlanta, GA
What to Expect After EMV.
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Carwash Chemical companies talk about their own products.
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The Evolution of Leak Detection.
www.nacsshow.com
What’s New
68 - 70
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Publisher’s Message
Happy New Year! We at Convenience & Carwash Canada magazine would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy and prosperous 2016. As we begin a new year, we bring you a timely article on Store Security. Sadly there were far too many violent crimes committed within our industry in 2015, and we hope that this article will help you plan and execute safer sites for your staff and your customers. How are you doing with your Social Media planning for your store? We’ve offered many articles over the past year on how to and why to, and now Rock N Wash explains what they do and what they get back from their investment. Take a chance, invest in your future. Contraband Tobacco is again front and center as governments across the country are looking at flavor bans. We know from history that prohibition of products that adults enjoy leads to contraband as sales move from the legal, controlled market to the uncontrolled illegal market, where they are sold tax-free and without age checks. This leads to lost revenues for retailers and governments and lost jobs. As a direct result of recent government decisions, many families are directly impacted with job losses or wage reductions while the contraband market is in many provinces is flourishing. The WCSA and Andrew Klukas have been fighting a good fight and encourage you, all retailers, to get involved. Speak up and be heard. Once these Laws pass it is unlikely they will ever be reversed. If you want to see tobacco sales remain in the legal and controlled market, the WCSA and your governments need to hear from you. Our carwash section this issue offers a great read on a special carwash retrofit right here in Winnipeg. Blondie’s Carwash took a tired wash and made is bright, shiny and clean. Owners Gilbert and Denys Gauthier along with Doug Lincoln of D.A. Lincoln went over and above designing this wash; it’s clean, bright, ultra-modern, and delivers such great service it’s hard to believe you’re in a carwash. We look forward to working for you again this year and wish you all a healthy, safe and prosperous 2016. If there are articles you would like us to cover this year, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Call me directly at 204-489-4215 or email bjjohnstone@convenienceandcarwash.com. Warm regards,
PUBLISHER Brenda Jane Johnstone bjjohnstone@convenienceandcarwash.com SALES Cody Johnstone 416-838-4674 codyj@convenienceandcarwash.com Brenda Johnstone 204-489-4215 bjjohnstone@convenienceandcarwash.com Cathie Fedak 905-665-6071 cathie@convenienceandcarwash.com MANAGING EDITOR Eva Chambers echambers@convenienceandcarwash.com DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA Eva Chambers echambers@convenienceandcarwash.com DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Doug Coates, Edge Advertising Keith House, Ad Production EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Ian Burton, PD McLaren Scott Findlay, Core-Mark Int’l Kim Hansen, MI Petro David Hoy, Peninsula Co-Op Andrew Klukas, WCSA Dave Watson, The Chamois & Convenience Store Ltd. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Angela Altass Charles Borchard Barbara J. Bowes Eva Chambers Brenda Jane Johnstone Andrew Klukas Anthony Santilli Sean Sportun Peter Sutherland Denise Wight Del Williams CIRCULATION James Gordon subscriptions@convenienceandcarwash.com WEBSITE www.convenienceandcarwash.com PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT No: 41670539 Return Undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department 543 Borebank Street Winnipeg, MB R3N 1E8
Brenda Jane Johnstone Publisher
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
Editor’s Message
Happy New Year, Convenience & Carwash Canada readers. This is a time when many of us make resolutions and create new plans. I am thrilled to jump-start the New Year in my new role as editor. Convenience & Carwash Canada is a highly recognized brand in the c-store, retail petroleum, and carwash industry. Our editorial is focused on keeping you current on important industry trends, products, and services. We value feedback from our readers because it guides us as we create user-centered content to help retailers run their businesses and optimize profits. Tom Humphries, petroleum operations manager for Peninsula Co-op recently told us, “Your editorial content is always an easy read, you keep the industry current on what’s new and where we are going.” He adds, “If you aren’t growing you’re eroding, and with new trends and changing customer preferences, Convenience & Carwash Canada helps keep our team on track.” This year we will provide even more ways to connect our readers with the topics they care about. In February, we will launch a redesigned website that includes video, a search feature, and improved navigation to help readers find the information they need quickly. The Convenience & Carwash Canada Team likes to reach out in person so you’ll likely see one of us at most major industry events. This is another way we can keep readers updated on the latest innovations and industry news. We invite you to join our growing social media community where we will share new videos, industry news, and event updates. Thank you for your continued support and we wish you a prosperous 2016.
Eva Chambers Managing Editor Facebook: www.facebook.com/convenienceandcarwashcanada Twitter: @carwash Canada
Come join a growing community of Canadian vendors and retailers who are dedicated to making the Convenience, Retail Petroleum and Carwash Industry thrive. www.convenienceandcarwash.com twitter.com/carwashcanada www.facebook-.com/convenienceandcarwashcanada www.pinterest.com/cstore_carwash/
Convenience & Carwash would like to introduce you to our new advertisers. Acosta Sales & Marketing page 56 Delcan/DelPro page 45 Exclusive Candy page 58 Tillamook Country Smoker Inc. page 53 Yvan Nadeau Inc. page 55 Xyience page 55
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Award Winning Premiere magazine published for the convenience store, petroleum and carwash industries.
Reach Diverse New Markets. Advertise Today! Free Subscriptions! go online to subscribe visit: www.convenienceandcarwash.com To register your company to be listed in our NEW REAL-TIME Resource Directory and the NEW REAL-TIME Carwash Buyers Guide. For advertising information contact Cody Johnstone at 416-838-4674 or email: codyj@convenienceandcarwash.com
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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WCSA Report
W C F Western Contraband Studies
The WCSA started doing contraband studies in 2013 after learning of an Alberta warehouse full of illegal cigarettes from Rainbow Tobacco – an on-reserve cigarette manufacturer in Quebec. As Rainbow Tobacco had publicly stated its intention of gaining access to Western Canada, it was becoming clear that contraband was no longer a problem limited to Central Canada. The initial studies in 2013 and 2014 revealed surprisingly high rates in all four provinces, ranging from 9.9% in Alberta to 17.3% in BC. “Since then the association has been very active in working with governments to warn them of what is coming if they don’t act quickly, and to encourage them to put measures in place that have been effective in Quebec and Ontario”, says Andrew Klukas, WCSA President. These measures include giving police
adequate powers and allowing municipalities to retail the proceeds of crime. In September of 2015, the WCSA commissioned a follow-up study in all four Western provinces. “I’m pleased to say that our campaign appears to be working because our study found a slight decline in all provinces, except Alberta.” Interestingly, the province with the lowest contraband rate – Saskatchewan – is also the provinces with the lowest cigarette taxes, and that has resisted pressure to ban any tobacco flavours. Saskatchewan also has the lowest rate of contraband in and around school grounds. “Clearly, Saskatchewan is doing something right. Alberta, on the other hand, has raised tobacco taxes by $10 per carton this year and has banned menthol,” says Klukas. Unlike the other provinces, its contraband rate has remained flat.
CS Expo
Fuel Pump Warning Labels
The WCSA’s first CS Expo was a great first event. It was a lot of work but also a learning experience. The 2016 CS Expo is already shaping up to be even better with new vendors having already signed up. We are working with a group of like-minded retailers and vendors to ensure that each group gleans the most from this exciting event. The “store” will be even bigger than it was in 2015 with a slightly different layout and larger space for each category, says Andrew Klukas. Our intent is to bring together retailers and vendors in a setting that encourages discussions with the intent to growing the businesses from both sides. Without a strong foundation of knowledge the industry can’t grow. We intend to expand the discussions, really get people talking and make the CS Expo “the place to be to seek and find new ideas”
The City of North Vancouver in BC recently passed a bylaw requiring gas stations to place labels, either on the pump handle or somewhere on the pump itself, promoting reduced emissions. “The good news is that the City rejected the negativity of a campaign to force retailers to place very negative and dreary imaging on the nozzles,” says Klukas. That’s a step in the right direction and the city is interested in exploring information similar to what can be found at www.smartfuelling.ca. “However, we still have issues with the placement of labels on or around the pump, especially in a province that has a mandatory prepay requirement.” Many retailers place advertisements on their nozzle talkers or on the pump in order to encourage customers to come into the store. The WCSA’s next step, therefore, is to demonstrate that there are better ways for municipalities to encourage citizens to reduce their emissions. “The best way is to talk with us first because convenience and gas retailers can help local governments achieve their goals. All they need to do is ask, and we will be more than willing to discuss ideas that can actually work and create a win-win situation for everyone. “
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Throughout 2016, we anticipate many new changes and challenges for our industry. With the new elected federal government, we expect to see action on the Liberal party’s platform in several areas including nutritional labelling and tobacco packaging.
THE 2016 SUMMIT PLANNING COMMITTEE HAVE ALREADY BEEN HARD AT WORK PREPARING FOR THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL CONVENIENCE INDUSTRY SUMMIT (NCIS), TAKING PLACE IN COLLINGWOOD, ONTARIO, SEPTEMBER 2829, 2016.
Meeting with government and educating them on the issues facing convenience stores will be vital in the early months of this year. It is critical to remind politicians across the country about our industry’s economic contributions as well as our support for community activities. Many distributors are family owned businesses with deep roots in the communities they serve. NACDA will also be launching a refreshed online presence through a new website. This renewed user-friendly, mobile-friendly platform will be an online resource for all of NACDA’s activities. Check our Government Relations section to learn about recent advocacy efforts, or our award section to submit an application for our two awards programs, or our Summit section to get the latest on the program, our speakers and networking events. The 2016 Summit Planning Committee have already been hard at work preparing for this year’s National Convenience Industry Summit (NCIS), taking place in Collingwood, Ontario, September 28-29, 2016. This event is the leading national forum for content and networking in the convenience industry in Canada. Hosted jointly by the National Convenience Stores Distributors Association and the Canadian Convenience Stores Associa-
tion, the NCIS brings together leaders of the industry to learn and share best practices, network with colleagues and celebrate the industry’s best. Every year we choose a theme in order to provide timely and relevant content addressing issues that our industry is confronting. 2016 is no exception! As consumers increasingly look for healthier options on-the-go, our theme will focus on how offering healthier options can lead to healthier profits. In addition to the Summit’s business sessions, the Awards of Excellence and Convenience Innovation Award (CIA) ceremonies will take place in Collingwood. These two evenings are truly inspiring as we celebrate innovation in the convenience channel and recognize the individuals and companies who contribute to the success and evolution of the industry. With 2016 upon us, NACDA anticipates some new and ongoing challenges for the convenience industry. Check in with the NACDA team, on our new website and inperson at the Summit as we address the matters that affect our members most.
Questions about the program can be addressed to Hope Caldwell at hcaldwell@ nacda.ca.
grow YOUR BUSINESS
NATIONAL CONVENIENCE INDUSTRY SUMMIT save the date don’t miss the industry event of the year Collingwood, ON Sept 28 - 29, 2016
learn
network
share YOUR IDEAS
By Anthony Santilli, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Bullfrog Power
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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Sustainability Pit Stop As awareness of climate change and our energy issues increases in the public domain, so too do consumer expectations about the products and businesses they support. Companies investing in sustainability are standing out amongst their competitors. How can you transform your business to fit this emerging model? There are a number of ways to start your business’ sustainability journey. In addition to implementing baseline activities, such as recycling and conserving resources, many organizations look to make a difference through their energy. Simple ways to begin your energy-related sustainability journey include: • Conduct an energy audit. Find out how much energy your business uses in terms of both electricity and heating. Next, look for ways to become more energy efficient. • Consider investing in efficient appliances and systems, such as LED lighting, to help reduce your consumption. • For the energy that you do consume, consider supporting a renewable energy provider to address your energy-related emissions. What does it mean to choose green energy?
Choosing renewable energy is as simple as signing up with a green energy provider, such as Bullfrog Power. When you choose renewable energy for your business, for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity you purchase, a kWh from a pollution-free, renewable source is produced and put on the grid on your behalf. This clean energy helps reduce the amount of energy needed from polluting sources. You displace energy from polluting sources on the grid and help to green our energy systems. Bullfrog Power’s green electricity comes from a blend of wind and low-impact hydro power sourced from new Canadian renewable energy facilities. Bullfrog’s green natural gas works much the same way. When you sign up for this product, Bullfrog puts green natural gas onto the pipeline to match the amount of conventional gas your organization uses. Bullfrog’s green natural gas is sourced from a methane-capture project on a landfill where biogas is captured, cleaned up, and put onto the national natural gas pipeline. Why choose green energy?
By choosing renewable energy, you help to advance the growth of renewable energy in Canada and reduce your environmental impact. And by reducing your environmental impact, your business can position itself as an active force for good in your community. Consumers want to know how you are contributing to your community. By communicating your business’ sustainability commitments, you can help build greater consumer trust and loyalty. Bullfrog Power works with its customers in a variety of ways to optimize the brand and reputational benefits of a renewable energy commitment. When partnering with Bullfrog, you can be confident in its environmental reputation because it has earned the support of the leading Canadian not-for-profit environmental and health groups including WWF-Canada, the Pembina Institute, and the David Suzuki Foundation. Bullfrog Power is also audited on an annual basis to ensure that its customers’ renewable energy was produced and accurately counted and credited to them.
Want to learn more?
For more on how green energy works and what it can mean for your business, visit www.bullfrogpower.com.
10 JANUARY / FEBRUARY Amongst our numerous media partners
14 – 16 June 2016, Stuttgart, Germany
The leading retail petroleum and car wash trade fair in Europe
Forecourt design by Minale Tattersfield
With 344 exhibitors from 29 countries and 11,000 visitors from 92 countries, UNITI expo 2014 established itself as the leading trade fair in Europe. UNITI expo 2016 will unite the entire industry under one roof including forecourt equipment, car wash, logistics and convenience retailing. UNITI expo provides a unique opportunity for exhibitors and visitors to build and strengthen business relationships with customers and professionals alike.
Would you like to attend as a visitor? Secure your free ticket via our website!
Are you interested in exhibiting? 90 % of the exhibition space in the
carwash & carcare area is already booked. Therefore, get in touch via +49 7721 9830-0 or uniti-expo@com-a-tec.de and secure your booth today!
www.uniti-expo.com UNITI expo 2016 cooperation partners
for on-the-go Consumption
Organizer UNITI-Kraftstoff GmbH in cooperation with WDM management consultancy and com-a-tec GmbH.
By Angela Altass
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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“THE RCMP HAS SEEN A CONSISTENT DECREASE IN ITS CROSSBORDER CONTRABAND TOBACCO SEIZURES SINCE 2011,” SAYS CONSTABLE ANNIE DELISLE, MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICER, NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, RCMP. “THIS COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING PUBLIC AWARENESS AND A TRANSITION BY ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS TO DOMESTIC SOURCES OF RAW LEAF TOBACCO.”
CONTRABAND TOBACCO “I think this is our challenge,” says Grant, “particularly right now in Ontario, to keep the impetus going on raising awareness, so the public realizes what the problem is with organized crime, loss of tax revenue and the fact that children are being targeted.”
