Big Red Stores has begun construction on its 37th c-store in Central Arkansas, located in North Little Rock on Counts Massie Road. The store will serve the Maumelle and North Little Rock Communities, and it will incorporate the company’s new contemporary design, developed to meet changing customer needs, says Big Red. The new store will feature […]
Category: C-Store News
7-Eleven Adds Pizza For The Morning Crowd
Participating 7-Eleven stores have added a new choice to their breakfast menus. The new item is a ready-to-eat breakfast pizza made with smoked bacon, breakfast sausage, hickory-smoked ham, scrambled eggs, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and peppered cream gravy on top of a flaky biscuit crust. The hot breakfast pizza is part of 7-Eleven stores’ two-for-$2 […]
Love’s Travel Stops Expands In Texas, Enters New Part Of Iowa
A new Love’s Travel Stop opened its doors last week in Alma, Texas, at 105 SE Interstate 45 (Exit 246). The 12,000-s.f. facility is open 24/7. It features Chester’s Chicken, Godfather’s Pizza and Subway restaurants, laundry capabilities, a game room, coffee, fountain drinks, gift items, name-brand snacks and more. Professional drivers can take advantage of amenities […]
Kroger To Sell C-Store Business To U.K. Company For $2.15B
The Kroger Co. has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its c-store business unit to EG Group, a privately held c-store retailer based in Blackburn, Lancashire, U.K., for $2.15 billion. The companies expect to close the transaction during the first quarter of Kroger’s fiscal year. As part of the agreement, EG Group will establish its North American […]
Allsup’s Convenience Stores Founder Passes Away At 84
Allsup’s Convenience Stores founder Mr. Lonnie D. Allsup, 84, of Clovis, New Mexico, died Jan. 28 at his home. Mr. Allsup was born Sept. 7, 1933, in Lubbock, Texas, to Roy and Ellen Reed Allsup. He was raised in and graduated from high school in Morton, Texas, where he played football and basketball. After graduation […]
Recommended: Casey’s Explores Buying Kroger C-Stores Valued At $2B
Casey’s General Stores, under pressure from activist investor JCP Investment Management, has submitted an initial bid for Kroger’s roughly $2 billion convenience-store business, sources familiar with the situation tell CNBC. JCP Investment Management in January called for the Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience store operator to explore strategic alternatives, including a potential sale. Buying Kroger’s convenience-store business […]
Convenience Industry Hits Record Store Count After 2017 Growth
The U.S. convenience store count increased to a record 154,958 stores as of Dec. 31, 2017, a 0.3 percent increase (423 stores) from the year prior, according to the 2018 NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. “Our continued store growth suggests that the convenience and fuel retailing industry’s core offer of convenience continues to resonate with […]
Studies Find Low-Cost Strategies Can Boost Better-For-You Snack Sales
Two separate case studies provide insights into how retailers can increase sales of better-for-you snacks in c-stores. The studies, “Healthy Checkout Pilot Test” and “Better-for-You Planogram Pilot Test,” were developed by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) in conjunction the Project on Nutrition and Wellness (PNW) and the Cornell Food and Brand Lab (CFBL). […]
Cutting Hot Food Energy Costs Can Boost C-Store Profits
High energy bills are a problem faced by c-store chains across the country, with 24-hour operations requiring constant lighting, heating, cooling and refrigeration. In the U.S., a typical convenience store uses an average of 52.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per s.f. each year. Compared to other commercial spaces, this is three times the average, with […]
Pizza Inn Could Be Coming To C-Stores Soon With New Concept
After almost 60 years in business, Pizza Inn is introducing a new prototype for a non-traditional licensing model called Pizza Inn Express, or PIE for short, that will give customers “a fast, seamless experience when picking up their favorite hot pizza.” Geared toward convenience stores, but also an airport or entertainment venue option, the licensing deal for PIE will […]
