At Your Convenience

Lonnie McQuirter’s store is located less than two miles away from where George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis in May 2020. McQuirter, owner of 36 Lyn Refuel Station, faced challenging circumstances as a black retailer dealing with the aftermath of Floyd’s death amid looting and civil unrest . Join McQuirter and Hannah Prokop, tobacco and beverage editor at CSP , for a chat about how to start th...

Politics and convenience-store retail are both family businesses for Stephanie Stuckey, CEO of Stuckey’s Corp., and she used lessons from both fields to relaunch the roadside brand . In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Stuckey shares her secrets to success with Mitch Morrison, vice president of retailer relations as part of the CRU Community “ Talks From the Top ” speaker series.

KENOSHA, Wis. — Anthony Perrine was on vacation with his family when he learned about the police shooting of Jacob Blake and the imminent civil unrest. He raced back home to take care of his store and his community once he heard the news. In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Perrine breaks down what really happened in Kenosha, Wis., last year and what the future holds for Lou Perrine’s.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Robert Byrne, director of consumer and industry insights for Technomic, peels apart findings in Technomic’s recent report, Return of the Morning Routine. Find out which category of consumers is frequenting c-stores the most and how operators can meet people with the meals they’re looking for today.

Mergers and acquisitions continued to hum along for convenience stores in the past year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. But what’s next? Tune in for a conversation with Dennis Ruben, executive managing director of NRC Realty & Capital Advisors, about the state of M&A in the c-store space today and what to expect in the year ahead.

Learn how the snacks and candy category fared in 2020 and what lies ahead in 2021 in this episode of “At Your Convenience.” Join Abbey Lewis, vice president of content for Winsight, and Steve Holtz, content director for CSP and snacks and candy subject matter expert, as they peel back and analyze scan data from IRI.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging has a bright future in convenience-store forecourts, according to Jeff Bush, president of Savannah, Ga.-based chain Parker’s. Parker’s has partnered with Tesla to install EV chargers in a handful of locations and has plans to expand its charging network. Hear more about Bush’s vision for EV charging in c-stores and Parker’s plans to meet the future in this episode of...

Learn what consumers are saying about convenience-store foodservice with data from CSP’s sister data company Technomic. In this episode of “ At Your Convenience ,” Aimee Harvey, senior managing editor of Technomic, talks about drink innovations that have caught consumers’ eyes and how an increase in food delivery options has changed how consumers order.

How is fuel pricing changing for gas stations today and what does the future hold for the category? Join CSP Editor Jackson Lewis and Brian Renaud, director of retail fuel pricing and analytics for Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz and winner of the forecourt and operations Category Manager of the Year award. The two discuss changes in Renaud’s category from personalization to the pandemic and electric ve...

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown cold water on plenty of packaged beverage trends , so where does the category stand today? Listen in for a conversation between CSP’s Hannah Prokop, packaged beverage editor, and Jackson Lewis, tech and fuels editor, as they break down how the packaged beverage has changed over the past year and what 2021 could mean for the category.

Through the many trials of the year 2020 , Denver’s businesses saw everything from dwindling foot traffic to racial justice protests. Through it all, Raymond Huff, president of HJB Convenience, has done his best to keep his network of stores afloat, most of which are situated in office buildings in downtown Denver. Join CSP Editor Jackson Lewis in an excerpt from his interview with Huff for the Ma...

When should retailers expect updated CBD regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? How is the pandemic and the severe winter weather affecting demand? Do dogs really need CBD treats ? Listen as host Jackson Lewis discusses these trends, questions and more with Chuck Ulie, foodservice and CBD editor for CSP .

Hear firsthand from Pilot Co. executives on how the Knoxville, Tenn.-based company is creating rewarding customer experiences around foodservice and technology. Listen as Steve Holtz, content director for CSP , peels back the layers of Pilot’s strategy.

Hear about the challenges and opportunities for convenience-store tobacco in 2021 from CSP’s Hannah Prokop, tobacco editor, who recounts what she’s been hearing from retailers, suppliers and government officials.

How did Simon Richards, president and CEO of Thorntons, handle managing a formerly family-owned business compounded by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic? Hear about this and more in a special Power 20 episode with a conversation between Mitch Morrison, vice president of retailer relations for CSP , and Richards, one of the operators recognized in the 2021 Power 20.

In one year’s time, delivery from convenience stores has grown from a source of interest to a must-have for many retailers. But how did that trend build and what’s in store for the future of delivery in 2021? CSP editor Jackson Lewis interviews John Nelson, CEO and founder of Vroom Delivery , to find the answers to these questions and more on this episode of At Your Convenience.

What is the biggest deal in the history of convenience retail? How will M&A look after the coronavirus? What does all of this consolidation mean for the industry? CSP editors Jackson Lewis and Greg Lindenberg discuss these questions and more on this episode of At Your Convenience.

On this episode of At Your Convenience, CSP Editor Brett Dworski talks with Stephen Enfield and Angela Branca of POS Supply Solutions, Middleton, Mass., a producer of thermal and carbonless paper rolls, about their new COVID-friendly packaging solution for retailers.  Listen as they break down why safe food packaging during the pandemic is crucial, the development of their new solution, how l...

On this episode of "At Your Convenience," CSP editors Brett Dworski and Hannah Prokop discuss the highlights from CSP’s 2020 Outlook Survey, which aimed to uncover how convenience-store retailers are feeling about the state of their businesses and industry as 2021 approaches

On this episode of At Your Convenience, Jonathan Havens joins CSP Editor Brett Dworski to break down the state of the CBD industry and how retailers can maneuver its regulatory landscape.

On this episode of At Your Convenience, CSP editor Brett Dworski breaks down the state of c-stores and the economy with David Nelson, senior partner for convenience-store and foodservice consultancy Business Accelerator Team, Scottsdale, Ariz. Listen as they discuss why c-store operators have struggled to hire and retain employees admit the pandemic, fuel trends during the past few months, and muc...

CSP editors Hannah Prokop and Brett Dworski discuss how the tobacco category is faring during the coronavirus pandemic. Listen as Prokop—CSP’s tobacco expert—provides a rundown of what’s happening with premarket tobacco applications in the aftermath of the PMTA deadline, the consequences of flavored tobacco bans and much more.

CSP editors Jackson Lewis and Brett Dworski break down how c-store operators have boosted their c-store loyalty programs with personalization. Listen as Lewis and Dworski discuss the importance of personalized loyalty programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the role data will play in the future of loyalty, the challenges of a successful loyalty program, and much more.

On this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP editors Jackson Lewis and Brett Dworski break down what c-store operators must do consistently in the following months and years to rejuvenate their foodservice programs in a post-pandemic world.

CSP editor Brett Dworski is joined by Amanda Nichols, senior manager of industry marketing, retail, hospitality and foodservice for Kronos, Lowell, Mass., a workforce management and human capital management cloud provider, to talk about contact tracing. Listen as Brett and Amanda discuss why contact tracing is important during the coronavirus pandemic, how c-store operators can use it, how retaile...