Top Tips for Maximizing Tobacco Sales

from CStore Decisions October 2021

Industry Perspective: How to Plan for the Pending Cookie Apocalypse

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district. At the same time, underage smoking rates in the other metropolitan school districts in cities without a flavored tobacco product sales ban continued to decline and averaged 2.8% as of 2019.

A third study, published in July 2021 in “Nicotine & Tobacco Research,” found similar implications of flavored vapor bans on young adult tobacco users:

“If vape product sales were restricted to tobacco flavors, 39.1% of users reported being likely to continue using e-cigarettes, but 33.2% were likely to switch to cigarettes. If vape product sales were entirely restricted, e-cigarette users were equally likely to switch to cigarettes versus not (~40%).”

UNINTENDED OUTCOMES

The above three studies clearly demonstrate that the unintended but very real consequence of broad flavor bans is to switch youth and young adults who use vapor products, generally considered to be lower on the continuum of risk, to cigarettes, considered to present more risk.

Similarly, a paper published in August 2021 in the “American Journal of Public Health” by 15 former presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, the world’s leading professional organization dedicated to the subject, advised policymakers considering restrictions on vaping products that “the potential lifesaving benefits of e-cigarettes for adult smokers deserve attention equal to the risks to youths.”

The paper noted findings of several studies that “policies intended to restrict e-cigarette use may have unintentionally increased cigarette smoking,” including a Minnesota e-cigarette tax that led to increased adult cigarette smoking.

Each new study clarifies that, for public health purposes, policymakers should not rely on a simple, one-sided view that all tobacco products are identical and should be regulated identically, or that all flavored tobacco products should be eliminated to protect young people.

Thomas Briant is the executive director for the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO). NATO’s mission is to enhance the business interests of retailers that sell tobacco products, support the legislative and regulatory interests of members and encourage the expansion of the retail tobacco segment in a responsible manner. He can be reached at info@natocentral.org.

Mercury Fuel Service Sells Stores, Fuels Wholesale Business

Mercury Fuel Service has sold its 20 petroleum marketing and convenience retail stores and fuels wholesale business. Eight of the stores were acquired by EG Group, and 12 of the stores and Mercury’s fuels wholesale business were acquired by affi liates of CCO, the parent of Sam’s Food Stores.

The stores are all located in Connecticut and sell Mercury’s proprietary branded fuel, Price Cutter, as well as Sunoco, Mobil, Gulf and Citgo branded fuel. The wholesale business serves dealer accounts in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. As part of the transactions, Mercury also retained the real estate and entered into long-term leases with the buyers on a total of nine stores.

Matrix Capital Markets Group provided merger and acquisition advisory services to Mercury, which included valuation advisory, marketing the business through a confi dential, structured sale process, and negotiation of the sale and lease transactions.

Lula and Uber Team Up to Offer C-Store Delivery

Grocery delivery service Lula and rideshare company Uber announced a partnership that will empower thousands of convenience stores to offer on-demand delivery to customers through Uber Eats.

While there are over 150,000 c-stores nationally, these stores have had diffi culty making the switch to digital, and a large majority are unable to offer last-mile delivery. Lula and Uber’s partnership aims to bridge this gap through Lula’s virtual c-store offering.

Philadelphia-based Lula transforms convenience stores into last-mile micro-fulfi llment centers. Launching this fall, Lula’s software will help c-store chains quickly transform a store into a virtual listing for Uber Eats customers to enjoy. Lula offers inventory management and aggregation software that enables c-stores to easily sync and manage their inventory through the app.

Kum & Go Ups Its Foodservice Game

Family-owned convenience retail

chain Kum & Go is launching a new fresh food menu at stores in Little Rock, Ark., and the surrounding metro area. Its aim is to signifi cantly elevate convenience store food with a menu that’s more on par with fastcasual restaurants.

Kum & Go is positioning itself as a food destination. The new made-toorder food includes grain bowls, premium meat and vegetables layered on fresh baked bread, blended smoothies, cold brew frappés and more.

“At Kum & Go, we’ve been listening to our customers who describe how diffi cult it is to fi nd tasty, healthier foods while on the go,” said Kum & Go CEO Tanner Krause.

Everything on Kum & Go’s new menu is designed to go beyond what consumers would expect from a convenience store. The new menu launched at Kum & Go locations in the greater Little Rock area in August.

Maverik Raises More Than $255K for Feeding America

Guests at Utah-based Maverik stores were especially kind this summer, rounding up their cash transactions to the nearest dollar at locations across 11 states. Generous customer contributions raised $255,348 to be donated to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

The donation coincided with September’s Hunger Action Month, an annual nationwide campaign to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of the issue.

The funds will strengthen Maverik’s $180,767 donation to Feeding America in February from its last Round Up campaign and the chain’s $150,000 January donation. So far in 2021, Maverik has donated a total of $586,115.

