CSNEWS ONLINE
TOP VIEWED STORIES
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Marathon Petroleum Pushes Speedway Sale to Second Quarter of 2021
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Couche-Tard Reaches New Milestones in Its ‘Innovation Journey’
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7-Eleven Unveils First Laredo Taco Co. Drive-Thru Restaurant
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Coca-Cola Research Finds Five Major Pandemic-Era Consumer Trends
Industry watchers waiting for Speedway LLC to officially change hands will have to wait a little longer. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Marathon Petroleum Corp. stated it was changing the timeline to early in the second quarter.
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. will embark on the second implementation wave of its “Fresh Food, Fast” foodservice concept as part of its evolution into a more innovative and differentiated retailer. Having hit its target of 1,500 locations in the United States last fall, the second wave of implementation will expand the program to 3,000 more stores throughout North America during fiscal 2022.
7-Eleven Inc. opened the first-ever Laredo Taco Co. drive-thru restaurant at its newest 7-Eleven Evolution store in Dallas. This marks the first time 7-Eleven has operated a corporate-owned drive-thru restaurant at one of its stores. The drive-thru offers an all-day menu and operates from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
More than a year after the coronavirus was introduced to the United States, the pandemic’s impact on the retail industry is more apparent. The Coca-Cola Co. recently aggregated insights from a variety of studies to compose Coca-Cola Refreshing Insights: The State of the Consumer, Retail & FSOP, which identifies five major trends that have largely defined pandemic-era consumer behavior.
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RaceTrac Focuses on Growing Its Number of Travel Center Locations
RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. is putting its travel center operations front and center. The retailer cut the ribbon at its second travel center, located in the Atlanta area. Six more travel center locations are expected to open in 2021 across the Southeast.
EXPERT VIEWPOINT
Are Drive-Thrus the Future of Convenience Stores? Wawa Inc. is no stranger to testing new store concepts. Its most recent endeavor: drive-thru-only locations. The idea — which had been in the works for a while — was more about customer service and operational efficiency than anything else. By directing customers to a single drive-thru window, you not only save on labor, but can also focus more on improving back-of-house operations. Of course, this is often key to speed of service, writes Gavin Bradley, senior creative director for customer experience at Harbor Retail. Still, not many convenience stores or small-format retailers have yet to go Wawa’s route. Drive-thrus, after all, can be tricky endeavors. Quick-service restaurants still struggle with the service, and that’s with customers already knowing most of the menu items. Are there ways to minimize this risk and ensure a more seamless drive-thru transition? Of course. 14 Convenience Store News C S N E W S . c o m
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
Driven by the Pandemic, Hershey Finds a New Way to Bring Its Customer Insights Center to Retailers The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented era of retailing. Adjusting to the headwinds and remaining committed to its retail partners, The Hershey Co. sought a solution to virtually engage with operators and communicate the latest insights and solutions, broadcasted through a unique and remote platform. Thus, the Hershey Insights Network (HIN) was born. “While this pandemic may have temporarily changed the way in which we meet with our retail partners, it has not changed the strong insights we have to offer our customers, which are especially crucial at this time,” Dale Clark, senior director of category management for Hershey, told Convenience Store News. “Our retail partners depend on this insight-driven data to help them stay ahead of the retail landscape, and this is another way we continue to adapt during this time to ensure that retailers are set up for lasting success.” For more exclusive stories, visit the Special Features section of csnews.com.
MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT
Coca-Cola With Coffee Zero Sugar Coca-Cola With Coffee is now available in the brand’s Zero Sugar format. The hybrid beverage combines the familiar, authentic taste of Coca-Cola with the rich, luxurious flavor of 100 percent Brazilian coffee. Coca-Cola With Coffee Zero Sugar is available in two varieties: Dark Blend and Vanilla. Each 12-ounce can contains 69 milligrams of caffeine. The new Coca-Cola With Coffee lineup is part of the brand’s “lift and shift” strategy to scale successful beverage innovations from market to market via an experimental, test-andlearn approach. The Coca-Cola Co. Atlanta coca-colacompany.com
