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TOP VIEWED STORIES
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Massachusetts’ Landmark Flavored Tobacco Products Ban in Question
Several bills before the Public Health Committee include resuming sales of menthol cigarettes and authorizing some flavored products that federal regulators cleared for marketing. One pair of bills would rewrite the flavor ban to limit it to electronic nicotine delivery systems. Supporters are also pushing to repeal the ban on menthol cigarettes.
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RaceTrac Opens Its First Location in Kentucky
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Wawa Brings Back ‘Free Coffee Tuesdays’ for Rewards Members
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Oregon Finalizes Rule for Statewide E15 Sales
RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. expanded its footprint to the state of Kentucky with the opening of a travel center in Elizabethtown, near the junction of Interstate 65 and Highway 61. The site will serve more than 6,000 professional drivers and workers who pass through daily, offering everything they need to refuel and recharge.
Through the popular campaign, Wawa Rewards members were able to enjoy a bonus reward of one free any-size, self-serve or handcrafted iced coffee every Tuesday in November and December. The retailer said it brought the program back based on the “overwhelming” positive response to previous versions of the campaign.
The sale of E15 is available across Oregon as of January 2022. The finalization of the rule comes months after Gov. Kate Brown signed HB 3051, clarifying the ability of retailers to sell E15. With her signature, Oregon became the 48th state to approve E15.
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FDA Takes Second Look at Some PMTAs as Companies Challenge Agency’s Marketing Denial Orders
Humble Juice Co., Bidi Vapor and Twist E-Liquids vapor products are among those having their submissions reviewed again. As of late October, the Food and Drug Administration had denied PMTAs for 200,000 products. Mitch Zeller, director of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products, reported then that the FDA was being sued for 46 of the refusals.
EXPERT VIEWPOINT
Small Format, Large Impact: Why Clustering Is Key to Convenience Success Even though convenience stores are in close proximity to one another, each location can serve a unique group of customers. As such, convenience stores must achieve a keen understanding of the customers who frequent each store, writes Gina Hargrave, head of category planning at Symphony RetailAI. The ability to cluster is a big indicator of success, highlighting storespecific category demand and product preferences. You may look at the population living around a convenience store — for example, middle-income families with at least two children — and tailor your assortment for that demographic. Clustering enables you to better tailor your assortment to the exact customer walking through the door, instead of the hypothetical needs of those who live nearby. 10 Convenience Store News C S N E W S . c o m
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
CONVENIENCE FOODSERVICE ALLIANCE A CONVENIENCE STORE NEWS COMMUNITY
Convenience Foodservice Alliance Holds First In-Person Meeting Charter members of the Convenience Foodservice Alliance (CFA), a Convenience Store News community, discussed the major challenges and opportunities in the convenience foodservice space during their first in-person meeting, held recently prior to the 2021 CSNews Convenience Foodservice Exchange event. The meeting included a presentation by Joseph Bona of Bona Design Lab and James Owens of HFA Architects, as well as a roundtable discussion. The CFA is a membership community dedicated solely to foodservice professionals in the convenience store industry. Through access to valuable benefits, shared research and powerful connections, members help shape industry best practices that will assist all industry participants in regaining and growing their sales and profits in the critically important foodservice category in the convenience channel. For more exclusive content, visit the Special Features section of csnews.com.
MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT
Pillsbury Belgian-Style Waffle Carrier Convenience store operators can boost their sandwich game with the Pillsbury Belgian-Style Waffle Carrier, available pre-sliced in a thawand-serve format. The 2.8-ounce waffle carrier is made for sandwiches, with one side featuring a traditional waffle texture and the other side flat for easy assembly. Made with maple syrup and crisp pearl sugar, the product has a slightly sweet flavor profile, and contains no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The case count is optimized for c-stores, containing 36 sandwiches/72 sides per case. General Mills Foodservice Minneapolis generalmillscf.com