Ninety percent of customer donations that were raised locally will stay local, with each region’s collections going to serve food banks that assist people in that same region.

Beyond Mentoring

As you navigate your career, the three Cs – coaches, champions and cardinals — can help you unleash your potential.

Jill Johnson • Johnson Consulting Services

People who achieve career success often talk about having had a mentor who guided their career. Whether the mentoring relationship evolves naturally or is a planned relationship, it provides a sustained link between the two individuals. Everyone needs help learning new skills and imagining things they could have never conceived of on their own.

Yet there are three other types of people who can have a profound impact on your ability to achieve success besides someone who is actively mentoring you. The key difference is that the level of their involvement in your life or career often differs significantly from that of a mentor. Knowing that you can benefit from a wider range of advisers will allow virtually everyone you meet to inspire and guide you. As you navigate your career, look for the three Cs: Coaches, Champions and Cardinals.

COACHES

Coaches go by many names in today’s business world. They can also be consultants, advisers or trainers. When you think of any successful sports fi gure, from Tom Brady to Simone Biles, one common denominator they all have that enables them to play at an elite level is a coach.

The key thing that makes a coach different from a mentor is they are paid to make you think, give you advice, refi ne your expertise and teach you advanced skills. A coach’s experienced eye can see the changes and adjustments that will make all the difference in your ability to attain success. They teach you how to go beyond the fundamentals to leverage your skills for even greater rewards. Business coaches do the same. They help transform leaders through their ability to teach profound business and life lessons.

A great coach will help you clarify your vision for

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your future and hone your ability to manage the inherent challenges of the business world. They often view dreaming big dreams as critical, but they know that putting forward the day-to-day effort is essential to making any big dream a viable reality.

A coach can help you develop the self-confidence you need so you can hone your skills and deliver them with style, grace and technical perfection. Coaches are also a support system to help you get back up quickly when you stumble, as we all inevitably do. The learnings and discipline you learn from a great coach will remain with you throughout your career.

CHAMPIONS

There are some people in your professional life who will reach out to assist you in a very different way than a coach or a mentor. Champions are the people who can open doors for you without any real relationship with you other than they recognize your talent and potential. Champions don’t involve themselves in your life in any significant or ongoing way, but they reach back with their hand and give you a boost to lift you to the possibility of a new level of success. These types of distinguished business executives are so widely regarded that their recommendation is virtually an endorsement that moves you to the front of the line. They know they are opening a door for you, but they don’t expect anything back except that you follow through on the opportunity at an exceptional level of performance.

You will gain the attention of a champion via recommendations of their staff or from projects you work on that bring your professional skill set to their attention. These types of leaders are always on the lookout for talent.

A high level of satisfaction with your efforts can bring amazing opportunities. It can include business referrals, invitations to next level boards and other opportunities to showcase your skills. Referrals from a champion can make an enormous difference in your career and in raising the sophistication level of your future opportunities. The most

unusual thing about your relationship with a champion is that there is likely to be no personal relationship. They don’t have heart-to-heart talks or lunch with those they support. Yet a champion can do more for your professional career than any mentor ever could. Champions open doors and give you a chance to prove yourself. They can bring you to a whole new professional level and open up the world for you.

CARDINALS

Then there are those people who fly into your life and show you possibilities that will change the course of your future. These cardinals just as quickly fly away, and you never see them again. Nevertheless, the brilliance of what they have added to your view of the world totally changes how you see your future. When cardinals talk to you, their words inspire a new song in your heart. The possibilities of the world they show you moves your spirit in a new direction. Cardinals inspire you to soar to a level you never could have imagined before you saw them fly. Cardinals leave behind a memory that stimulates and engages you because they have exposed you to previously unimagined possibilities.

You will connect with a cardinal through chance encounters or as a result of a random opportunity that comes your way. These happenstance events have the potential to change the course of your entire life. The insights these cardinals share with you will resonate with you at a profound level and you will leave the encounter knowing with the absolute certainty that your future possibilities have changed for the better. It is unlikely that you will ever see or talk with that cardinal ever again. Cardinals have no idea of your potential or ambition or your determination. They just show themselves to you, and you will be inspired by the possibilities.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether you are on your way to the top of the corporate ladder or to entrepreneurial success, it is unlikely that you will get there alone. Bringing in paid coaches and allowing others to inspire and champion your talent will open you up to a world in which you can learn from virtually everyone you meet. By doing so, you will exponentially enhance your potential for success.

Jill Johnson, MBA, is the president and founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a highly accomplished speaker, an award-winning management consultant, and author of the bestselling book “Compounding Your Confidence.” Johnson helps her clients make critical business decisions and develop market-based strategic plans for turnarounds or growth. Her consulting work has impacted more than $4 billion worth of decisions. She has a proven track record of dealing with complex business issues and getting results. For more information on Jill Johnson, visit www.jcs-usa.com or connect with her at linkedin.com/in/ JillJohnsonUSA.