Although contraband tobacco continues to be a serious issue in Canada, there might be a glimmer of hope that increased public awareness, media attention, and legislative changes are starting to have an impact. “The RCMP has seen a consistent decrease in its crossborder contraband tobacco seizures since 2011,” says Constable Annie Delisle, media relations officer, National Communications Services, RCMP. “This could be attributed to a number of factors including public awareness and a transition by organized crime groups to domestic sources of raw leaf tobacco.” Gary Grant, national spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT), remains confident that this is a cause worth fighting for and is pleased that the general public is starting to pay attention to the problem. “I think that with the coalition’s public outreach efforts we may have turned a corner,” says Grant. “Previously, probably at least half of the population didn’t think much about the contraband problem but now that more people are aware of it, we’ve seen that we’ve really struck a nerve. Once people found out about it, they started saying that they wanted something to be done about it.” Grant stresses that the coalition plans to continue their efforts moving forward. “Going into 2016, we don’t want to take our foot off the gas pedal,” he says. “We want to keep our energies and our focus on continuing to make people aware and then I think even more people will be demanding action.” Based on RCMP data, Ontario and Quebec remain the most active provinces with respect to contraband tobacco activity, says Delisle. The RCMP deploys efforts at the national level to combat contraband tobacco. There is also a Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit–Contraband
Tobacco Initiative (CFSEU-CTI) based in Cornwall, Ontario, which is a primary route in cross-border trafficking of illicit tobacco. “Organized crime is extensively involved in the illicit tobacco market,” says Delisle. “The CFSEU-CTI is a joint initiative unit that targets organized crime involved in the illicit tobacco market. We have been generating positive results since the inception of this unit.” NCACT’s public awareness campaigns have involved informing the public about the link between organized crime and contraband tobacco. “The general public is not accepting that there is a link to organized crime and we’re trying to change that,” says Grant. “At the outset of a recent survey almost half of the population (46 per cent) was not concerned about the sale of contraband tobacco in their communities and said they knew very little about the issue. They were equally unsure about the involvement of organized crime.” Through public information campaigns, people learned more about contraband tobacco issues, says Grant, and support for doing something about it jumped to 76 per cent. “I think this is our challenge,” says Grant, “particularly right now in Ontario, to keep the impetus going on raising awareness, so the public realizes what the problem is with organized crime, loss of tax revenue and the fact that children are being targeted. When illegal cigarettes are being sold to a 13 year old for $8 for a bag of 200 cigarettes, that starts a new generation of smokers and teaches children that it is ok to break the law.” Grant says he has worked closely with the Canadian Convenience Stores Association, which is a member of the coalition, to raise awareness to support the fight against contraband tobacco. Convenience & Carwash Canada
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“RESEARCH CARRIED OUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAS INDICATED THAT ABOUT ONE IN THREE CIGARETTES PURCHASED IN ONTARIO IS CONTRABAND,” SAYS GRANT. “THE CANADIAN LEVEL HAS BEEN ABOUT ONE IN 10 CIGARETTES ARE CONTRABAND.”
contacted Alex Scholten, president of the Canadian Convenience Stores Association but he declined to comment for this article. NCACT is carefully watching contraband tobacco activity in the western and Maritime provinces, says Grant. “Research carried out over the last couple of years has indicated that about one in three cigarettes purchased in Ontario is contraband,” says Grant. “The Canadian level has been about one in 10 cigarettes are contraband. We’ve seen attempts for it to branch out into other provinces, and we are hoping we can encourage those provinces to get ahead of the game and not get into the state that Ontario is in.” Andrew Klukas, president of the Western Convenience Stores Association, shares the concerns regarding contraband activity in Western Canada. “We only began observing the incidence of contraband in Western Canada in 2013 following a public commitment by Rainbow Tobacco to try to get its product into the west, followed by the discovery and seizure of their products from an Alberta warehouse,” says Klukas. “Two 2013 studies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba found a slight increase following tax increases.” Alberta raised taxes by $5 per carton in the spring and a second $5 increase took place just after the latest Alberta study was completed, says Klukas. “We are still awaiting the results of a second increase,” says Klukas. “Our concern is that Alberta’s contraband rate will go up.” In recent years, Northern Alberta (Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie) has been experiencing an increase in the amount of contraband Shisha (water-pipe) tobacco being encountered and seized, whereas the focus for Southern Alberta has continued to be investigations and related violations of manufactured contraband tobacco products, says Dan Huang, communications officer, Alberta Gaming & Liquor Commission (AGLC). “We cannot speak for the rest of the country, but with regard to Alberta from 2010 up to and including 2014, the AGLC Tobacco Enforcement unit has seized approximately 21,000,000 cigarettes/grams contraband tobacco,” says Huang. “The Alberta Treasury Board and Finance and AGLC have estimated the prevalence of contraband tobacco in Alberta to be between two and three per cent.” Contraband tobacco does more harm to retailers than just impacting tobacco sales, says Klukas. “It removes foot traffic and results in drops in sales of other products as well,” says Klukas. “It’s hard to put a dollar value to the impact on retailers. However, we can put things in perspective by examining the impact on government revenue. In British Columbia, for example, a 15 per cent contraband rate represents a loss of over $100 million per year in provincial excise tax revenues alone. To this we can add the impact of counterfeit products from Asia, which are not included in our study, and which would raise the contraband rate well above 15 per cent.” Several provincial governments have taken steps to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco, including menthol cigarettes. “I fully support any government initiatives to try and get
people to stop smoking,” says Grant, “but one of the problems with banning menthol cigarettes is that there happens to be twice as many contraband menthol products out there as there are legal ones. So, if you really want to ban menthol cigarettes then you should close off the ability for people to go to the other market and get them.” Menthol cigarettes account for less than five per cent of the market, says Eric Rolheiser, SVP & president, Canada, Core-Mark International Inc. “Provincial governments believe that the regulation of menthol cigarettes is not only the most pressing health issue we have in Canada but also the most pressing tobacco control issue,” says Rolheiser. “Illegal manufacturers currently have over 20 different menthol brands available for sale that remain available on the market on reserve. The question that needs to be asked is why aren’t governments discussing these major decisions with legitimate business stakeholders to understand the impact of their proposals and, in turn, make educated decisions that benefit the health of consumers and retailers?” Illegal manufacturing facilities in Ontario and other parts of Eastern Canada are providing ample product for consumers looking for a less expensive alternative, says Rolheiser. “I’ll refer to a published RCMP document from 2013 that suggests there are about 50 contraband manufacturers of various sizes and levels of sophistication operating in the Kahnawake and Six Nations territories in Quebec and Ontario, respectively,” says Rolheiser when speaking on the severity of the contraband issue. “Some of these manufacturers are pumping out an estimated 10,000 unregulated cigarettes a minute, creating a steady supply of cheap and easily available contraband smokes. The number of organized crime groups trafficking the product is estimated to be around 175.” Contraband is a big problem, says Rolheiser. “Reality is, lost revenues due to contraband are estimated to exceed $2.5 billion annually,” he says. “This has had a significant impact on retailers, including business closures. Additionally, governments, provincially and federally, have lost more than $2 billion in tax revenue.” The federal government implemented Bill C-10 The Tackling Contraband Tobacco Act in 2014. “The RCMP continues to enforce provisions of the Excise Act, 2001 when dealing with contraband tobacco,” says Delisle. “The new legislation does have greater effect for the provincial and municipal police forces who now have authority under the Criminal Code to investigate contraband tobacco crime.” NCACT is hopeful that the severe Criminal Code convictions of Bill C-10 and the jail sentences involved will deter some criminals from getting involved in contraband tobacco. Although there have been some progressive steps forward in combatting the problem, contraband tobacco is still a serious concern in this country. “The contraband tobacco manufacturing and trade industry remains a significant threat to public safety, public health and legitimate commerce within Canada,” says Delisle.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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WE SPEND A GOOD MAJORITY OF TIME FOCUSING ON THE OPERATIONAL SIDE OF OUR BUSINESS AND NOT ENOUGH ON THE SAFETY & SECURITY SIDE. PREVENTING CRIME AND MAKING YOUR PROPERTY LESS DESIRABLE TO CRIMINALS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED OR EXPENSIVE.
Understanding What Makes a C-Store Safe… > Building an effective sales plan. > Maintaining product levels to ensure our stores are always in-stock. > Executing promotional initiatives. > Growing sales. All of these elements are essential to increasing the profitability of a business, but one of the most important elements is often overlooked – building an effective security program. As retail business professionals, we spend a good majority of time focusing on the operational side of our business and not enough on the safety & security side. Preventing crime and making your property less desirable to criminals does not have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, did you know the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime as well as an improvement in the quality of life? Which, simply put, translates into enhanced safety for employees and customers ultimately leading to increased profits!
the factors that contribute to crime, specifically at convenience stores, will help you frame your approach in determining effective preventative measures, recognize key intervention options and then select appropriate responses. This article will take you through a few key areas to focus on, but it is recommended that you have a CPTED certified practitioner (your local police service should have a certified CPTED Officer) do conduct a survey of your premises. To start, research studies indicate that crime or disorder occur when three components align: 1. There is a criminal desire 2. A victim is identified and 3. An opportunity presents itself
So, do I have your attention now?
Understanding the philosophy of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and the Crime Triangle, along with
This is commonly known as “The Crime Triangle” and can be useful in framing an approach to reduce or remove recurring crime
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problems. A simple crime triangle looks like this:
A CCTV SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM IS MORE OF AN INVESTIGATIVE TOOL THAN A CRIME DETERRENT – INSTALLING A CAMERA DOESN’T EQUAL SECURITY, BUT THE PROPER PLACEMENT OF A CAMERA CAN MAKE YOUR STORE A LITTLE SAFER.
The only piece of the crime triangle you can control is the opportunity – achieved by making your premise a less desirable target to be victimized. A good tip, when looking at your store environment, both inside and out, is to simply try to think like a criminal – you will be surprised at what you will identify as risks and points of compromise. Your initial focus, outside of employee training, should be on the following areas: Interior Store Layout
Several characteristics of a store’s interior layout can influence its vulnerability to be victimized by crime, especially a robbery. Most
important is visibility, from two perspectives. First, employees should be able to see their surroundings, and second, people outside the store, including patrolling police, should be able to see into the store. Potential offenders can be deterred by brightly lit stores in which employees and the store’s point of sale (POS) area are clearly visible from the street; this can be achieved by having LED lights installed. Having a clear, unobstructed store front can be accomplished at no cost by simply reducing window signage (especially in windows around the POS area) and reviewing the placement of store displays/shelving around the store to ensure they remain low-profile with height levels staying below 4ft. This will al-
low an employee to observe the movement of customers or potential offenders while in the store, and will also give your employees the opportunity to provide superior customer service as well. Exterior Store Environment
Once again, visibility is also a factor outside the store. Poorly lit parking lots and building lighting increase the likelihood of an offender to select and victimize your location. The use of LED lights in strategic areas on the exterior will provide adequate illumination of the property. This will allow employees to observe what is occurring outside and affords the ability of passersby to provide informal surveillance of the store’s interior and exterior.
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Another equally important factor to look at is the availability of viable escape routes, which is a consideration in determining whether or not a store could be a prime crime target. For instance, poorly designed fencing or landscaping can facilitate an offender’s quick flight from the store, thereby making the store a more attractive target.
To summarize, if you can maximize natural surveillance, this will provide employees and people walking by with an optimal view of the interior
and exterior of the store. This involves having adequate interior and exterior lighting, and unobstructed views into the store. Clear visibility will be
complemented by strategic placement of CCTV cameras which will allow for enhanced video images to capture potential offenders.
Sean Sportun, ICPS Manager, Security & Loss Prevention Mac’s Convenience Stores email: sean.sportun@macs.ca
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CCTV System
The clear presence of a CCTV system, complimented with signage stating surveillance equipment is in use, have been found to have some deterrent effect by increasing risk of identification to a potential offender. However, we must remember that a CCTV surveillance system is more of an investigative tool than a crime deterrent – installing a camera doesn’t equal security, but the proper placement of a camera can make your store a little safer. Having an adequate system, with a minimum hard drive memory retention of 30 days will greatly assist police in their investigation to identify an offender – to provide an accurate offender description it is recommend that you have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) with IP Cameras and ensure all key areas are covered, suggested camera placements are: • Point of sale (POS) area • Entrance area where a customer can see themselves as they enter – this is known as a Personal View Monitor • Covert door frame camera • General view of the store to cover high shrink items • High traffic areas; such as your cooler area, hot/cold beverage area to mitigate civil claims if an allegation of personal injury occurs • Backroom area
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16
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
By Angela Altass
Cash Management & POS Keeping on top of trends with the latest technology Today’s consumer is interested in quick, efficient service and when paying for purchases they are also expecting to receive a reward. “The world is becoming increasingly mobile, more convenient, secure and cost-effective,” says Todd Lawrence, partner, Just.Cash. “The way people are paying for products has evolved significantly over the past few years. People can now pay online or use their phone to tap and go, and this mobile connectivity is becoming increasingly prevalent in all forms of purchasing.” Although cash is being used less in some societies, Lawrence feels certain that cash will continue to play a fundamental role in commerce for decades to come. Consumers interested in accessing cash through their mobile device will be taking note of what Just. Cash has to offer. Just.Cash card-less technology provides mobile access to cash using an existing ATM network resulting in quicker ATM transactions. With 90 per cent of the transaction taking place on the customer’s phone, it usually takes about 10 seconds to get the cash out of the ATM and no personal information is being shared. Just.Cash is a free software upgrade that is backwards compatible to existing ATMs with no new hardware required. Further information is available at http://just.cash/ Maybe paying with cash or even through your phone is too old school and cumbersome for some modern consumers. DC Payments has just the thing for them with DC TAG, a payment wristband. Described as rugged, waterproof and available in six different colours, DC TAG lets on- the-go consumers purchase products quickly and easily via Visa payWave tap and pay technology. The bands work with contactless-enabled POS terminals certified for Visa payWave. The transaction takes a fraction of a second to complete, and no PIN entry is required. “This is an exciting offering for us because it’s our first direct contact with customers,” says Mike Kelso, VP Innovation, DC Payments. “Not only can individuals buy a band at their local retailer, but they can also buy it online on our website. Retailers will make a healthy margin on sales and most retailers will benefit from the opportunity to sell a cool new product.” As part of a sales initiative, DC Payments is providing signage, racks, and marketing support to retailers and offering a 60-day money back guarantee. Further information is available at dctag.ca. An increasing number of consumers are expecting a reward for
making a purchase and SmoothPay offers residents of downtown Toronto and surrounding area a way to combine mobile payments with loyalty programs. “When customers pay with SmoothPay, they get discounts and loyalty rewards automatically deducted from the transaction price,” says Brian Deck, co-founder, SmoothPay. “These are real incentives for the customers to use SmoothPay, and it is helping to grow the business of some of the retailers who are using it.” “The popularity of loyalty programs is increasing in Canada,” says Deck. “Consumers using phone apps for payments and loyalty programs is a growing trend that is not going away,” he states. “In Canada, there are 130 million loyalty program memberships,” says Deck. “If you divide that by every living Canadian, that’s 3.68 memberships per person. Loyalty programs are popular with all ages.” SmoothPay transactions are made through smartphones using the tokenization method. Consumers can use the SmoothPay app, which features all locations in one spot, or download the merchant’s individual app, powered by SmoothPay. “When someone is making a purchase at point of sale none of their financial information is transmitted so that information is not a risk,” says Deck. “A token is used, which is a unique number that cannot be used for anything else. It identifies the user at that specific moment in time. It cannot be used for anything to transact with other than at that moment in time at that location for that user. We have expiry of tokens involved in our solution so even if a token is captured it cannot be used for another transaction later on.” SmoothPay is currently working on solutions for the convenience store industry under the direction of its VP of National Accounts Scott Reed who is a former director of operations, merchandising and marketing for Mac’s Couche-Tard. “There will be some exciting announcements in regard to this in 2016,” says Deck. Services such as SmoothPay offer retailers a way to connect with their customers, says Deck. “Merchants can really leverage this strategy,” says Deck. “It enables marketers and management at the chains to do a better job engaging with customers and know who their customers are and how often they come to the store. What locations are they visiting and what products are they buying? When you have that type of data you can target promotions on a one-to-one or one-to-many basis and really drive sales.”