7-Eleven Launches Its First USDA Organic, Cold-Pressed Offerings
7-Eleven stores are carrying a new line of organic, cold-pressed proprietary juices. The new juices are part of the retailer’s 7-Select GO!Smart private brand line of better-for-you snacks and beverages. They comes in four varieties: Clean & Green—kale, cucumber, apple, spinach, mint, celery, lime, parsley; Tropical Glow—pineapple, orange, banana, apple, mango, passionfruit, coconut water; Berry & Bright—Tart cherry, carrot, blackberry, […]
NACS: Sales Of Healthy Foods & Beverages Expected To Keep Growing In 2018
Healthy food and beverage sales growth led to positive overall sales at convenience stores in 2017, and retailers expect the momentum to continue in 2018, according to a survey of retailers recently released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). A total of 103 member companies participated in the December 2017 survey. More than […]
7-Eleven Testing App For Mobile Ordering, Delivery & In-Store Pickup
7-Eleven Inc. is testing on-demand ordering for delivery or in-store pickup at select Dallas stores with its new 7-ElevenNOW smartphone app. Currently being tested in 10 downtown and uptown stores, 7-ElevenNOW is expected to roll out to other U.S. locations in 2018. Customers in the Dallas area who enroll in the new app will receive […]
Convenience Chain Weigel’s Names New CEO, Promotes Execs
As a result of Weigel’s continued growth in Knoxville, Tennessee, and surrounding communities, the operator of 66 convenience stores, a dairy and a bakery has promoted several key management personnel, effective Dec. 14, 2017. Ken McMullen, president since 2001, now will serve as Weigel’s CEO. McMullen joined the company in 1981 as operations manager and […]
FDA Launches Smoking Cessation Campaign For C-Stores
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a new smoking cessation campaign aimed at encouraging smokers to quit with messages that highlight the health benefits of not smoking. The FDA says these messages will be displayed in and around gas stations and convenience stores. “Tobacco companies have long used advertisements at convenience stores and gas […]
Good News For Holiday Sales: Low Gas Prices & Consumer Optimism
Low gas prices continue to push consumer optimism to high levels, and this optimism will likely translate into more holiday travel and shopping, according to the December 2017 NACS Consumer Fuels Survey. Low gas prices—which dropped 3 cents per gallon to $2.47—are a big reason for the optimism: 72 percent of drivers say that gas […]
7-Eleven’s ‘7Rewards’ Program Expands To More Than Beverages
7Rewards, 7-Eleven‘s mobile customer loyalty app that earns users a free beverage for every six cups purchased, has expanded to enable customers to earn reward points for hundreds of other 7-Eleven product purchases. After extensive successful testing in Canada, the updated 7Rewards app has landed in the U.S. 7Rewards recently expanded its program so customers could […]
7-Eleven Launches Private Makeup Brand ‘Simply Me Beauty’
7-Eleven is now offering cosmetics with the launch of Simply Me Beauty, an “affordable, fashion-forward” line of makeup. Available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores, the Simply Me Beauty brand was created to appeal to Millennial women. The 40-item assortment features cosmetics and cosmetic accessories for the face, eyes and lips, including offerings for day or night […]
7-Eleven Engages Customers Via Facebook Messenger Chatbot
7-Eleven launched a chatbot platform on Nov. 15 that company officials say is poised to propel the convenience retailing industry into a new era of “conversational commerce.” The 7-Eleven Bot on Messenger allows customers to engage with the brand from within Facebook. It is estimated that nearly 1.3 billion people use Messenger each month, and 7-Eleven […]
NACS Reveals The Best C-Store Concepts In 2017 Ideas 2 Go
The Ideas 2 Go program, an annual presentation at the NACS Show—this year held in October in Chicago—showcased emerging concepts that redefine convenience. Since 1994, Ideas 2 Go has provided a fast-paced video tour of some of the most creative and potentially profitable ideas in the convenience and fuel retailing industry. The eight featured segments as […]
