Is Uncertainty the New Normal?

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INDUSTRY ROUNDUP

10 Financing Moves Signal Growth for the C-store Industry 11 New Year Ushers in Minimum Wage Hikes 15 Retailer Tidbits

15 Supplier Tidbits 15 Eye on Growth

TECHNOLOGY

58 Driving Traffic With Digital Mobile apps, digital signage, text messaging and more is how consumers expect to be engaged in today’s retail world. CATEGORY MANAGEMENT

FOODSERVICE

46 Feeding Off the Power of Loyalty The real-time data and consumer insights provided by loyalty programs can boost marketing efforts and improve foodservice category sales.

PACKAGED BEVERAGES

52 A Healthy State of Beverages Drinks packed with energy, nutrients and probiotics are resonating with consumers.

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CONVENIENCE STORE NEWS AFFILIATIONS

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Convenience Store News (ISSN 0194-8733; USPS 515-950) is published 12 times per year, monthly, by EnsembleIQ, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 200, Chicago, IL 60631. Subscription rates: Subscription rate in the United States: $125 one year; $230 two year; $14 single issue copy; Canada and Mexico: $150 one year; $270 two year; $16 single issue copy; Foreign: $170 one year; $325 two year; $16 single issue copy; Digital One year, digital $87; two year, $161. Periodical postage paid at Chicago, IL 60631, and additional mailing addresses. Copyright 2021 by EnsembleIQ. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Reprints, permissions and licensing, please contact Wright’s Media at ensembleiq@wrightsmedia.com or (877) 652-5295. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Convenience Store News, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Ste. 200, Chicago, IL 60631.

TOP VIEWED STORIES

Wawa Closes More Stores Due to Operational Challenges

Wawa permanently shuttered its convenience store at the corner of 13th and Chestnut streets in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood less than four years after it opened. Wawa also closed its store at Ninth and South streets in the fall, and recently closed a North Philadelphia location on East Erie Avenue.

2Tobacco Companies Hike Cigarette List Prices Altria Group Inc. announced a 15-cent-per-pack increase on its Marlboro, Chesterfield, L&M and Basic Simple Tobacco brands, as well as a 20-cent-per-pack increase on Basic, Benson & Hedges, Benson & Hedges Menthol Green, Merit, Nat’s, Parliament, and Virginia Slims. British American Tobacco, the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., also raised its cigarette list prices by 14 cents per pack.

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Casey’s Makes Strides in Its Strategic Plan Initiatives

Despite the global pandemic and the challenges it has brought, Casey’s General Stores Inc. continues to move the needle on its strategic plan. Launched in January 2020, the three pillars of the retailer’s strategic plan are to reinvent the guest experience, create capacities through efficiencies, and be where the guest is through unit growth.

Ten Reasons Why C-store Foodservice Is Poised for a Record Year

Convenience stores should feel optimistic about the future of foodservice, according to Joyce Baird, strategic account manager at research and consulting firm Foodservice IP. Positive factors affecting the current convenience foodservice market include: the fact that prepared and delivered food is thriving; c-store foodservice is positioned to fight for share of stomach; and flexible organizations thrive in uncertainty.

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Pic Quik Sells Its Portfolio of Stores to Couche-Tard

Pic Quik unloaded its 19 convenience stores and two non-operating properties to Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. The deal for the company-owned and -operated sites closed on Dec. 17. According to Couche-Tard, the transaction includes high-quality, well-run sites predominantly in southern New Mexico that are a strategic fit for its existing network.

EXPERT VIEWPOINT

Are Convenience Stores a Dying Breed?

Nathan Griffis, a principal at Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, Engineers & Planners, was recently asked: “Is convenience dying yet?” He firmly believes it is not. In fact, he says it is repositioning itself for future growth based on three key reasons. Firstly, we are creatures of habit, and our need states dictate how we form those habits. Secondly, food offerings are expanding and continuing to blur the lines between grocery, quick-serve restaurants, and convenience stores. Thirdly, you can’t talk about the convenience store without talking about, well, convenience. Convenience Store News held its sixth-annual Convenience Foodservice Exchange (CFX), and the first in-person version of the event in two years, on Nov. 9-10 in Charlotte, N.C. Approximately 40 retailers, suppliers and industry experts gathered to share insights, discuss challenges, enjoy unique food experiences, and explore the ways that the convenience channel is reviving foodservice sales in the new normal.

This year’s CFX featured presentations on curbside pickup, safety protocols, emerging foodservice trends, and the reasons why convenience foodservice is set to have a record year, as well as on-stage panel discussions about the challenging labor environment and how food-forward c-stores are meeting the needs of the evolving consumer.

For more exclusive content, visit the Special Features section of csnews.com.

MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT

Petrosoft SmartPOS Tablet Edition

Petrosoft unveiled a tablet edition of its SmartPOS, adding more functionality to Petrosoft’s retail automation platform, which currently offers back-office, pointof-sale, foodservice, loss prevention, and analytic solutions. The SmartPOS Tablet Edition meets a convenience store operator’s need for flexibility to satisfy customer demand during peak traffic periods, whether they occur daily or seasonally, according to the company. The cloud-connected solution enables multi-unit operators to quickly and easily transfer the unit between locations.

Petrosoft Inc. Pittsburgh (412) 306-0640 petrosoftinc.com