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For the retailer, cash management– convenient, secure and automated ways to deposit cash, dispense cash, recycle coin and mange the in-store change fund–is an important aspect of business. In 2008, Tidel introduced modular-based peripherals for its Sentinel product line, allowing convenience stores access to the broadest cash management portfolio in the industry, says Zlatko Kireta, director of sales, Canada, Tidel Engineering. “In 2014, Tidel again revolutionized the cash management industry by introducing the Series 4, a groundbreaking design with innovative features such as a split bottom vault, enhanced serviceability and greater usability,” says Kireta. “The combination of the Series 4 and Tube Vend is a perfect solution for the convenience store and car wash industries as it provides a turnkey solution that addresses the need for automated note deposit and in-store change management in one easy to use system.” For most retailers, having access to their cash and making sure it hits their bank account can make the difference between solvency and insolvency, say Kireta. “This is particularly true for convenience stores who operate on razor thin margins,” says Kireta. In traditional days, convenience stores would store their excess cash in a drop safe, which was typically located in the manager’s office. “At the end of the shift, the manager would have to reconcile cash balances against the day’s cash sales, prepare a deposit and then take the deposit to the bank,” says Kireta. “This process was subject to error, time consuming and unsafe.” By leveraging smart safes, stores have a solution that secures their cash, provides a complete audit trail for all transactions and makes the end of the day reconciliation process significantly more efficient and expedient, says Kireta. “The smart safe sits right under the counter so cash deposits can be made at the register creating a safe environment
for the store,” says Kireta. “Keeping till balances to a minimum is critical for convenience stores, particularly those that are open 24x7.” Retailers have also recently started taking advantage of provisional or daily credit, says Kireta. “This involves the participation of a cashin-transit provider and the store’s bank,” explains Kireta. “In this scenario, cash deposited into the smart safe is recorded online and transmitted to the bank. This way, the
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store doesn’t need to transport the funds to the bank in order for the deposit to be recorded and their account credited. This innovation has had a tremendous impact on a store’s cash operations and has been a key catalyst to the adoption of smart safes across the retail sector, particularly in convenience stores.” Tidel’s portfolio of cash management solutions can integrate into a store environment of any size. For further information visit www.tidel.com
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
By Barbara J. Bowes
It’s all happened very quickly. Social media is not just a fad, it is now an essential business tool. In fact, it has also become a powerful tool for the human resource side of a business.
Are You Protecting Your Online Reputation?
it is important to have a social media policy for employees that clearly sets out what is acceptable and/or not acceptable to say about work related issues in a social media venue.
For instance, job advertisements are more easily and quickly circulated. A website enables candidates to take a peek at your business and get a feel for your culture. Not only that, social media significantly reduces the time required to find that right candidate. In addition, social media is being used as a key method for announcing new products or services, highlighting thoseindividuals selected as employee of the month and/or to broadcast corporate celebratory events. These days, most companies and not-for-profit organizations alike, all have a website, and most use popular sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to post photos and announcements on a regular basis. However, there’s more to using social media than meets the eye. That’s because your business reputation is now being directly linked to what people see and learn from your social media presence. The result is that every company, no matter how small, needs a social media strategy. AND, from a human resource perspective, you need to manage what is said about your company at all times. Therefore, it is important to have a social media policy for employees that clearly sets out what is acceptable and/or not acceptable to say about work related issues in a social media venue. That’s because employees are using their own social media during the personal off-hours time and often casually vent their feelings to all their connections. They fail to pay heed to how quickly a message can get circulated and/or “go viral” so to speak. A social media policy is not a “stand-alone” policy. It needs to be integrated into all the other HR policies, in particular, the policy on disciplinary processes. It needs to be written in plain language so that it is well understood by employees and works for everyone employed by the company. At the same time, there’s already a significant number of online interactions and so it is impossible to highlight everything an employee should avoid.
However, be sure to provide a full description and definition of “acceptable use” including reference to accessing various social networking sites and tools. Refer employees to the company code of ethics and spell out how the social media policy will apply to both business and private use. Emphasize personal responsibility and the potential disciplinary action that can be taken should the employee malign the employer at any time. On the other hand, education is the key to effectively implementing your social media policy. Bring employees together in a group meeting and/or meet for a one-to-one discussion. Help the employee(s) fully understand how their online behavior can positively or negatively impact your company’s image. Listen closely to your local news and you’ll easily find good solid examples of misbehavior that has caused havoc for a business. Share these with your employees. Create a question and answer sheet (Q&A) and circulate it to all employees. Finally, be sure that employees understand what can happen should they violate the social media policy. Protecting your corporate image is indeed the job of the manager. Yet at the same time, it is also the manager’s job to deal with a situation where an employee has broken the social media policy in a legal, objective and fair manner. Be sure to investigate the misconduct carefully and thoroughly and to apply your progressive discipline policy. Not all misconduct requires termination. Social media is here to stay and I am sure will get more sophisticated as time goes along. Be sure to keep up with the trends and ensure your policy is robust enough to deal with future issues that might arise. Barbara J. Bowes is president of Legacy Bowes Group, a leading HR and business advisory group in Manitoba. She can be reached at barb@legacybowes.com
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA 
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Convenience Store Expo Get Ready for 2016! The Western Convenience Stores Association hosted its first Convenience Store Expo this past May. The CS Expo brought together Convenience, Gas and Car Wash Industry professionals for a day of learning, networking with peers & experts, buying and selling, and great fun. It was an unbeatable opportunity for buyers and sellers to come together, conduct business, learn from one another, gain new ideas and form new partnerships. As covered in the last edition of this magazine, the event was a great success! Feedback from this year’s participants will result in an even greater event next year. The WCSA has reserved the brand new Anvil Centre in New Westminster as the venue for June 1, 2016. Visit www.anvilcentre.com for information about this exciting new venue. STAY TUNED! Further information and online registration for retailers and sponsors will soon be posted at www.csexpo.ca. If you would like more information please feel free to contact Brenda Jane Johnstone at bjjohnstone@convenienceandcarwash.com (204 489 4215) or me at Andrew_Klukas@shaw.ca (778 987 4440). Sincerely,
Andrew Klukas President, Western Convenience Stores Association
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
INTRODUCTION
Commercial coolers and freezers are heavy consumers of energy. A significant amount of this energy consumption is a direct result of the short life span of door gaskets and the door heat used to prevent sweating or condensate formation. Maintaining the integrity of cooler and freezer door gaskets is not only important in conserving refrigerated air and energy within the cases, but also in maintaining food safety and extending refrigeration equipment life, thereby reducing downtime and maintenance expenses. The relentless challenge retailers face is dealing with deteriorating, leaking gaskets that waste energy and needlessly increase operating costs. Condensate formation on doors, which makes merchandise unappealing and can drip onto the shopping floor to become a slipping hazard and a potential costly lawsuit, is a constant factor retailers seek to avoid by using heated doors. Unfortunately, this method of preventing condensation comes at a high price in the form of significant energy usage. This paper addresses innovations developed to greatly increase energy efficiency, lower operating costs, decrease maintenance and reduce a retailer’s carbon footprint by retrofitting their existing cooler and freezer doors with these technologies.
Retrofit Technology for Glass Doors Installing Anthony’s innovative refrigeration glass door equipment can lower operating costs, increase energy efficiency and extend product life. GASKET LIFE – TOO SHORT Problem – Frequent Gasket Replacement Refrigerator and freezer door gaskets experience wear and tear from constant door opening and closing, customers leaning on gaskets while shopping and impacts during restocking including damage by stocking carts. Additionally, adding heat to the rails, frames and glass of refrigeration cases to prevent condensate formation also increases wear and tear and causes deformation of gaskets. Gasket deterioration results in a greater potential for air leakage that can compromise food preservation and drive up electrical costs. In freezers, air leakage can even lead to ice formation within the unit and on the merchandise, making the merchandise less appealing to customers. A gasket that has deteriorated merely 0.1” will increase cooler energy usage by 128 kWh annually1. A 0.2” deterioration equates to wasting 138 kWh annually per door (See Figure 1). On average, utilities estimate that extremely damaged and worn gaskets on freezer glass doors can cost retailers as much as $40 to $60 in additional energy expense due to air leakage. To promote energy efficiency and save retailers from this wasted expense, many utilities offer rebates for replacing commercial refrigeration door gaskets.
As a result, periodic refrigerator gasket replacement is an important part of case upkeep, which drives up maintenance and operation expenses. On average, gasket deterioration occurs every three to five years for commercial refrigeration and freezer doors. Solution – Improved Gasket Material Anthony has recently developed a new gasket material, LifePlus Gasket™, with superior sealing performance and life compared to standard PVC gaskets (See Figure 2). Made of a subset of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), LifePlus Gasket has outstanding elastic and thermosetting properties similar to rubber and excellent molding properties akin to plastics to retain tight sealing performance throughout numerous and has obtained UL and RoHS certifications. During a Shore Hardness Test by a thirdparty laboratory, LifePlus Gasket maintained its shape 13% more than PVC gaskets at temperatures reaching -4°F for a more uniform and airtight seal between the cooler door and frame (See Figure 3). Over 2 years of field-testing of LifePlus Gasket at grocery stores and retail outlets has shown that Anthony’s LifePlus Gaskets maintain excellent sealing qualities under the harshest commercial freezer environments.
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STOP THE SLAM! Problem – Repeated Impacts Door gasket deterioration results primarily from repeatedly opening and closing of doors, which occur on average 140 times per day. In addition, the closing of doors weighing 100-200 lbs. can inflict significant force on door gaskets. Current torque rod technology causes doors to shut quickly with a loud “bang”, sometimes bouncing 3-4 times before coming to rest and causing severe wear on gaskets and mullions. As these parts deteriorate, they allow increasing quantities of refrigerated air to escape, resulting in higher refrigeration energy expenses. Solution – Advanced Closing Anthony developed Cloze Control™, an advanced door hold open technology that softly closes doors to reduce gasket wear. Figure 4 depicts Anthony’s Cloze Control installed on a 101 Series door. Its patented dampener reduces the door’s inertia from 100 lbs. force to 20 lbs. force. Field and laboratory tests of the Cloze Control demonstrate that, when coupled with Anthony’s LifePlus Gasket, the life of door gaskets increases by 100%, from 250,000 to over 500,000 cycles.
DOOR RETROFIT
IN THE U.S. RETROFITTING THESE 2.2 MILLION DOORS WITH ENERGY-FREE DOORS WOULD SAVE THE U.S. COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION INDUSTRY OVER $480 MILLION IN ELECTRICAL COSTS.
Problem – Door Heat is Costly for Freezers A large energy consumer within the commercial refrigeration industry is door heat used to prevent door sweating or condensation. On average, a single freezer door with door-heat consumes approximately 3.3 kWh per day in electricity, amounting to $145 per year in added energy costs annually per door (assuming $.12 kWh cost). In addition, for the freezer to maintain proper temperature (because of the heat generated by door heaters) additional refrigeration load is required to compensate for the heat that is introduced within the freezer. This refrigeration load equates to 1.7 kWh per day, or an additional $73 annually (assuming 1.96 freezer COP). In total, a single freezer door with door heat consumes $218 annually in electricity. Like other door parts, door heat technology is another door component that can fail over the service life of the door and add to maintenance costs. Solution – Energy Free Doors To eliminate the enormous energy drain of door heat yet still prevent door
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sweat in cooler and freezer applications, Anthony developed the energy-free Eliminaator RenuTM door – zero door heat required. Utilizing advanced door rail design and insulating materials the energy free Eliminaator Renu prevents door sweating without the use of door heat, all while meeting ANSI/ ASHRAE Standard 72-2014 for Freezers.3 In addition, for cooler applications not requiring door heat, Anthony also offers a number of Energy Free Cooler doors, such as its Vista C and Infinity 090 doors. Results – 2 Year Payback The following compares costs of a retailer maintaining a standard heated freezer door vs. retrofitting such a door with an Eliminaator Renu door, LifePlus Gasket and Cloze Control over a tenyear period. Maintaining a heated freezer door requires a total cash expenditure of $2,817 over the ten-year period. This includes annual door heat electrical costs, air leakage due to gasket degradation and gasket replacement every five years. The total cash flow for retrofitting a freezer door with an Eliminaator Renu, LifePlus Gasket and Cloze Control over ten years would be $515. All cash expenditures for the Eliminaator Renu occur the first year alone and include only the purchase price of the door
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
and installation costs. There are no additional expenditures during the remaining ten years. The result is a payback on the investment in 2 years and a total savings of over $2,302 per door! For a 100-freezer door line up the savings add up even quicker: $230,200. Conclusion For years the commercial refrigeration industry has been plagued with refrigeration cases that heavily consume energy via door heat, gaskets that degrade quickly, rising energy prices and ever more stringent Federal Department of Energy requirements.4 Recently, Anthony has innovated new technologies to combat these issues including the LifePlus Gasket, a gasket material that maintains tight door seals at cold temperatures and lasts longer for less maintenance and energy waste; the Cloze Control, advanced door hold open technology that softly closes cooler and freezer doors, further reducing gasket wear; and the Eliminaator Renu that can operate in freezer applications without door heat
saving significant energy costs without sacrificing condensation prevention. Combining all three technologies within a door retrofit can provide a retailer over $2,300 in savings during the life of the door. On a larger basis, it is estimated that there are 2.2 million freezer doors aged 5-15 years in need of service in the U.S. Retrofitting these 2.2 million doors with energy-free
doors would save the U.S. commercial refrigeration industry over $480 million in electrical costs and eliminate over 6 billion lbs. of carbon emissions in the form of CO2 based on EPA calculations5. Retrofitting freezer and cooler doors with new technology can be a long-term investment to decrease operating costs as well as cut energy use and help to green operations.
About the author: Uri Rainisch is the Senior Marketing Manager for Anthony®, a
Dover Company. Headquartered in Sylmar, CA, USA, Anthony is a manufacturer and solutions provider of glass doors, lighting systems and display equipment for use in commercial refrigeration systems. For more information, please go to www.anthonyintl. com or contact Mr. Rainisch at marketing@anthonyintl.com or call: 1-818-837-2967. References 1. Anthony, I., Annual Operating Cost Comparison. 2015 [cited 2015 5/7/15]; Door Energy Comparison Calculator]. http://www. anthony.biz/ anthonyintlcalculator/Home.aspx 2. B iron, M., Thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites. 1st ed. PDL handbook series. 2013, Oxford ; Waltham, MA: William Andrew. xxvii, 1044 p. 3. A SHRAE, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 72-2014, in Method of Testing Open and Closed Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers. 2014, ASHRAE: Atlanta, GA. 4. United States Department of Energy., New Energy Efficiency Standards for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment to Cut Businesses’ Energy Bills and Carbon Pollution. 2014. 5. U nited States Environmental Protection Agency, U.E.P.A. Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. 2015 4/16/2014 [cited 2015 4/9/2015]; Available from: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/ energy-resources/calculator.html
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By Chambers 26Eva JANUARY / FEBRUARY
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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Rock-N-Wash Connects with Customers on Social Media We first introduced Rock-N-Wash Carwash to you in our November 2013 issue. Rock-N-Wash™ is an Edmonton-based carwash with a unique 50’s & 60’s rock-n-roll theme. The site combines a fun atmosphere with the latest carwash technology, convenience, and eco-friendly thinking. To Sylvain Blouin, Rock-N-Wash’s founder, owing and operating a carwash is more than just running a business. It's being part of a community, both on and offline. Since he opened Rock-N-Wash two years ago, he’s been an avid user of social media to promote Rock-N-Wash’s services, but also uses it as a way to connect with his customers and the local community. Blouin understands that you have to use social media to engage with customers and share experiences, not just advertise your business, “Customers that connect with us on social media are becoming our voice and sharing posts with their friends,” said Blouin.” The key to connecting with your social media community is being real and authentic, if you aren’t, people will pick up on that.” Many small businesses are rapidly adopting RockinN-Wash's forward-thinking approach to social media. The BMO Report Reveals
The majority of business owners have an understanding of how social media works, with Millennials leading the way at 93 per cent.
