Expert Viewpoints

Gold Eagle Co. now offers an automotive line designed specifically for convenience stores.

In the dog-eat-dog world of convenience retailing, operators have long seen the need for keeping things fresh. As competition intensifies from within and outside the channel, more and more convenience store companies are picking things up a notch, creating new and innovative concepts to keep their customers coming back and attracting new business.

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. 1 priority, receiving twice as many responses as the second-highest answer (better management of store labor expense).

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.