What’s In Store?

Traffic drivers

A spotlight on initiatives, best practices, products or services that c-store operators are using to attract new customers and boost revenues

Bitcoin ATMs

Earlier this year, Sydney, N.S.-based independent Mac’s Convenience became the first convenience store on Cape Breton Island to feature a Bitcoin ATM. “At first I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure how it matched with our primary customer base,” says Mac’s co-owner Leanne Boutilier. Nearly one quarter (23.2%) of the city’s population is 65 and over, which didn’t exactly figure to be a group likely to care about Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. “I thought it might be a bit of a mismatch,” Boutilier admits. But Boutilier also prides herself on being a progressive operator, so when Localcoin—which bills itself as Canada’s largest Bitcoin ATM network—first approached her about installing the Bitcoin ATM, she was intrigued. “They felt it might be worth exploring that opportunity,” says Boutilier. “So, after a little bit of back-and-forth, we decided to go for it.” A Toronto-based company with more than 500 cryptocurrency terminals across eight provinces, Localcoin has been growing its presence in Atlantic Canada, installing ATMs in markets including Halifax, Dartmouth and Moncton, N.B. The machines dispense Bitcoin to a customers’ crypto wallet after cash is inserted, a process that takes only a minute or two to complete. Because the Bitcoin ATM accepts only cash, Boutilier strategically placed it next to the store’s traditional ATM at the back of the store.

It turns out that her misgivings about having a Bitcoin ATM in her store were largely misplaced. It has proven to be a popular addition at Mac’s, with customers—including some of her older clientele—using the machine on a daily basis. Its users also often go on to purchase traditional c-store items, exactly the kind of behaviour Boutilier had hoped for when she installed the machine. “They might grab a lotto ticket, a beverage or a snack while they’re in,” she says. “It’s definitely a win-win for sure.” According to CoinATMRadar.com, an online resource that tracks ATMs that dispense Bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency, there are more than 2,100 Bitcoin ATMs/tellers in Canada, including more than 700 in Toronto alone. C-stores comprise a major part of the rollout. Major operators, including Canco Petroleum and Couche-Tard’s Circle K, are all installing Bitcoin ATMs in their stores. In July, Circle K announced an exclusive partnership with Bitcoin Depot that sees 700 Bitcoin ATMs installed in stores across 30 states and provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. Denny Tewell, Circle K’s senior vice-president of global merchandise and procurement, says the company is committed to enhancing customers’ instore experience and making them their favourite stop for different needs and occasions. The Bitcoin Deport partnership, he says, gives the c-store brand an “important, early presence” in the cryptocurrency marketplace. More recently, Bitcoin Well announced that it is expanding its relationship with the traditional ATM operator RapidCash ATM to deploy more than 100 ATMs featuring its proprietary Bitcoin ATM software ghostATM in Canco Petroleum’s Canadian convenience stores. COVID-19 rapid tests

From the latest energy drink to the newest snack bar, c-stores can often find themselves at the forefront of demand for new products. Given the events of the past two years, then, it’s perhaps no surprise that some operators have started selling rapid test kits for COVID-19. One of the chief suppliers of these rapid test kits in the GTA is Masks Ontario, a company started by Toronto-area entrepreneur Brandon McAlister shortly after the pandemic began. It started with McAlister trying to find masks for his family and employees, and grew from there. “Tests are a big thing right now, and a great tool to have in order to keep cases down and stop the spread of COVID,” he says. “Making them affordable and easily accessible is just where we’re at right now.” Masks Ontario currently has partnerships in place with more than 20 convenience stores in the GTA, with operators stretching from Mississauga to Whitby and north to Richmond Hill. Sales currently number “in the thousands,” says McAlister. The organization is seeking locations on high-traffic streets and is working to produce some localized advertising to let people know the tests are available in their neighbourhood. McAlister and his team have also created some POP materials to promote the tests. Store partners include, Hasty Market locations in Mississauga, Toronto, and Ajax, as well as Dundas Variety Store in the Junction neighbourhood. At Lakeview Convenience on Queens Quay on the Toronto waterfront, owner Indra Tamang says he began stocking the tests in October and sold more than 60 in the first month. “Many people are looking for the rapid tests,” says Tamang. “There’s a lot of demand.” While it’s great to be a resource for the community, he hasn't noticed a carryover effect on overall store sales: “They just buy the kit and go; they don’t buy anything else.” CSNC