Over one-third (35 per cent) use social media for marketing purposes.
One-in-ten (11 per cent) business owners are using social media to listen to customer feedback and understand the changing business environment.
A recent report released in May 2015, by BMO Bank of Montreal, shows that nearly half of Canadian small business owners now use social media for their businesses. Sylvain Blouin is one of the 11 per cent of Canadian small business owners that fully embrace using social media to listen to feedback, and create an interactive experience for customers that keeps them coming back. He frequently uses social media to connect with his community and keep them updated on what’s going on at the carwash.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
This past summer Rock-N-Wash hosted a drive-in movie night and announced the event on their Facebook page. The post went viral among their Facebook community and over 2000 people liked or commented on the event within three days of the announcement. The event was a success, and Blouin enjoyed watching the engagement on social media unfold. "It's encouraging to see that business owners are using the social space for marketing and communicating purposes. However, only 11 per cent are using it to listen, which is valuable to track competitors or trends and grow their businesses," said Steve Murphy, Head, Canadian Commercial Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal. "Business owners need to take advantage of the benefits of social media as a means to communicate both to and with their customers in order to learn new business strategies." To help take full advantage of their social media presence, Rock-N-Wash is taking a strategic approach to social media by setting goals, objectives, and developing social media tactics that align with their 2016 business planning. One of these goals is to increase awareness for their distinctive style 50’s & 60’s carwash and grow the number of return customers.
Rock-N-Wash 4803-55 Avenue, Edmonton AB T6B 3S3 www.Rock-N-Wash.com Data Source: BMO Financial Group. www.bmo.com “Nearly Half of Canadian Small Business Owners Now Use Social Media for Their Businesses”: BMO Report
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To achieve this, Rock-N-Wash plans to host series of fun-filled events at the Carwash and use social media to promote them, with the hopes that their online community will attend and invite their friends to join. He’s also hired a social media consultant to help execute on this plan and manage his community. With his business growing quickly and plans for a second location, Blouin is busier than ever and wants to keep a high-level focus on social media. So he hired a consultant who understands the carwash business. He is investing $500 to $1000 per month in social media activities which he says is worth the investment to help him achieve his business goals. If you are a small business owner thinking about increasing your social media presence, take a look at the Rock-N-Wash website and their Facebook page, especially the YouTube video gallery where viewers can experience the car wash even before they visit the site. You’ll see that Sylvain Blouin knows how to engage with his customers, and people who have joined his online community to be part of the experience, no matter where they are.
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Clean and Cool
It may seem like a simple slush, or frozen cappuccino, but the frozen beverage centre is much more–it’s a destination, an area to help drive incremental sales, and build customer relationships. “The frozen beverage selection is a staple at any convenience store. You are losing the ability to create a lifetime customer. The kid that comes for today’s slush is coming back for gas and snacks as he gets older. It’s not about that one sale, you’re looking for those customers to have a good experience, and build on that relationship,” explains Michael Blanchard, owner of the Halston Bridge Esso in Kamloops, B.C. “I like to give slushies to sports teams that come through my store. It builds good will, and the kids drive their parents to go to the store that gave them that free slush. Little things like that create a customer relationship that everyone values–retailer and customer alike.” Blanchard’s frozen beverage centre consists of two, three-barrel slush machines, which allows him to offer six flavours, as well as a counter unit with two hoppers for smoothies. “The biggest trend in frozen beverages is people want a healthy choice, that’s why we went towards the smoothie,” he states, adding although in the gas and convenience sector smoothies can be a little cost prohibitive, so ensure you have cost conscious options for the “grab and go” crowd. Milkshakes are also on the rise in Canadian c-stores, states Nikkie McBrayer, senior manager of retail marketing for F’real Foods, which offers innovative, and somewhat interactive, milkshake options for the channel. “For F’real, we are seeing greater consumption of our milkshake portfolio in Canada versus coffee or smoothies. While smoothies perform well, they do not have quite the growth of milkshakes,” she states, adding the company provides retailers an opportunity to offer a
frozen beverage platform in their stores that others cannot. “With coffee and smoothies, these come in all sorts of competitive forms – whether bottled, through other self-service equipment or made behind the counter. More often than not, when consumers see F’real they are thinking about milkshakes.” Customers have been thinking a lot about the company’s Cotton Candy variety, which, thanks to popular demand, is being made a permanent flavour sku. The company is set to launch a specialty flavour–cake batter, a hot item in the ice cream segment–for spring 2016. “Frozen beverages have been heavily affected by seasonal flavour trends. Whether it be seasonal fruit or a flavour inspired by seasonal activity – like our cotton candy which usually evokes the memories of fairs and amusement parks,” states McBrayer. “In addition, there seems to be quite the movement toward branded flavours. It is not un common to see a shake that includes branded candy or a frozen beverage that is inspired by a branded soda flavour these days.” With every new flavour, F’real Foods offers retailers awareness point of sale designed to call out the new flavour offerings. Since consumers are attracted to new items drawing awareness to those items is a good driver of trial. Further, the company has seen short window price discounting work. "While consumers love milkshakes, we find the proposition of getting one from a convenience store is still of a foreign concept for Canadian consumers. As such, providing a lower cost for a short window encourages consumers to taste and experience the concept and return again knowing its quality,” she explains. Seeing the potential for milkshake margins (these delectable drinks have a great profit potential, often exceeding 70 per cent gross margins) DSL Ltd. recently released a new milkshake program called Flavor Blasted
Neoplitan milkshake
From milkshakes to crowd-pleasing slushes the frozen beverage counter should be a destination for fun, and repeat sales.
Milkshakes are also on the rise in Canadian c-stores, states Nikkie McBrayer, senior manager of retail marketing for F’real Foods, which offers innovative, and somewhat interactive, milkshake options for the channel.
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
Shakes. The program includes a countertop Taylor milkshake unit along with a Flavor Burst attachment and digital touch screen. Customers can select a flavour (or any combination of flavours) from the touchscreen, and the unit will dispense the selected flavours from a single spout. “It creates a very delicious product, and the program is extremely profitable for operators,” states Jason Sparrow, marketing manager for DSL Ltd., adding the program also comes with colourful equipment POP. But, undoubtedly the company’s most popular frozen beverage in c-stores is frozen carbonated slush. “Each year, Canadians purchase over 30 million Slurpees (“Canadian-style slush”) from 7-Eleven alone,” he states, explaining that “Canadian-style slush” contains a low percentage of air resulting slush in a much wetter, denser product, and is the style that most Canadians associate with the word “slush”. C-store chains that serve this style using a Taylor machine are 7-Eleven, Mac’s, Winks, Petro-Canada, Husky, Fas Gas, and Chevron amongst others, adds Sparrow. When it comes to slush variety is key. But, states Sparrow, retailers don’t need multiple pieces of equipment to ensure the excitement needed for the category. The company recently released a new digital touchscreen for Flavor Burst attachments to Taylor equipment. Flavor Burst can be added to any Taylor slush, soft serve, frozen coffee, or shake program to add up to eight additional flavours on a single spout.
“It allows operators to feature multiple flavours without taking up much additional floor space. The new touchscreen helps catch customer’s eyes with video clips, images, and sounds, and is extremely easy to operate,” he explains. “With independent c-store operators and small chains such as Fas Gas in Alberta, we are seeing an increase in Flavor Burst augmented slush. This is because operators typically want to offer many flavours, but often only have enough floor space for two or four barrels of slush.” Building branded programs for your frozen beverages can help create returning customers and increase sales. Popular examples of branded slush programs include Mac’s Froster, and 7-Eleven’s Slurpee. However, you don’t have to be a major chain to experience the benefits of a branded program. Many independent operators find creative solutions to promote their products, such as colourful signs, equipment decals, or even painted murals. “Remember to keep it colourful, fun, and kid-friendly,” states Sparrow, adding equipment providers can also help independent operators with branding. For examples, DSL offers a “Rainbow Slush” package that comes with colourful equipment POP, banners, window clings, and floor decals. Once you’ve built your frozen beverage centre Blanchard reminds other c-store retailers that the most import thing is keeping everything clean and well serviced “If you are broken when people come in, eventually they stop coming in.”
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TINA’S SINGLE SERVE BURRITOS 4 oz/112g (Pack 2/16/4oz) Spicy Beef & Bean Beef & Bean Bean & Cheese Chicken, Rice & Bean
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TINA’S “BIG” BURRITOS 10 oz/284g (Pack 12/10 oz) Spicy Beef & Bean Beef & Bean Page 1 of 1
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MCINTOSH PETROLEUM Date: 04.03.09
41291
2009\M
MI_MPI Logos.ai artist: l.kirkwood / rep: 008 peggy
Exclusively available from Canadian Trade House. 6 Exciting new products including 2 “BIG” Burritos – a Canadian top seller! Authentic California style flavours and products. From one of America’s largest producers of Mexican Foods. Tina’s is North America’s best selling single serve Burrito! Promotions, sales & logistics support from one of Canada’s most innovative importers
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
A Perfect Pair
Partnering with a branded foodservice program increases customer awareness and perceived quality.
HAVING A BRANDED COFFEE PROGRAM IS A NATURAL EXTENSION OF THEIR MORNING BUSINESS AND CAN BECOME A PROFIT CENTRE BECAUSE IT IS A HIGH-MARGIN PRODUCT.
“Today, convenience stores have far more competition than ever before having to contend with grocery stores with extensive product offers, convenient hours, and loyalty programs; pharmacy chains that also have extensive product offers, convenient hours, multiple locations, and loyalty programs which are very important to consumers today, as well as large discount department stores that have extensive offers and convenient hours,” explains Karen Weldman, vicepresident of New Business Development for Express Brands Country Style and MR.SUB. “Because of all the competition, c-stores must establish points of difference that make them a destination. For this reason, branded coffee and fresh food programs become increasingly more important in or-der to compete.” C-store owners are looking for traffic generators to be a one-stop shopping destination for their consumer, and that is why coffee is so important, especially for the morning day part. “As part of their morning routine, a customer will come into their store, grab a newspaper, a lot-tery ticket, and coffee. Having a branded coffee program is a natural extension of their morning business and can become a profit centre because it is a high-margin product. If an owner is inter-ested in expanding into fresh food, then having a breakfast program can be a natural extension,” she says, adding the company offers four Express programs ranging from a self-serve Country Style hot beverage and baked goods kiosk requiring approximately 36 square feet, to a full-serve offer combining Country Style hot beverage, baked goods, and breakfast sandwiches with a
Karen Maguire, director, National Accounts, Burnbrae Farms Limited, Food Service Division, which offer c-store retailers single serve items such as fully-cooked breakfast sandwiches and frittata (just heat and serve), along with Omega two-pack fresh eggs, a grab ’n’go item for the refrigerated section.
se-lection of freshly made MR.SUB sandwiches that can be set up in approximately 470 square feet. “C-stores have improved the quality of their products along with the selection over the past years – they are no longer known as the last resort for bad coffee and stale food – that is an amazing story in itself to turn around perception,” states Karen Maguire, director, National Accounts, Burnbrae Farms Limited, Food Service Division, which offer c-store retailers single serve items such as fully-cooked breakfast sandwiches and frittata (just heat and serve), along with Omega two-pack fresh eggs, a grab ’n’go item for the refrigerated section. She states in order for retailers to keep that perception upheld with their foodservice breakfast program they need to focus on quality products that are both nutritious and fresh, as well as a clean environment– coolers well displayed, microwaves clean for reheating, and fresh coffee with all the serving items close at hand. Beyond breakfast
Not only does the visual appeal play a role, but nothing taps into a customer’s senses like some-thing on the roller grill, states Chuck Arcand, corporate director of Canadian marketing for Core-Mark.
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
An employee that serves a slice of pizza and pops a dog off the grill not only allows for customers to get informed about the products, but adds to the perceived quality and freshness.
While he admits corn dogs are still a big hit, customers are looking for innovative flavours (he states jalapeño is very on point so pick a sausage that contains the spicy pepper) and formats. He points to one of their newest products from partner Canadian Trade House–a Jamaican-style patty on a roller stick. Along with a Campbell soup program, and Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, Core-Mark offers a branded hot dog program with Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, a well-established name that is a key element to c-store sales. “When retailers switched from non-branded, regular hot dogs to Nathan’s they saw a 43 per cent lift in sales,” states Arcand, adding that associating quality with a brand is called “brand value transfer”. Hand and hand
As mentioned it’s not enough to have any old wiener on the grill or slice of pizza in the oven. Branded foodservice programs offer a perceived level of quality, as well as a partnership with a provider that can offer consistent product and proven tips to increase sales. “Brands create greater exposure for our retail partners who see customers come in for an experi-ence they have come to know and trust,” says Pizza Hut Canada General Manager Richard Wal-lis. C-store operators are talking to leaders such as Wallis about joining forces in a scenario where top foodservice brands marry their expertise in non-traditional settings such as a gasbar or convenience retailer. Here, stores piggyback on the awareness of brands such as Pizza Hut. “Customers come in for a pizza and leave with additional items from the store’s shelves,” he says, adding it also works the other way since some people may come in for a lottery ticket and a cold drink and decide to pick up a pepperoni pizza to take home for the kids. Either way, the c-store operator sees an increase in sales. The adoption of branded foodservice into Canadian c-stores has prompted more partnerships be-tween retailers and established chains. “Although private-label products have gained some increases over the years, studies have found that consumers still feel better and more confident in products made by companies they have heard of, know about or have purchased in the past. White Castle is still family owned and have been here for 95 years,” states Steve Ording, national sales manager with White Castle Food Products, which entered the Canadian c-store market for the first time in June 2015 with original sliders which are pre-cooked and designed to microwave frozen or refrigerated as a take home product or a heat and eat, grab and go product. “Consumers feel confident that if a company can still be around after all these years, their products have to be of the best quality and safety. If a well-established brand item is available in a store consumers are more likely to make a pur-chase.” White Castle is currently running promotions with various c-
store chains including ads and in-store specials, as well as sampling programs. “Our broker is supplying c-store buyers with samples to help them understand that quality is key to a successful foodservice program in c-stores,” states Ording, adding the sandwiches are 100 per cent beef with no fillers. Sampling programs are certainly a good way to introduce customers to your foodservice pro-grams, states Rick Woods of Canadian Trade House, which oversee multiple foodservice brands and partners, such as Hot Stuff Express, a high-quality pizza program that can be self-served out of a warmer, or as a counter service options that’s likened to QSR. He adds having a counter with an employee that serves a slice of pizza and pops a dog off the grill not only allows for cus-tomers to get informed about the products, but adds to the perceived quality and freshness. Moreover, combo promotions, whether it be a Hot Stuffs slice with a pop, or hot coffee with a breakfast sandwich, always is a great way to get customers in and buying multiple SKUs, states Woods. The future of foodservice promotion lies with targeted combos and deals sent to your smart phone says Core-Mark’s Arcand. “Appealing to Millennials with an app is a great way to push out promos,” he explains. “Sending out a message around noon to nearby students that says ‘reserve your pizza now’ or offers a loyalty promotion is sure to keep customers coming back.”
