Three More C-store Companies Commit to Healthy Choices

ATLANTA — Aloha Petroleum, Ricker Oil Co. and Core-Mark International made commitments to the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) at this week's 2016 NACS Show. 

With these new partners, PHA reported that more than 1,000 convenience stores across the country, and two of the largest distributors to c-stores that reach 130,000 retailers, are now offering expanded healthier choices as part of commitments to PHA.

“We are pleased to welcome three new partners who are making meaningful commitments to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” said PHA President and CEO Lawrence A. Soler. “Half of the U.S. population visits a convenience store every single day, and they’re looking for healthier options more often, which is also more profitable for business. Each of these new partners is stepping up to ensure both consumers and retailers have access to healthier, more accessible options.”

Aloha Petroleum committed to building upon the healthier food options in its Aloha Island Mart stores, and will continue to make such options more affordable and support them through in-store marketing and promotions. The convenience store operator also made commitments to PHA’s FNV and Drink Up marketing initiatives to promote fruit and vegetable consumption and water as healthier choices.

“We’re so pleased to be the first and only retailer in Hawaii to partner with PHA,” said Richard Parry, CEO of Aloha Petroleum. “We made a commitment last year to provide our customers with healthier meal options on the go through the Choose Healthy Now program. Now, our customers can enjoy fresh salads, whole fruit, sandwiches, yogurt and other high-performance foods and drinks, making it that much easier for them to make good choices."

Ricker Oil Co., owner and operator of Ricker’s c-stores in Indiana, said it is committed to moving its c-stores toward delivering more nutritious options to meet the needs of the children, families and communities it serves. Specific PHA commitments by Ricker’s include: offering healthier food options at an affordable cost; marketing and promoting healthier food choices; and offering employee benefits such a 50-percent discount on all fresh fruit and vegetables purchases.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this initiative and to be able to provide Hoosiers with fresh and healthy food options of fruits, vegetables and made-to-order meals at our convenience stores. We have been developing these efforts for a long time and are now eager to join the movement for a healthier America,” commented Quinn Ricker, CEO of Ricker Oil.

As part of Core-Mark’s commitment, the distributor will modify merchandising sets to incorporate healthier options, and provide FNV and Drink Up marketing materials to its retailer customers free of cost. It will also enhance employee wellness offerings by providing employee-only giveaways that incentivize healthy eating and physical activity, offering gym membership discounts, and implementing a healthier food catering policy for employee meetings and events. 

“Core-Mark is excited to join PHA in its ongoing efforts to help address childhood obesity issues and improve the country’s overall general health through improved nutrition. At Core-Mark, we have worked hard over most of the last decade to bring fresher, healthier solutions to our customers. Our commitment to PHA is to not only continue, but accelerate that commitment, to our retail customers and also work to bring better nutrition and healthier lifestyles to our internal Core-Mark family as well,” said Jon Bratta, Core-Mark’s vice president of marketing.  

The 2016 NACS Show, hosted by NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, wraps up Oct. 21 at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center.