Industry Roundup: The Top 10 Most-Read Stories of January 2018
NATIONAL REPORT — Various convenience store chains' plans for growth were among the stories important to CSNews Online readers last month. In the latest Industry Roundup, we present the top 10 most-read stories for the month of January, based on reader views:
1) Back to the Future With Amoco
More than a decade since leaving the fuel scene, BP is reintroducing the premium brand to millions of U.S. motorists, beginning with six locations in the New York and New Jersey area. The Amoco at 4394 Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor, N.Y., welcomed customers in late November, just a month after BP revealed the brand was making a comeback.
2) 8 Consumer Trends for 2018
Smart retailers keep an ear close to the ground to keep up with the latest trends. Consumer trends, in particular, will drive many of the business decisions convenience store operators will make in the coming year.
3) Pepsi Gives Nod to the Past in New 2018 Global Campaign
With its latest global creative campaign, "Pepsi Generations," the beverage brand is marking its history in pop culture for 120 years. The campaign celebrates the best moments of Pepsi's past, creates new moments for today and sets the stage for the future, "allowing Pepsi to be the choice for decades to come," according to the company.
4) Speedway Adding 1,000 New Management Positions
The roles will offer significant advancement opportunities in the future, according to the company. Speedway held open interviews throughout all 21 states in which it operates on Jan. 17.
5) QuikTrip, Wawa Lead New Ranking of Top 100 U.S. Pit Stops
The Top 100 Pit Stops in the United States in 2017 list highlights the best-of-the-best, where drivers can enjoy pleasant customer service, perk themselves up with amazing coffee, use the restroom in peace and enjoy a perfect pumping experience, according to GasBuddy. Users of the GasBuddy mobile app had a say in the list, which honors businesses ranked highly by the GasBuddy community.
6) C-store Retailers Predict Emerging Trends for 2018
According to a survey of retailers released today by NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, more than two in three convenience retailers said that foodservice sales increased last year, and 61 percent said that sales of better-for-you items — like fruits and vegetables, yogurt, nuts, and health bars — saw sales gains.
7) 7-Eleven Closes Biggest Acquisition in Its History
On Jan. 23, 7-Eleven closed on the acquisition of approximately 1,030 Sunoco convenience stores located in 17 states. This acquisition is the largest in the company's history and will bring the total number of stores to approximately 9,700 in the United States and Canada.
8) Where 7-Eleven's Chief Sees Convenience Retailing Headed Fast
As the largest convenience store retailer in the nation with 8,900 7-Eleven stores in the United States currently and with an acquisition in the works that will increase that figure to 10,000 stores this year, Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven is uniquely positioned to unite the brick-and-mortar world to the digital world, as CEO Joseph DePinto sees it.
9) Philip Morris International's 2018 Resolution Is to Give Up Cigarettes
The tobacco company took out full-page ads in several newspapers in the United Kingdom stating its "New Year's resolution" for 2018 is to "stop selling cigarettes in the U.K." According to PMI, its goal is replace cigarettes with alternatives like electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products.
10) FTC Mandates Divestitures as Condition of 7-Eleven's Sunoco Acquisition
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gave the green light to the $3.3-billion Sunoco LP and 7-Eleven deal with some conditions, including the divestiture of several sites. According to the FTC, 7-Eleven's acquisition of roughly 1,100 retail fuel outlets from Sunoco would harm competition in 76 local markets across 20 metropolitan statistical areas, violating federal antitrust law.