Since 1924
P.D. McLAREN LIMITED
Burnaby 604-437-0616 Calgary 403-287-1633
Burnaby Toronto 905-428-8403 Burnaby 604-437-0616 604-437-0616 Calgary 403-287-1633 Montreal 514-791-6398 Calgary 403-287-1633
www.pdmclaren.com
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
WATER RECLAMATION AND REGULATION This article is a collaboration between Charles Borchard and Denise Wight, the VP of Operations and Director of Corporate Accounts for New Wave Industries PurClean/ PurWater respectively. Between us we have 50 years experience in the car wash business and 35 years in water treatment for car wash.
W
ater is the lifeblood of the planet, without it, life would cease to exist. That being said, one of the most glaring problems facing the world today is access to fresh water. Water is considered a ‘renewable’ resource, it makes it back into the hydrologic cycle so it can be used again and again; however, pressure on the resource is growing. Pollution of surface and groundwater further reduces the supply. The availability of and access to fresh water supplies has been highlighted as among the most critical natural resource issues facing the world. 31 countries are facing sever water stress, over a billion people have no access to clean water, by 2025 researchers are predicting water will be shipped around the globe like gas is today, through pipelines and tankers. In spite of all this, water use continues to increase. Between 1972 and 1996, Canada’s water usage increased by 90% while the population increased only 33%. Water consumption has tripled in the last 50 years. US water consumption has increased six-fold since the 1900’s, twice the rate of population growth. The problem is compounded when we take a look at the ageing infrastructure. The infrastructure supporting water utilities across globe are being stressed beyond their limits. It’s estimated that $335 billion is needed to fix the outdated systems in the US alone. The US’'s drinking water system is so troubled, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave it a grade of D, in its 2013 Report Card of America's Infrastructure., that is up from 2009’s D minus! EPA estimates that in the biggest municipalities over 30% of the water pipes are 40-80 years old, and, 10% of those are older than that! Our wastewater is a D as well, so not only do we have difficulty treating the fresh water that we have for human consumption, we also have a difficult time cleaning the water that we use to be released back into the environment. Environment Canada states that The Canadian Infrastructure Report Card 2012 suggests a possible need for as much as $80 billion to replace aging water, wastewater and storm water infrastructure that is already appraised as being in ‘fair’ to ‘very poor’ condition. It has been estimated that Canadian municipalities currently face some $31 billion to repair and maintain the existing capital stock, and an additional $56.6 billion for new infrastructure. According to the 2011 Municipal Water Pricing Report produced by Environment Canada, water and sewer rates have risen 25% on average since 2006 and will continue to climb. Not only are rates going up but
municipalities are switching over to volumetric charges vs. flat rate charges which means customers will be charged for every liter or gallon of water used and sent down the drain. What does this mean to carwash operators? Water and sewer bills will continue to skyrocket. The use of water reclamation can save an operator anywhere from $8,000 to over $20,000 a year in water and sewer costs.
I
f you ever built anything that required getting a permit from a government entity, you have been exposed to the multiplicity of sometimes contradictory and always confusing regulations. These regulations will control everything from how the exterior of your building will look, to how your restrooms will be IF YOU EVER BUILT configured, to how many ANYTHING THAT lights in your parking lot to how that light is REQUIRED GETTING capped to prevent “light A PERMIT FROM pollution” in the night A GOVERNMENT sky. Car washes are no ENTITY, YOU HAVE different. Since this article is about water BEEN EXPOSED TO regulations we will stick THE MULTIPLICITY to the swamp that is the OF SOMETIMES sticky morass of rules CONTRADICTORY AND concerning water and ALWAYS CONFUSING waste water. ack in the day when REGULATIONS municipalities and water and sewer districts were starting to get concerned about their ability to deliver water and process waste water for their customers, they developed a means to collect revenue to help offset needed improvements. These were called impact fees. These fees were calculated to charge the user that would have the most need for water and sewer services the most money. Often car washes were targeted. Water reclamation systems were developed to counter these fees. Water and sewer districts would often set aside most or sometimes all the impact fees based on the car wash customer having a water reclamation system, these system were often never used. Nowadays while there are still impact fees, the water and sewer authorities are also charging by the volume of water you take in and calculating from that your sewer discharge, these rates are sky-rocketing. So while any “reclaim
B
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CITY HOUSTON FORT SMITH MOBILE KNOXVILLE SAN ANTONIO SAN DIEGO RICHMOND
STATE TX AK AL TN TX CA VA
ANNUAL WASH MODEL CARS PER YEAR SAVINGS TUNNEL 96,000 $50,526.72 TUNNEL 60,000 $29,994.00 TUNNEL 86,400 $24,759.00 TUNNEL 90,000 $45,914.00 TUNNEL 144,000 $59,270.00 INBAY AUTO. 30,000 $14,348.00 INBAY AUTO. 42,000 $7,957.00
ROI/MOS. 6 MOS. 10 MOS. 12 MOS. 7 MOS. 7 MOS. 18 MOS. 33 MOS.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
system” may get you by the impact fees, you are going to want one that works consistently and provides a high quality wash to keep your operating costs down.
A
n easy solution to this problem is water conservation; do more with less. In the carwash industry this means ensuring there are no leaks in the equipment room or wash bay, using zero degree nozzles, using high efficiency Reverse Osmosis systems in conjunction with RO reject recovery, eliminating the use of water softeners (they typically dump over 750 liters or 200 gallons of brine water per regeneration) replace old equipment with more environmentally friendly equipment, and implementing water reclamation systems. All of these efforts will save water usage but implementing a properly designed water reclamation system can save 80-85% on water and sewer bills, AND, can qualify for rebates from local municipalities.
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or installing new water saving equipment. The Commercial Large Scale Retrofit Program is easily adaptable to any proposed retrofit project, including water reclamation systems for carwashes. The main goal of the Commercial Large Scale Retrofit Program is to shorten the payback period associated with large water saving projects, thus making their implementation more feasible from an economic standpoint. Pays $550 per acre foot saved per year for 10 years up to 100% of costs, most of our rebates have been in the $15,000 to $20,000 range.
I
n an earlier article I touched on a site discharging the overflow from the car wash to the ground via the storm drain and how the requirement for the water quality needed to be higher than just letting it run out of your last separator tank. This required the reclaim system to not only filter the water for reuse but also filter and control the volume of water being discharged. In parts of the Northeast where septic systems are common and you are ast year in California a bill to require new built car washes limited by the size of your leach field as to how much water you to recycle their wash water was introduced. This ultimately can discharge car washes are constantly struggling to meet both became a law that requires the car wash to reuse 50% of discharge volume and quality standards find attached an example their water. The law maker who carried this bill reached out to the of these quality standards for an area of Long Island. I will point Western Carwash Association, who helped him understand that out that there are a multitude of these areas and the standards simple is good, and that they could support it if it was not punitive are different based on the area’s soil absorption capabilities and the watershed, the area stream, or business crippling but achievable river or ocean where the and actually helpful. As a resident of We in the carwash industry need to work with local water eventually ends up. California I can tell you a law that is municipalities to educate them on the benefits of an not punitive or business crippling but environmentally friendly carwash, it not only benefits t is common sense that achievable and actually helpful happens the carwash, it benefits the municipality. when you use recycled so rarely that it is noteworthy. As stated this was a very simple law, it certainly water in a car wash that at could have been worse, for example they could have put water the points where the reclaimed water and the site’s fresh water quality restrictions on this reuse water like the state of Wisconsin intersect that you put in a means to prevent the reclaimed from does. Or they could have required the water reclamation equipment contaminating the fresh water. In most cases this is a simple to be state approved, which includes a renewal every three years, check valve, in some provinces in Canada it requires a break tank again as required in Wisconsin. When the WCA asked me to, I and repressurization pump. A break tank has a fill valve through spoke with Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s legislative aide about this which fresh water keeps filled and when you need fresh water bill I cited the Wisconsin examples as what not to do when trying delivered within the car wash the fresh water repressurization to write a good law. pump delivers it. This is yet another example of bad regulation.
L
I
S
ome municipalities are realizing that water conservation can be the key to their sustainability as well. According to Renee Chu, a Water Consultant for Toronto Water, water conservation lessens the burden on water and waste water treatment plants, saves on electrical usage as well as saves them both short and long term costs. It also helps improve the water supply reliability. It is for this reason that Toronto Water has created the Water Capacity Buyback Program. The Water Capacity Buyback Program is for commercial and institutional organizations that significantly reduce their water usage by implementing water saving equipment such as water reclaim systems. The process is fairly straight forward, a water audit is performed by Toronto Water, they determine what processes are eligible and provide an estimate of water savings, you implement the water saving processes, and they verify the implementation and then present your organization with a check for up to 30 cents per liter/ $1.13 a gallon of water saved per average day. These rebates can range anywhere from $2,000 to over $15,000 depending on car wash volumes and water saved, they can help defray the capital cost of equipment. There are similar programs in the US, San Antonio’s water municipality SAW’s has one of the most progressive. The Commercial Large Scale Retrofit Program offers incentives, in the form of rebates, for SAWS General Class Customers instituting new water saving processes
T
he good news is there are many programs similar to Toronto Water’s and SAW’s; the bad news is other many municipalities are not near as progressive. While some parts of the US and Canada mandate the use of reclaim in carwashes (Quebec City, most of Florida and California comes to mind), other parts actually prohibit it. Alberta’s plumbing code prohibits the use of reclaimed water and requires that carwashes operate with potable water and drainage to sanitary sewer. They fear contamination of water could be a health risk factor as they compare carwash reclaim water to toilet bowl flushing. In realty, carwash reclaim water is NOT wastewater as it does not contain discharge water from toilets, urinals etc.. In fact, with a properly designed reclaim, the treatment of carwash reclaim water greatly improves the quality of the water, making it safe for human exposure and discharge to the environment and putting less of a burden on the local municipality for the treatment of that wastewater. Education is the key, we in the carwash industry need to work with local municipalities to educate them on the benefits of an environmentally friendly carwash, it not only benefits the carwash, it benefits the municipality. We hope that this information is helpful please contact us if you have questions about water regulations for your local area. Charlie can be reached at cborchard@purclean.com and Denise at dwight@purclean.com
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By Del Williams
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
The Underlying Problem for Car Wash Owners SAFELY HANDLING ROAD DEBRIS LIKE SANDY GRIT CAN ELIMINATE UP TO 80% OF CAR WASH COMPLAINTS Grit can act like sandpaper, rubbing against the automotive paint jobs that car wash owners are trying to clean and shine. Gritty road debris, such as small sand particles, often stick to car surfaces due to adhesion, particularly when adhered with dirt or oil. “Since sand is many times harder than the paint surface, it can mar the surface of paint jobs if left in place,” says Dan Pecora, owner of Erie Brush & Manufacturing (www.eriebrush.com), a supplier of car wash brush and detailing supplies. “So the grit must go.” While grit is a problem for any paint job, black cars tend to show the marring from grit more than other colors. According to a DuPont Automotive Popularity Report, 18% of cars in North America are black, and black is the second most popular car color after white. “Since many of the car wash complaints come from grit-related paint marring, particularly of black cars, handling the issue can improve both your process and profits,” says Pecora. “Solving the grit problem can cost just pennies per car, and at the same time retain clients who may be worth ten thousand dollars in lifetime business.” The problem with cleaning black cars can be caused by the grit stuck in the stiffer, harsher cleaning brushes used at some
“Since sand is many times harder than the paint surface, it can mar the surface of paint jobs if left in place,” says Dan Pecora
self-serve and conveyor car washes. The solution is to use softer brush filaments and better lubrication which together will help release grit. Eliminate the Grit Problem
While stiffer filaments have their place, they should not be used before grit is removed from both surfaces. “Unless grit is removed from both the car’s surface and the brush filaments, the harder you push the more the grit can mar the paint,” says Pecora. “Shiny black paint is prone to such problems because every perceived blemish is more noticeable on its mirror finish.” Handling the grit problem is critical not only because car wash owners want to retain customers, but also because nothing hurts business more than an angry customer complaining in person, or worse – online – in today’s social media world. “No car wash owner wants to argue with a customer in front of other customers because it makes everyone question your quality and service,” says Pecora. “But the stakes are much higher with social media reputation apps like Yelp that drive business towards you or away from you. So car wash owners should not ignore the grit problem.” While a complementary polishing of any area of perceived
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY
Another aspect to consider is bend recovery.
“Stiffer filaments like polypropylene and polyester may lack sufficient bend recovery, so if a brush is flattened out it could drag the grit along the car’s surface, which is the last thing car wash owners “The softer the brush filament used, whether want to do,” says Pecora. microfiber, closed cell foam, or hog’s hair, the easier it is to release grit,” says Pecora. In part, because domestically manufactured hog’s hair brushes are able to retain their original shape even when bent 90-degrees, some offer almost 50% more brush life than imported options. Since proper lubrication can release grit as well, it is also impaint problem will quiet an upset customer, not every car wash has polishing operations. A far better solution for car wash own- portant that brushes have enough wet foam holes to enable such ers is to eliminate grit before it becomes a problem. Using a softer lubrication. In self-serve foam brushes, for instance, some brushes like Erie’s brush with better lubrication can resolve the situation. FoamMaster® offer 6 foam holes on a typical 9-inch brush. This “The softer the brush filament used, whether microfiber, closed cell foam, or hog’s hair, the easier it is to release grit,” says Pecora. spreads the soapy foam far more thoroughly than brushes with According to Pecora, hog’s hair – actual hair that comes from typically 2-3 foam holes. “A continuous flow of soap foam will help to cleanse grit and hogs – is one of the softest materials for handling grit for a number dirt from the brush head to provide a better cleaning,” says Pecora. of reasons. As a final word of wisdom to self-serve car wash owners seri“The hog’s hair has the smallest diameter tapered filament, which helps to make it the softest,” says Pecora. “Since it is soft, tapered, ous about minimizing grit in their process, Pecora advises posting and feathered at the tips, it tends to release grit when properly signs for customers to wash the grit from self-serve brushes and lubricated and will not grind it into the car surface. Because of the cars before use. For conveyer car washes Pecora also advises washing the grit taper, the hairs still retain stiffness for washing up close, if scrubfrom brushes before use. In addition to this, during the wash, embing is needed.” Pecora, however, cautions against purchasing cheap brushes, ployees should use a tall drum dipping the brush head into the which are typically imported from Asia. These products are usu- top of the soap solution and stroking the car a few times and then ally stiffer, and less dense, than high quality domestic options and re-dipping the brush allowing the grit to fall to the bottom of the barrel. are unable to foam feed which removes grit.
For more info, call 800-711-3743 (ERIE) in US, 773-477-9620 internationally; Fax 800-798-3743 (ERIE) in US, 773-477-6030 internationally; email sales@eriebrush.com; visit www.eriebrush.com; or write to Erie at 860 West Fletcher St., Chicago, IL 60657. About the author: Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, California.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
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WASHTALK 42
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
It’s another warm, sunny December day in Winnipeg and business at Blondie’s Laundromat, Autowash & Self-Serve is booming. Gilbert and Denys Gauthier, a father-son partnership, work tirelessly to make Blondie’s the best carwash in Winnipeg.
