At Your Convenience

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editors Hannah Hammond and Greg Lindenberg talk to bp leaders about the oil company’s transition into convenience and its Reimagining Energy strategy . Debi Boffa, vice president of convenience for the Americas at bp and president of Thorntons, and Greg Franks, senior vice president of mobility and convenience for the Americas with bp, spoke about the...

CHICAGO —  In this episode of "At Your Convenience," Carly Schildhaus, senior manager of public affairs at the National Confectioners Association (NCA), Washington, D.C., discusses trends in snacks and candy with CSP Editor Rachel Gignac. Schildhaus talks about the intensity factor that is popular in snacks and candy as well as growth in shareable options. Additionally, Schildhaus sheds light...

CHICAGO — James Pogue, president and CEO of Dallas-based JP Enterprises , talks with  CSP  Editor Chuck Ulie about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) best practices retailers should keep in mind to broaden their pool of job candidates in this episode of “At Your Convenience.” Pogue’s consulting firm specializes in DE&I solutions for companies and organizations. In a...

DENVER — What better source for some of the biggest trends in mobile technology than a retail concept centered around the mobile experience? In this episode of At Your Convenience, CSP technology and fuels editor Jackson Lewis checks in with Mike Fogarty, CEO and founder of Choice Market, whose Denver-based c-stores have been focused on mobile technology since well before the pandemic. Tune in for...

When independent retailer Numan Dharani opened Abbott’s Travel Center in Abbott, Texas, in September, he purposely aimed to offer “items not typically offered at convenience.” The result is a large store that takes advantage of its location and a collection of products intended to keep customers engaged and interested in coming back. In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Content Director S...

Young workers are moving to smaller, more affordable urban centers in the South and West where potential jobs are in abundance, and retailers should take notice. That’s according to Steve Dwyer, a CSP contributor and author of the 2022 “Where to Build Now” article in the 2022 Top 202 June issue of CSP magazine. Join Dwyer and Editor Jackson Lewis as they discuss which markets present development o...

How will the rise of electric vehicles, the war in Ukraine and the rising cost of oil affect mergers and acquisitions in the year ahead? In this episode of “ At Your Convenience ,” CSP Editor Jackson Lewis chats with Senior Editor Hannah Hammond, who spearheaded this year’s Top 202 list and cover story in the June issue of CSP magazine. Hammond reflects on influential deals in 2021 and how buying...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Tom Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO), Minneapolis. Briant discussed the latest in tobacco regulation, from where the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is at in its review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs)  to advice for tobacco category mana...

CHICAGO  — How do convenience-store retailers feel about foodservice in 2022 and beyond and where are they investing? CSP Content Director Steve Holtz talks with Chuck Ulie, CSP’s foodservice editor, about data from the annual State of the Foodservice retailer survey, in this episode of “At Your Convenience.” The podcast also touches on segments where retailers expect growth, areas that might...

Billy Colemire, director of marketing at Boise, Idaho-based Stinker Stores, talks with CSP Editor Chuck Ulie about trends in dispensed beverages, including supply-chain challenges and making contingency plans, in this episode of “At Your Convenience.” Colemire, a finalist this year in CSP’s Category Manager of the Year Awards, also discusses how Stinker Stores has taken a more proactive approach t...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Jamie Kennedy, category manager at Bosselman's Pump & Pantry, Inc. , Grand Island, Neb., about the state of vapor  in convenience stores.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Steve Holtz talks through the high and lows of 2021 sales and trends as the industry enters the second quarter of 2022.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Gary Hemphill, managing director and COO of research at New York-based Beverage Marketing Corp., about how categories are blurring in packaged beverages . Hemphill also gives his take on hard seltzers , which while not growing at the pace they used to, still show potential.

 In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks to Jessica Williams, founder and CEO of Food Forward Thinking, a consultancy for foodservice development and implementation, about her work in the launch of Curby’s, a new c-store in Lubbock, Texas. The first Curby’s opened Feb. 1, and Williams discusses her work in bringing the menu to life, from creating recipes to sourc...

In this episode of “At You Convenience,”  CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks to Michael Tirey, a marketing manager at  Circle K  in New Port Richey, Fla., about trends in convenience-store CBD-product sales: what’s selling, and what’s not, and the trends in cannabidiol products in convenience stores. Tirey sheds light on the industry, including why chocolate CBD hasn’t sold well, why...

The volatility of oil and gas prices in 2021 might be in the rearview mirror , but what does 2022 hold for fuel retailers? Tune in for a conversation with Mark Truman, chief revenue officer for London-based EdgePetrol, about the oil and gas market today and what retailers can do to maximize profits in the forecourt.

With more than $56 billion in sales over the past year, cigarettes continue to be an important part of convenience-store product offers. The Behind the Counter Forum in November in Miami examined the tobacco category after a turbulent year of few in-person events. Join Hannah Hammond, tobacco editor for CSP , as she talks through the major themes from the conference, including identifying the toba...

From grappling with delivery to closing the largest deal in the history of U.S. convenience stores, 2021 was a momentous year. Join CSP editors Steve Holtz, Greg Lindenberg, Jackson Lewis and Chuck Ulie in a review of the major category trends from 2021 and trends they predict in the year ahead.

The rules for foodservice have changed now that the world is living with COVID-19 , and experts convened with retailers at CSP's recent Foodservice Forum in Chicago to share tips on how to navigate this new reality . In this episode, Chuck Ulie, foodservice and center store editor for CSP , details some of the tips shared at the forum, including how menus can draw in consumers and best safety prac...

At Choice Market , customers can check out any way they like, be it online, at the checkout counter, at a kiosk or with their phone. How did Mike Fogarty, founder and CEO of Denver-based Choice Market, build this customer experience ? Listen in on a conversation with Fogarty about how he grew a small network of local stores packed with advanced checkout tech. Look for more on Fogarty’s Choice stor...

From ranch water to hard seltzers, find out what alcohol products are trending and where the category is headed in 2021 and beyond . Join Chris Long, director of category management, age verified, for Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go , as he discusses why certain products are rising above and why he is bullish on the future of seltzers.

Find out the story behind how the self-described “clean freaks” at Lone Star Food Stores , based in McKinney, Texas, won the 2021 Mystery Shop award from CSP and Intouch Insight. Join Cameron Watt, president and CEO of Intouch Insight, in an exclusive interview about this year’s process and how Lone Star came away with the prize.

No convenience store is “just a store” as far as Mike Lawshe is concerned. Join Lawshe, president and CEO of Paragon Solutions, a store design firm based in Fort Worth, Texas, along with Steve Holtz, content director for CSP , as they discuss how retailers can differentiate their brands through modern design choices.

How will convenience retail change in the next few years as technology takes on more tasks? Join Sharan Kalva, chief operating officer of distribution firm C-Store Master, and Jackson Lewis, technology editor for CSP , discuss the automated system in C-Store Master’s warehouse today and how similar technology could affect the future of the industry .

How did convenience-store chain Kwik Trip grow from a small grocer that sells gas to the c-store giant it has become today? Join Steve Loehr, vice president of operations support for La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip, and Mitch Morrison, vice president of retailer relations for Winsight, as they talk through the brand’s history as part of the CRU Community “Talks From the Top” series.