Expert Viewpoints

In the dog-eat-dog world of convenience retailing, operators have long seen the need for keeping things fresh.

In a report released last month, analysts at Merrill Lynch announced that the North American convenience store industry, dominated by mom-and-pop operators, is ripe for consolidation, a trend that would favor the large publicly traded store operators.

One of the key findings of this year's Convenience Store News Technology Study is that, when asked what they hope to accomplish with their technology investments in 2005, 70 percent of retailer respondents reported reducing theft and shrink. By far, that was the No.

The newly formulated Borden Cremora powdered non-dairy creamer from Dean Specialty Foods has been outfitted with updated packaging and several new flavor varieties.

Customers can now "snap into a Slim Jim" with the new Pepperoni Slim Jim meat sticks flavor from ConAgra Foods.