By Brenda Johnstone
The site, located in North Winnipeg has been open for more than 10 years and was due for an upgrade. The Gauthier’s called on Doug Lincoln, of D.A. Lincoln Pump Service & Supply in Winnipeg together they worked on creating the ultimate wash. Blondie’s currently offers 1 Friction and 1 Touchless Bay, 12 Self-Serve bays along with a Pet Wash, 1 Exterior Self-Serve wash for RV’s and a laundromat. Starting with the Friction Bay, they installed the new PDQ ProTouch Tandem RT300 machine, the first of its kind in Manitoba. This new wash offers a high-end wash experience. The PDQ Tandem has only two brushes and is said to touch your vehicle up to 70% less than a five brush system does. With fewer brushes the bay appears larger, brighter and cleaner. Gilbert and Denys wanted to offer their customers choices and with this new PDQ Tandem wash, they certainly are.
L to R Ryan Andrew (Blondies) Doug LIncoln (D.A. Lincoln), Gilbert Gauthier, Denys Gauthier and Kris Oliver from PDQ. Manufacturing.
Gilbert Gauthier with Detailing POP.
These choices result in additional revenue for Blondies, wash package options include the Fire & Ice package are premium Turtle Wax products costing $16.00 for a 7 minute wash experience which includes flash dry. These Turtle Wax products are applied by PDQ's over-glow and super sealant product delivery equipment resulting in the elements of shine. There is 3 colour foam, high pressure side and top blasters, triplex wheel cleaning which includes chemical, brush scrub rinse. This includes a chemical, brush scrub and rinse. An important element for Canadian summers is the front bug prep. There is a flash dry component that has the two centre dryers operating on the way backward while applying spot free, and then all four dryers operating on the front motion offering customers better-drying capacity in less the time. Sitting in my truck through the dry cycle, I
Denys with Megan Kay, Customer Service rep.
Bright clean bays
LK
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
noticed how quiet it was. Usually, when I go through a carwash, the dryers are incredibly loud, however, this time, I was able to chat with my friend Doug throughout the wash cycle. Gilbert tells me that they put through 60 or more, cars a day with more than half opting for the Fire & Ice package. He stated that the Fire & Ice wash package accounted for more than half of the approximate 60 cars a day utilizing this friction bay. Operators can feel assured of support by using the full web-based interface software package and with the knowledge that they can monitor each site remotely with the convenient mobile device or the desktop computer application. The other wash package options are the Supreme at $14, the Ultra at $12 and the Regular at $10. If customers want to get a more in-depth service, Blondie’s offers special detailing services too. The Gauthier’s second location on Main St. in Winnipeg, is another fabulous wash. Both Blondies carwashes offer one of the best features any carwash
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Security television.
Safety locker surrounds entry system during down-time.
THE PDQ TANDEM HAS ONLY TWO BRUSHES AND IS SAID TO TOUCH YOUR VEHICLE UP TO 70% LESS THAN A FIVE BRUSH SYSTEM DOES. Bright, well lit and inviting entry to the wash
Pet Wash.
Wash Package signage at entry to wash makes it easy for customers to choose quickly.
DelPro 1238 pvc wall panels keep wash sparkling.
CAR WASH PAYMENT SOLUTIONS FOR C-STORE/PETROLEUM MARKETS
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can offer..... clean, bright and non-threatening SelfService bays. Denys Gauthier took renovating this 12 bay area on as his project. He had LED lighting installed. The transformation was remarkable says, Gauthier. He didn’t stop there; next he installed Declan, DelPro 1238 PVC plastic wall system. These plastic walls shine, they’re bright, clean, they won’t rust, and they make the whole building look fresh, bright and clean. The wash bays must be clean at all times, easy equipment to operate and an environment where customers feel safe and can relax while they wash their vehicles. They’ve added new control boxes by Exacta where customers choose their options. From engine & tire cleaner through bug off, pre-soak, foam brush, soap, rinse, high-pressure wash, Turtle Wax Ice. Spot free rinse, air dry and vacuum. The average price of a wash in the self-serve comes in at around $4. The self-serve bays welcome more than 300 cars per day. Payment options are available, from cash to credit card, and there is an office on site where it’s easy for patrons to get change for the machines. Another element of safety at the Blondies on Main St. was the reduction of mist within the building. De-
nys stated that to offer the perception of cleaner and safer they added air barriers at each end of the building. No longer gloomy with the appearance of foggy doomsday, this big, bright, clean carwash welcomes up to 300 cars a day. Adding to the feeling of security within both Blondies sites, the office has surveillance equipment displaying each bay inside and out and the laundromat area on a large television screen within the office. Another great security feature was the entry system cages. At the end of each day, these boxes have a locked steel door. Blondie’s large Laundromat offers a wide range of washer sizes, the largest being a 75-pound washer that holds up to four duvets at a time. Customers can wait in a comfortable sitting area or take their vehicle to one of the twelve self-serve carwash bays. “We’re really happy with the total transformation of both our sites,” Denys told me after showing me a short before and after video. Having seen the range in customers in the time I was in the wash, young women, seniors, trucks, and cars of all makes, I can see that hard work has paid off.
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What’s next for the Gauthier’s? Time will tell but if you want to know what the epitome of customer service is, and what it truly means to offer customer service, go meet the Gauthier’s!
Since 1924
P.D. McLAREN LIMITED
Cleaning Cars Across Canada
SPECIALIZING IN
CONVEYORIZED CARWASH EQUIPMENT
www.pecocarwash.com Burnaby 604-437-0616 Calgary 403-287-1633
Burnaby Toronto 604-437-0616 905-428-8403 Burnaby 604-437-0616 Calgary 403-287-1633 Montreal 514-791-6398 Calgary 403-287-1633
www.pdmclaren.com 692679_Delcan.indd 1
11/05/14 12:51 AM
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Petro-Canada in Kamsack PROVIDING A GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
By Eva Chambers
To this small community of 2300 people, a new gas station, carwash, convenience store, and a Subway, is important because it not only delivers new products and services, it provides muchneeded employment.
In November of 2014, when Rob Ritchie, president of Ritchie Industries Inc., built and opened a new Petro-Canada Station in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, the business hit the ground running. The staff and the local community had been anticipating the new business for several months. Ritchie and his store manager, James Perry, took a unique approach to staffing to prepare for a successful launch. The tagline for Ritchie Industries is “Challenging Conventional Thinking”, which is exactly what they did when they planned the opening of the new Petro-Canada gas station.
To this small community of 2300 people, a new gas achievement because, according to Ritchie, a 25% station, carwash, convenience store, and a Subway, is drop in staff at a new retail facility like this, is not important because it not only delivers new products uncommon during the first year of operation. “Once and services, it provides much-needed employment. you get people trained in a family oriented place, The business is open 24-7-365, and Kamsack's STC they stay,” said Ritchie. His management philosophy bus-stop is located at the site. is to treat employees as family, which is how they To fully staff the new Petro-Canada station, with started the business. He adds, “The team has fun, people who would work well together to provide a and as a result, shrinkage is low.” superior customer experience, Rob Ritchie set up Store Manager James Perry adds, “The store ena recruitment and planning office close by, a few vironment is upbeat and known for its friendly and months prior to opening day. They ran ads to raise helpful staff. We have become sort of a social ‘get awareness in the community, recruit job applicants, together’ spot for our small community.” A great cusand get customers signed-up for their Petro-Points tomer experience is what keeps people coming back. loyalty program. They quickly received 80 to 100 ap- “You can build brand new businesses, but if you don’t plicants and were able to take their time screening have the right people working with you, you are not potential employees. set up for success,” said Ritchie. “It’s all about people The result in the first year is that out of 22 of the in a selling environment. If you have the right people, original hires, only two have left. This is a significant you will be successful”.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA 
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Volumetric Device Services National Energy Equipment as a Measurement Canada Authorized Service Provider serves customers in the upsteam and downstream petroleum and propane industries with the upmost confidence in inventory control and device accuracy Measurement Canada (Factory) Initial Inspection Measurement Canada Subsequent Inspection Meter Calibration / Proving Services Meter Repair / Adjustment Services Pipe Prover Services (For High Capacity) Waterdraw Services (For Pipe Provers) Measurement Canada Now Requires Mandatory Re-Inspections Every 2 Years for Gasoline and Diesel Dispensers, Refuelers and Bulk Meters and Every Year for Propane Meters
DISPENSERS - REFUELERS - BULK METERS - TRUCK METERS
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Students from the Cote Literary Program which this station sponsors. James Perry Manager in Photo.
Kamsack Petro-Canada’s positive relationship with the community is mirrored on their Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/kamsackpetrocanada/) which has over 700 likes. Recently, Kamsack PetroCanada management thanked their staff, the community, and customers for a great first year. They also use their Facebook page for promotional purposes, like offering gift certificates for the holidays and recognizing their employees. The Kamsack Petro-Canada station has been a great addition to the community, but Ritchie Industries isn’t finished yet, they have plans for more development nearby. The overall plan is for a $20 Million development. Phase 1 included the development of the Petro-Canada site, next a grocery store, and finally, a hotel to complete the development. Now that they have been open for a year, a celebration is planned on site in the spring. Be sure to look for an announcement on the Kamsack Petro-Canada Facebook page, and drop by if you are in the area, you’ll be greeted by smiling faces.
Construction & Supply Inc. Innovation >> the patented turbo-sweeping system The patented Haaga turbo-sweeping system was awarded the gold medal and the president‘s prize of honour at the 2009 Inventor Show in Strasburg. Haaga is the only producer of sweeping machines that has ever been awarded such a commendation.
the sleek sweepers with the unique disc brush system The one-of-a-kind Disc Brush System from Haaga
Twice the sweeping capacity with Haaga’s Turbo Sweeping System
Very Low Dust thanks to an intelligent airflow. 4 Year Guarantee on the brushes
Haaga >> only good things are copied: Even our Chinese competitors appreciate Haaga‘s high quality. For this they have been awarded the Plagiarius prize
The station is located at: 601 Queen Elizabeth Blvd. West Kamsack, Saskatchewan
MI Petro and MPI (403) 266-5558 fwight@mipetro.com www.mipetro.com
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
What to expect after EMV By Jason Bertinetti Product Manager, Payments Gilbarco Veeder-Root, North America
WITH MOST RETAILERS IN THE CONVENIENCE STORE INDUSTRY HAVING COMPLETED OR IN PROCESS OF CONCLUDING THEIR EMV MIGRATION, THE QUESTION QUICKLY BECOMES – “WHAT COMES NEXT?”
The industry has gone through a number of large changes in previous years with the majority of those being driven by payment processing and evolving security standards. While payment regulations and certifications continue to keep retailers in the industry busy, there are a number of new technologies on the horizon that will 1) improve overall consumer engagement and 2) positively impact convenience stores. Following are few areas beginning to take shape.
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Dynamic Consumer-Facing Applications
Due to the number of potential engagement points throughout the buying process, the convenience store industry creates a unique opportunity to engage consumers in a progressive manner. As we increasingly engage with mobile devices, our appetite for visual content is growing at an astounding rate. And consumer-facing applications such as mobile applications, media at the pump and countertop merchandising units all satisfy this visual need. These digital technologies will improve the overall consumer experience. While the idea of deploying targeted consumer engagement content in the store may seem simple, the application can quickly become overwhelming to manage. The ability to integrate loyalty and store-specific data is key to creating targeted consumer content. Our global experience tells us that in-store media integrated with the point-of-sale system has the greatest impact on consumer shopping. The keys to success are driven around the premise of four pillars: 1. Draw Eyes to the Screen – The optimal store implementation entails a media centric touch screen that couples as a digital receipt display. Through its positioning with relation to the point-of-sale and the transaction specific relevancy of the screen, a consumer’s are naturally drawn to the screen.
2. Integrate the Promotional Calendar– Site specific price book integration is critical to presenting dynamic content. Price book absorption allows the system to evaluate the contents of the current basket and automatically populate a targeted promotion based on the existing promotional calendar. If a customer scans an item that is part of a combo or volume offer, the relevant product that is part of that deal will automatically be promoted. With the systems connected, a merchant only needs to make the promotional updates to their point-of-sale.
3. Dynamically Create the Best Offer – A continued evaluation of offer presentation based on previous purchase behaviors is another a key to success. Constantly analyzing site specific buying habits ensures the most relevant offers are being displayed. Data points such as the consumer loyalty profile, historical basket contents, time of day, and the weather outside can all be used to populate a statistical algorithm that determines the right offer. Having a dynamic system that adapts is the most important aspect to repeatedly engaging consumers.
4. Integrate Your Loyalty Program – Loyalty programs are growing and engraining themselves as a core component of brand strategy. Leveraging this investment by creating an automated API connected link to an in-store consumer facing application increases the influence potential of both applications.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
Forecourt Data in the Cloud
Trending globally is a Cloud-connected dispenser system. With connectivity becoming the standard at the forecourt, connecting equipment to the cloud has never been easier. A benefit from the EMV transition in Canada – most retailers installed high speed connectivity infrastructure that can also be used to connect to the Cloud. Reduced Maintenance Costs
A Cloud-connected dispenser has the potential to revolutionize support for the forecourt. Let’s face it, servicing dispensers in the Canadian market can be challenging (harsh weather conditions and large geographic area) and as a result retailers pay higher maintenance costs. Linking your site to the Cloud can help to minimize these costs. Through a combination of proactive alerts and pinpoint accuracy on diagnosis, maintenance and operations costs can be significantly reduced.
PROACTIVE ALERTS AND PINPOINT ACCURACY ON DIAGNOSIS, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS COSTS CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. Asset Management
Cloud connections can also streamline management of your payment components. The PCI DSS, 3.0 security standard, requires retailers to maintain an up-to-date list of all PCI related devices– by site with the corresponding model and serial numbers for each. This is typically done manually but with a Cloud
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connection, compliance management becomes easy and seamless. When a dispenser is placed into service or has components replaced, the asset log is automatically updated. This database simplifies compliance and provides a central data repository. Data Encryption
Merchants staying ahead of the security curve have adopted Data Encryption processes. Data Encryption involves the conversion of sensitive data into an alternative form which can only be read by authorized parties. For petroleum retailers, end to end encryption is ideal, meaning the transaction data is encrypted from the card dip to the payment processor. Data encryption provides significant benefits to both merchants and consumers. Benefits for merchants include: • Security– keeps customer card data encrypted at all times throughout the merchant’s network. • Assurance – In the event a network intrusion occurs, fraudsters will have no access to sensitive cardholder data. (The likelihood of seeing the merchant’s name on the front page of the Wall Street Journal with details of the latest credit card data theft are significantly reduced.) EMV has been an industry changing revolution. The level of cross functional effort, investment, and operational execution have created a paramount shift in the way businesses are managed. This movement has paved the way for a number of new industry technologies to improve consumer engagement in the store, advance operational efficiencies, and expand the level of payment security. Challenge your providers on these developing technologies as they are not only coming, but certainly here to stay.
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UND
THE UNITED DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
Providing Sales and Marketing Expertise to Retailers for Over 20 Years
If you are like most convenience store owners, you are managing multiple aspects of either one, or several store locations. Whether a convenience store is national branded or independent, managers want to get products into their stores quickly and efficiently. They need to keep up with shifting consumer preferences and frequent product and service introductions. Some of the greatest challenges they face each day are optimizing operations and maximizing profits.
The Canadian convenience store distribution supply chain environment is evolving and providing new options for retailers. The United Distribution Network (UDN) provides sales and marketing solutions to convenience store owners and is comprised of a group of independent distributors offering services across Canada. These services include several aspects of the Direct Store Delivery (DSD) business cycle (financing, pricing, buying, selling, logistics, distribution, merchandising, and key account management).
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of the brands they offer is listed on their website. (http://www.uniteddistribution. ca/suppliers.html) Retailers Benefit from Working with UDN
Dave Desjardins, Bob Schultz and Rick O’Donnell
“UDN DISTRIBUTORS UNDERSTAND THAT ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. MOREOVER, UNDERSTANDING THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF EACH RETAILER'S BUSINESS AND MAINTAINING GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM, IS A KEY STRENGTH OF THE UDN BUSINESS MODEL AND WHY THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE CANADIAN MARKETPLACE.”
UDN was formed over 20 years ago as an organization called PRIDCORP, and was started by a group of Western Canadian Independent DSD distributors. Through determination and their entrepreneurial spirit, they now operate across Canada as the United Distribution Network (UDN).
Other than offering retailers a wide variety of products through their impressive supplier network, there are several ways retailers can benefit from having a relationship with a UDN distributor. “UDN distributors create orders on site, merchandise, guarantee sales, have fill rates over 95%, handle credits at the store level, and properly maintain inventory levels,” said Dave Desjardins, president of Jardin Foods Ltd. UDN distributors carry high volume products that also
Direct Store Delivery
DSD is the term used to describe a method of delivering products direct from a supplier to a retailer. UDN offers products that are most often fast turning, high velocity, high consumer demand food, and non-food merchandise. “Pre-packaged sandwiches, pastry, and meat snacks are typical of this category,” said Rick O'Donnell, general manager of UDN. He adds, "Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, and Old Dutch are typical vendors who use DSD as their main route to retail. They also operate and control their own routes, marketing, and territories across Canada. Other suppliers and brand name products such as HQ Foods, McSweeney's, Planters, Krispy Kernels, and 5-hour ENERGY, use multi-line DSD distributors for their route to market." UDN carefully selects its distributors who have many years of experience at all levels of the DSD business cycle. The UDN team has a track record of successfully developing brands, companies, and territories. UDN's list of suppliers covers a wide range of product categories like Sandwiches, Meat Snacks, Pastries, Granola & Protein Bars, Candy & Confectionary, Energy & New Age Beverages, Salty Snacks, and also non-food products. A full list
have attractive margins. He adds, “They offer personalized service because our customers develop relationships with our sales representatives. This all adds up to maximizing profits and cash flow for our retailers.” Value Added Services as a Part of DSD Offerings Here are some of the key advantages retailers benefit from, while working with UDN distributors. The management team at UDN come from a variety of backgrounds and are highly experienced at all levels of the DSD business cycle. Logistics are handled from a central warehouse in Regina, so they can quickly get products to all regions of Western Canada. They also offer merchandising and marketing programs that are designed to meet the unique needs of their retailers. The team
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
is well networked in multiple channels – retail, foodservice, grocery, convenience, institutional, government, drug, and work camps. Account Management brings additional value because UDN’s route salespeople visit retailers, once per week, merchandising their products. This can save retailers many hours by reducing the time they need to spend on shelf management, pricing, and scanning errors because DSD item data is managed by DSD vendors and communicated directly to retailers. “Our salespeople know what sells, and what doesn’t,” said Rick O’Donnell. “Moreover, the UDN system most often reduces labor expenses for reordering and merchandising products since this is taken care of by UDN at no extra cost to the retailer.”
CONTINUED GROWTH DRIVES HIRING TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH THAT UDN HAS GAINED OVER THE PAST YEAR, BRIAN HOAD HAS BEEN HIRED AS THE NEW GENERAL MANAGER, STARTING JANUARY, 4TH. HOAD WILL ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WORKING WITH THE CORPORATE STORES, AS WELL AS WORKING MORE CLOSELY WITH SUPPLIERS. RICK O’DONNELL, WILL ASSUME A NEW ROLE AS AN ADMINISTRATION CONSULTANT, FOCUSING ON THE CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT OF THE UDN STRUCTURE, AND HELPING THE MEMBERS GROW THEIR DISTRIBUTION. THE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WORKING WITH UDN, VISIT WWW.UNITEDDISTRIBUTION.CA OR CALL (403) 383-9630.
private label packaging, bulk department sales candy, nuts, chocolate, cooking products, spices
© 2015 XYIENCE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Distributor Member Benefits
UNDERSTANDING THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF EACH RETAILER'S BUSINESS AND MAINTAINING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM IS A KEY STRENGTH OF THE UDN BUSINESS MODEL
Looking to the Future
UDN expects to become even stronger in the next few years, their hands-on service is proving to be beneficial and profitable to both suppliers and customers. "UDN
io t u b i r t ed Dis
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Additionally, there are many advantages for distributors who work with UDN. Members have access to a central warehouse that allows them to bring in a variety of products on a weekly basis in the amounts needed. Administration; suppliers and corporate customers can deal with the complete UDN network through our head office located in Calgary. Working with UDN has given distributors the opportunity to source new products and has also created DSD solutions for the corporate market.
Congratulations To United Distribution Network and Members Proud Supply Partner
HQ Fine Foods would like to thank United Distribution members for their support. For your sandwich needs: Call 1-780-474-5201 ext. 221
ply p u S roud
P
For Inquiries Please Contact: David Ricci - Acosta Sales & Marketing dricci@acosta.com 403-203-7104
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA
The Leading Canadian Brand of Meat Snacks.
canadianjerky • www.mcsweeneys.ca
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UDN CONTINUES TO GROW AND IMPROVE ALL ASPECTS OF OUR SERVICE FROM PRODUCTS, PROGRAMS, AND TO SERVICE LEVELS.
distributors are all independent business owners who understand the market and issues that our customers deal with on an ongoing basis," states Dave Desjardins. He adds, "UDN continues to grow and improve all aspects of our service from products, programs, and to service levels. We will never lose site of the fact that our personal relationships with our customers sets us apart from the traditional wholesalers." UDN distributors understand that one size does not fit all. Moreover, understanding the individual needs of each retailer's business and maintaining good relationships with them is a key strength of the UDN business model and why they have been successful in the Canadian Marketplace.
Megaload® is distributed by
1832 Bonhill Road • Mississauga, L5T 1C4 • 1-905-795-8781 To Order now call your local Wholesale Distributor Visit our website: exclusivecandy.ca
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Your DSD Distributor of
Sandwiches
Pastries Meat Snacks Confectionary
www.uniteddistribution.ca
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UNITED DISTRIBUTION NETWORK 2016 Board of Directors and Administration BOARD CHAIRMAN
Dave Desjardins Jardin Foods, Peace River, AB
DIRECTORS
Jim Entzminger Entz1 Distributors, Victoria, BC Ryan Pitts Pitts Enterprises, Kamloops, BC Ian Stanley Stanley Foods, Edmonton, AB Steve Schultz PA Fine Foods, Prince Albert, SK Jacque Caissie Caissie Bon Bon, Neguac, NB
ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Michelle Seghers Airdrie, AB
GENERAL MANAGER
Brian Hoad Vancouver, BC
ADMINISTRATION CONSULTANT
Rick O’Donnell Mitchell, ON
Since 1924
P.D. McLAREN LIMITED
RDR
Where Technology Meets Integrity Burnaby 604-437-0616 Calgary 403-287-1633
Toronto 905-428-8403 Montreal 514-791-6398
www.pdmclaren.com
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CARWASH CHEMICALS
Carwash operators are always looking for high quality, innovative cleaning products to give their customers a great car wash experience that keeps them coming back. Take a look at what some of the industry’s leading carwash chemical suppliers are offering. They are knowledgeable carwash advisors and can help you select the best products for your wash. Reach out to them to help you make informed decisions when you are choosing carwash chemical products for your operation.
Recochem
has just launched our own line of Industrial Cleaners and Degreasers, attached are the Seven SKU'S we are focusing on. We also have available Pricing & MSDS Sheets at your request. Currently we are only producing the 18.9 Liter pail, we are in the process of having the product available in 205 liter drums and 1000 liter totes in the New Year. Please have a look at the products we are prepared to ship individually, you can also order mixed pallets. Brad McClintock bmcclintock@recochem.com Tel: 780-633-8677 Cell: 204-290-2632 Customer Service:780-955-0410
Cleaning Systems, Inc.
Cleaning Systems, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cleaning and protection chemical products, as well as chemical application technology, for the transportation industry globally. Founded in 1976, Cleaning Systems, Inc. is based in De Pere, Wisconsin, and is an ISO 9001-2008 and ISO 14001-2004 registered company, whose products are known for high quality, value, effectiveness, environmental sustainability, as well as cutting edge, industry leading technology. CSI’s product lines include Lustra, servicing the professional car wash industry, including Ultraflex® ultra concentrated technology, as well as a full line of commercial transportation cleaning products, and an array of chemical application technology solutions.
Turtle Wax Pro
Our most innovative product to date, FIRE & ICE® work together to give carwash customers an unforgettable experience and unprecedented wax and shine. The fiery red/yellow foam of the FIRE Bath blankets each vehicle to promote a deeper long lasting clean and enhances lubricity. FIRE Wax uses Carnauba base to maximize protection and shine for a finish that will keep customers coming back! ICE® Instant Shine® adheres on contact and includes silicone polymers to provide maximum water repellency and a gloss to paint and plastic trim. It features anti-redeposit technology to enhance shine and repellency. 1 (877) 857-3870 www.turltewaxpro.com
blendco.com 62
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INTRODUCING
the END OF GUESSTIMATION WITH THE NEW
SUPERSMART REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT > Real time web-based inventory tracking > Optimize chemical usage with product usage alarms
COME VISIT US AT BOOTH #406.
> Car count information by wash type > Active messaging on many key wash parameters
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, BLENDCO HAS THE ANSWERS. END GUESSTIMATION, ASK YOUR BLENDCO EXPERT TODAY ABOUT SUPERSMART RMS.
1.800.446.2091
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Car Choice® Brand Products from Warsaw Chemical
We offer our Car Choice® brand products internationally and throughout the United States. This includes our Formula 600 Micro Pak AP Hyper Concentrated Liquid Alkaline Pre-Soak, a 100% liquid, tough duty presoak for frictionless and reduced friction cleaning which removes road film, oil and heavy soils without damaging vehicle surfaces. Our Micro Pak Liquid Blending Station quickly and easily blends Micro Pak kits. Also included is, Formula 704 Wave Shield Hot CARnauba Shine High Foaming Polish. With advanced polymer technology and the durability of carnauba it offers a high shine protective barrier and premium surface protection. Warsaw Chemical Co., Inc. Phone: 800-548-3396 Website: www.warsaw-chem.com.
Kleen-Rite
Get the ultimate savings on all your car wash parts, supplies and equipment with Kleen-Rite. For over 50 years, car wash operators around the world have been discovering real value when they partner with Kleen-Rite. Stop paying for overpriced car wash supplies and start saving today! Visit us online www.kleenrite.com or give us a call for our free 700-page catalog. For more information call (800) 233-387.
VIPER
LOW PRESSURE. HIGH OUTPUT.
Low Over Run Product Energy Efficient LED Illuminated Merchandiser Sealed System – PM’s Required Only Twice Per Year
Smart Defrost™ Compact Footprint LED Barrel Lighting Zero Clearance Installation
Zep Vehicle Care
If you’ve been searching for solutions to your cleaning challenges and more, the Zep Vehicle Care Assure® Program is for you. This easier, safer and better program will improve wash quality and operational efficiencies with the most advanced chemistries for the best cleaning, shine and protection for your customers. The Assure® line is 2 to 4 times more concentrated than our current hyper concentrated chemistries and incorporates the latest in cleaning agents and polymers to provide the next level in clean, protected, shiny and dry vehicles. For more information: Email: vehiclecare@zep.com Phone: 1-877-326-9274 Website: www.zepvehiclecare.com
WESTERN REFRIGERATION & BEVERAGE EQUIPMENT LTD. 1-888-443-1946 I info@w r. ca I w w w.w r.ca
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By Peter Sutherland, Tanknology, a division of Englobe
The Natural Evolution Of Leak Detection At the turn of the twenty-first century, there were several leak detection choices. At the high end, there were relatively expensive and increasingly complicated Automatic Tank Gauges (ATG's) with monitors and sensors located around the service station, designed to instantly detect product in any collection point where it should not be found. They included alarms and relays to shut down the defective system. At the
other, less costly end of the spectrum were Statistical Inventory Reconciliation ( SIR ) systems that required no investment in hardware and relied solely on software and data analysis of inventory records to determine if a tank system was leaking. These systems were particularly popular for regulatory compliance as they could be implemented at a fraction of the price of an electronic system.
CONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA 
If we move forward fifteen years to the present, the model for future leak detection systems looks quite different. For these "Fuel Management" systems, leak detection is almost an afterthought as part of a larger system that uses both SIR and ATG's coupled with information from the Point of Sale ( POS ) software. SIR analysis is used to make sense of the reams of transaction level data and create a system designed to optimize
WITH THESE REAL-TIME SYSTEMS, THE ALARM IS PASSED TO A DATA CENTRE WHERE THE INVESTIGATION IS NOT ONLY DIRECTED BY AN EXPERT BUT TRACED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TO DETERMINE IF THE PROPER ACTION WAS TAKEN TO AVOID THE RELEASE.
Tank top sump pit with sensors and monitoring.
Piping transition sump with monitor.
Tank top pump pit with sensors to detect fuel.
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efficiency in every area of the retail fuel site. Over the past several years, there has been a trend of equipment manufacturers acquiring SIR companies. It began several years ago when Gilbarco Veeder-Root acquired USTMAN Industries, the largest SIR company at that time. More recently Fairbanks Environmental, an SIR company in Great Britain that has operated for over 20 years, was acquired by Tokeim, and at the end of 2015, Wayne Fueling Systems announced that they were acquiring Simmons Sirvey, another SIR company from the United States. All of the other equipment manufacturers are offering some variation of Fuel Management. These new Fuel Management services will offer comprehensive leak detection but, more importantly, will change everything about how service stations operate. Once the system is in place, everything about alarms and monitors, fuel sales and inventory is fed into a central data centre. Of course, leak detection is still a major concern and any alarms indicated on the site, will be passed on to the centralized data center where experienced analysts will make sure that the risk of leaks getting to the point of a release into the environment will be reduced or eliminated. In the past, if an ATG went into alarm, it was not unusual for the alarm to be ignored or bi-passed in some way. This lead to many releases into the environment and has been identified as the greatest weakness of ATG's. With these real-time systems, the alarm is passed to a data centre where the investigation is not only directed by an expert but traced every step of the way to determine if the proper action was taken to avoid the release. The focus of most of the other features of the fuel management system will use SIR and similar tools to analyze the incredible volume of data coming out of the IT systems to generate recommendations and field action to optimize profits. For example, tracking each fueling position's activity and flow rate history will let marketing managers know how to focus pro-
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Fuel was recorded leaving the tank but no metered sales were taking place. The police were notified and went directly to the site to stop the theft and apprehend the criminals before they left the scene.
motional programs on the most popular fueling positions. Maintenance managers are notified when a slower than normal nozzle flow rate indicates a maintenance issue before it becomes a problem causing downtime or customer inconvenience. Fuel levels in tanks are tracked along with sales volume trends, to optimize exactly when deliveries are required to get the maximum savings from just in time fuel delivery. Once the deliveries are recorded and verified, the purchase price of the fuel in the tanks will be used as one of the variables in a program designed to determine the optimum pump price to maximize profit margins. One of the largest sources of lost profit at stations today is a result of meters that start to go out of calibration normally resulting in fuel being given away. At an average station, this may account for between 3,000 to 6,000 litres of fuel lost because of meter miscalibration. The level of tracking possible with automated real-time fuel management systems will mean that meters that are starting to give away product can be identified and corrected before they cause excessive losses. This could save station owners costs related to lost fuel, but also reduce regular maintenance costs because they can target specific equipment to be adjusted while being able to determine the equipment that does not need to be looked at. There is even a case in Europe where a fuel theft, taking place in the middle of the night, was prevented. The system was set up to notice when fuel was recorded leaving the tank but no metered sales were taking place. The police were notified and went directly to the site to stop the theft and apprehend the criminals before they left the scene. On a larger scale, real-time information management will allow managers to find efficiency by having information from hundreds of sites available in one system with electronic filters to find efficiency in many
Tanknology Ad:Layout 1 05/12/13 3:46 PM Page 1
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different areas. Some systems are even considering incorporating CCTV analysis and facial recognition software to bring this optimization to a level that until recently was not even considered outside of the world of science fiction. As in every area of modern life, electronic information management is being used to eliminate human errors and achieve goals that could not previously be reached. It is no different in the world of storage tank leak detection. For the past twenty-five years, we have been investigating leaks in storage tanks and seen countless cases of completely avoidable environmental damage done because the
people involved ignored or bi-passed the systems that were designed to detect the leak. Hopefully, Fuel Management will be the solution that will eliminate these situations and avoid the resulting damage to the environment.
FUEL MANAGEMENT WILL BE THE SOLUTION
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Big Gluten Free Taste Now in a Small Package
What’s New
Sprite Launches New Flavour in the Spirit of the Holiday Season Sprite Cranberry available across Canada for a limited time only With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the festive holiday season soon upon us, Sprite is introducing a new flavour to Canada – Sprite Cranberry. Available for a limited time until the end of the year, Sprite Cranberry combines the traditional lemon-lime notes of Sprite with a splash of sweet and tart cranberry flavour. “Since Sprite Cranberry launched in the United States, we’ve had countless requests from fans asking when it will come to Canada. Canadians are looking for Sprite Cranberry’s refreshing flavour and we’re listening,” says Michael Samoszewski, Vice President of the Sparkling Business Unit at Coca-Cola Ltd. “The crisp taste of lemon-lime and cranberry complements the flavours of Thanksgiving and the holiday season. We know that Canadians will love serving Sprite Cranberry to their family and guests.” Sprite Cranberry is caffeine-free, made with 100 per cent natural flavours and is perfect either as a stand-alone beverage or mixed in specialty holiday-themed recipes. The new flavour will appear on shelves across Canada for a limited time only, starting early September and available through the end of the year, while supplies last. Sprite Cranberry will be available in 12-packs of 355 mL cans.
OPW Introduces Phoenix SQL Lite™ OPW, a Dover Company is proud to release Phoenix SQL Lite™ Fuel Management Software, a standalone Windows®-based application that automates reconciliation processes and significantly streamlines inventory data management through an extremely user-friendly interface. “By automating reconciliation processes, Phoenix SQL Lite eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone nature of manual statistical inventory reconciliation, and it achieves these efficiencies through an easy-to-navigate graphical interface,” said Jeremy Lewis, OPW Commercial Business Development Manager – Fuel Control. “Sites that increase the accuracy of their reconciliation data through technology-driven solutions are better positioned to intervene quickly when unaccounted fuel losses arise,” Lewis said. “This helps them minimize the financial impact of inventory losses that might otherwise go unnoticed.” Phoenix SQL Lite is compatible with OPW tank gauges, most thirdparty tank gauge systems, as well as OPW’s FSC3000™ Fuel Site Controller and System2™ Fuel Site Controller. Phoenix SQL Lite will be available through OPW distributors beginning in November 2015. For information about OPW, please visit www.opwglobal.com.
Gratify Foods, the maker of certified gluten-free snacks, has introduced new 2-ounce snack packs. These new additions to the Gratify Gluten Free portfolio will be available in convenience stores nationwide in early 2016. Marking the brand’s entry into the convenience store market, Gratify is the first gluten-free pretzel to be offered in a 2-ounce snack bag, expanding the category of gluten free products now available to consumers on the go. The convenient single-serve bags are available in three flavors: Sea Salt Pretzel Twists, new Everything Pretzel Thins and new Buffalo Wing Pretzel Crackers. (SRP $1.49) Gratify product lines available in food and mass merchandisers include: Pretzels – From twists to sticks to thins, a wide variety of pretzels are dairy-free, egg-free and made with non-GMO ingredients. Covered Pretzels – Chocolate and yogurt-coated pretzels offer just the right combination of sweet and salty flavors. Pretzels Crackers – These look and taste like a pretzel with the bite of a cracker. Available in Sea Salt, Buffalo Wing and Tuscan Herb. Baked Bites – Bite sized crackers that are perfect for dipping or topped with your favorite cheese. Available in Original, Cinnamon, Everything, and Tuscan Herb. Limited Edition Holiday Coated Pretzels – Pretzel twists covered in decadent chocolate available four great winter holiday flavors: White Chocolate Peppermint, Dark Chocolate Peppermint, Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate. For more information visit www.gratifyfoods.com.
Civacon's CivaStar Optimizes Probe Reliability Civacon, part of OPW, has announced the release of CivaStar, the next evolution of advanced overfill prevention. CivaStar's unique design, construction and LED visual verification feature are light years ahead of today's conventional probes. Unlike current probes, CivaStar goes beyond safeguarding against costly overfills. By including an LED-lit tip at the end of each probe, technicians can quickly verify the active status of the probes and the surrounding wires. In addition to its excellent reliability, CivaStar's optic sensor head is easy to install and incredibly accurate. With no need to reset probe heights and pinpoint diagnostics of non-permissive probe readings, technicians spend less time in the garage and drivers spend more time on the road, keeping deliveries on schedule and customers happy. CivaStar is available for a 2-wire and 5-wire overfill sensor platform and is specifically designed for today's popular straight optic loading racks. Backed by a 5-year warranty, CivaStar is part of Civacon's long-term plans to revolutionize overfill prevention and looks to expand CivaStar to its entire line of overfill systems. For more information on CivaStar and Civacon's full line of products, please visit civacon.com/ civastar.
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Novipax Launches New Brand, Improved Website
LSI Industries Inc. Announces Two Key Appointments to Graphics Segment NORTH CANTON, Ohio, LSI Industries Inc. announces the appointment of Jeff A. Croskey as President and W.E. (Buddy) Mayo, Jr. as Sales and Marketing Corporate Vice President of LSI’s Graphics Segment further positioning the company to provide relevant, unique and comprehensive graphic solutions to suit customers’ evolving needs. Dennis W. Wells, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “I am very excited with Mr. Croskey’s addition to LSI’s executive team. The world of signage and graphics is changing rapidly and we need smart energetic people working to grow our share in this large addressable market.” Prior to joining the company, Croskey was Vice President and General Manager of Creative Sign Designs of Tampa, FL, and held leadership roles with Goodyear, McNichols Company, Imagine International, and Crestline Homes. He has an MBA from Wake Forest University Babcock School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from The Ohio State University. Mayo brings over 15 years of experience managing identity programs for Fortune 100 companies and in his new role will lead a team of professionals serving Retail, Petroleum/Convenience Store, QSR, Banking, Automotive, Grocery and Pharmacy accounts with comprehensive interior and exterior graphic solutions. New LSI Graphic Solutions President, Jeff Croskey, commented, "I am very pleased to welcome Mr. Mayo to LSI Graphic Solutions’ management team as he brings an impressive set of high-level sales and marketing skills which I am confident will contribute meaningfully to our goals and those of our customers.” Previously, Mayo held leadership positions with Principle Group, ImagePoint, Crossmark/Alpha One and Proctor & Gamble, and he received a Bachelor of Science, Communications, from the University of Tennessee.
Pop-upsTM offer kids and the young-at-heart a fun and unique way to enjoy their favourite lollipops. Pop-upsTM are refillable and feature a special closing mechanism allowing the lollipop inside to be saved for future enjoyment. PopupsTM are available in an assorted retail display of many on-trend brands including Frozen, Avengers, and Disney Princess with new properties, such as Justice League, scheduled to be added all the time. Pop-ups’ TM small retail footprint, collectability and low price point make this product a perfect addition to your novelty candy section and will encourage both impulse and repeat purchases. Contact your Leese representative today! Phone : 1-800-546-7062 Email: sales@leese.ca Website: www.leese.ca
OAK BROOK, IL – December 9, 2015 – The Novipax brand was established on April 1, 2015, when Sealed Air completed the sale of its North American tray and absorbent pads business to Atlas Holdings LLC. “We are all excited to have completed the successful transition from Sealed Air’s Cryovac brand to our new Novipax brand of trays and absorbent pads,” said Bob Larson, Chief Executive Officer of Novipax. “While the embossed name on the bottom of our trays has changed, we have retained the same commitment to quality and service Sealed Air provided over the years. We now have our own highly professional sales team in place whose sole focus is providing our customers with high-quality foam trays and absorbent pads.” While its broad product line will remain intact, Novipax will shift even more of its focus to customer service and new product development. “We want to prove to the world that trays—and especially pads, are not just a commodity,” explained Larson. “Novipax will continue to lead the industry with unique offerings that utilize advanced pad and tray technologies. We have a number of new products in the pipeline that will enhance product presentation and promote food safety for our customers in the United States and around the world.” As part of the transition, Novipax is launching a branding initiative and website to reflect the company’s new direction. For more information about Novipax, please visit the new website at www.novipax.com.
Master-Bilt's Vertical Open Air Merchandisers Feature New Security Cover Master-Bilt®, manufacturer and supplier of a full line of premier commercial refrigeration, has introduced a new line of solid-end vertical open-air merchandisers featuring a roll-down lockable security cover. These competitively priced models offer dependable security, contemporary styling, increased capacity and quiet operation ideal for areas requiring a secure after-hours solution. With a total of 12 models available, the VOAM-C series features a cover built into the canopy instead of mounted on top of the merchandiser, allowing the merchandiser to easily fit through standard height doors. These models offer greater pack-out thanks to multiple tiers of 14” deep, two-position cantilever shelving. The VOAM-C series offers significant energy savings and already meets 2017 Department of Energy standards. The VOAM-C product line offers a large standard feature set including LED canopy lighting for optimum efficiency and product display, an electronic controller allowing the user to monitor defrost functions from a front panel interface, and an electric condensate removal system that only operates when needed. Durable stainless steel corrosion-resistant floor pans are also standard. Optional remote refrigeration systems, housed away from the merchandiser, help remove heat and noise from retail environments for an enhanced customer experience. VOAM-C models share a common footprint with the HOAM and VOAM open air merchandisers so models may be interchanged if desired. VOAM-C merchandisers are complete with Master-Bilt¹s standard limited three-year parts and labor warranty with additional two-year coverage on the compressor. For more information please visit www.master-bilt.com/products/energy_saver.htm
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OPW Adds New Features to Petro Vend 100® Fuel Control System OPW, a global leader in fluid handling solutions, has enhanced its popular stand-alone Petro Vend 100® Fuel Control System to offer an upgradeable feature set that will deliver increased capacity to new sites and help small commercial fuel sites expand as operations grow. The Petro Vend 100’s new features include the ability to scale up from 50 to 250 or 1,000 users and from two to four fueling positions. The new PV100 also offers Direct Pump Control for Wayne or Gasboy® dispensers, which reduces installation, wire and wiring costs. Driver and vehicle card capabilities allow dual card operation, while ChipKey®, magnetic card and proximity card/key upgrades enhance dispenser activation security. The Petro Vend 100 is available in three new aluminum pedestal sizes, including sizes that are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. As a turnkey system, the Petro Vend 100 Fuel Control System ships ready to use. As a stand-alone, field-upgradeable system, the PV100 is designed to minimize additional equipment and service costs, requiring only power, pulser and hose-control line connections in order to begin fueling operations. “Start-ups and small fuel sites are frequently restricted by tight operating budgets,” says Jeremy Lewis, Commercial Business Development Manager – Fuel Control. “The Petro Vend 100 offers new fuel sites a cost-effective fuel control solution that can be quickly deployed, and allows existing fuel sites to expand their capacity without exorbitant investments in new infrastructure.” The PV100 will be available through OPW distributors beginning in November 2015. For information about OPW, visit www. opwglobal.com.
Transchem Inc. Cambridge, Ontario – has appointed Matthew McCulloch as Vice President – Sales and Marketing. The newly created position will be focused on developing and implementing a fresh strategy that will bring together the strengths and product offerings of Transchem, Turtle Wax® Pro, KenPro Limited and other related companies. Mr. McCulloch has been in the carwash industry for over 10 years and has held positions in a variety of areas including service management, chemical carwash installation and Director of Sales. Nathan Ewing, President of Transchem. “Matt brings a level of professionalism and relationship building that will be a great asset to all of our customers, our staff and our company. Through his leadership, we look forward to bringing some exciting opportunities to all of our partners in the North American market.” Ad Index Acosta Sales and Marketing / SunRype ........................................... 56 Blendco .......................................................................................... 62 Bulloch Technologies.........................................................................67 Canadian Trade House......................................................................31 CoreMark Int’l ...........................................................................IFC, 18 Delcan ............................................................................................. 45 Direct Cash ATM ........................................................................... IBC DirectPlus Food Group .....................................................................57 Dist. Yvan Nadeau ........................................................................... 55 D.S.L. Ltd. ...................................................................................... 30 Erie Brush ....................................................................................... 25 Exclusive Candy .............................................................................. 58 F’real Foods LLC ............................................................................. 28 Gourmet Chips .............................................................................. IBC Haaga ............................................................................................. 48 Hygaard Fine Foods ........................................................................ 56
UNITI expo increases exhibition space by adding another hall Due to the high demand and an already fully booked forecourt equipment Hall 3, organizers of UNITI expo 2016, which will take place June 14-16, 2016 in Stuttgart, Germany have announced the addition of a new hall in order to meet exhibitor demand. The new Hall 5 will be available for exhibitors from the areas of forecourt equipment, fuel logistics and alternative fuels. The booth allocation will start at the beginning of October. Original planning set the exhibition space at 30,000 sqm for UNITI expo 2016. However, the addition of Hall 5 could expand the exhibition to up to 40,000 sqm – a significant upgrade from the 25,000 sqm of UNITI expo 2014, proving the growing worldwide relevance of the trade fair. The carwash & car care sector has registered the biggest growth of all areas, recording more than a 100-percent increase in exhibitor bookings compared to 2014. Organizers have set a big focus on the carwash industry by bringing professionals into the discussion and working on tailor-made services. For 2016, organisers expect to triple the carwash area of the previous edition. UNITI expo is considered the leading trade fair for the retail petroleum sector in Europe with 344 exhibitors from 29 countries and exhibition space of 25,000 sqm (270,000 sq ft). UNITI expo is organised by UNITI- Kraftstoff GmbH in cooperation with management consultancy WDM and communications agency com-a-tec.
Innovative Control Systems ............................................................. 44 Jack Cash ATM ............................................................................... 19 Kesseltronics Systems .....................................................................41 LPIPA .............................................................................................. 15 MI Petro .......................................................................................... 50 National Energy Equipment ..............................................................47 PD McLaren............................................................. 23, 24, 34, 45, 60 PDQ Manufacturing ..........................................................................41 PurClean ......................................................................................... 36 Petroleum Equipment Institute ..........................................................17 Rothman,Benson & Hedges .............................................................. 6 Scholtens ........................................................................................ 24 Tanknology ...................................................................................... 66 Tillamook Country Smoker ............................................................... 53 United Distribution Network ............................................................. 59 Uniti Expo ........................................................................................ 10 Upward Dor .................................................................................... 39 Western Refrigeration ...................................................................... 63 White Castle / Inform Brokerage ...................................................... 33 WPMA ............................................................................................. 14 Xyience ........................................................................................... 55
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