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24/7: The NACS Blog

Essential information, commentary and announcements for the convenience and petroleum retailing industry.

11/20/2009

Does 'Drill, Baby, Drill' = 'Sing, Baby, Sing'?

You can make statistics do whatever you want them to, and here is a perfect example. A Web site, aptly called overthinkingit.com, recently compared annual U.S. oil production to the number of songs in Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 songs of all time. The results show an eerie correlation. So, does that lead to the ironic need to have another British Invasion on the charts to secure energy independence?

Posted at 9:39 AM by czuazua | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/17/2009

Meet Radar!

After more than two years as “the Pinnacle dog,” The Pinnacle Corporation decided their trademark pup needed a name of his own to help the technology and software supplier promote its brand, so it held a contest for retailers at the NACS Show this year to select a name. The promotion was open to retailers who could submit suggestions, and the winning name – Radar – was provided by Ronald Gruss of Town Pump in Butte, Montana, and Korrine Rademacher of Rademacher Oil Company in Andover, Minnesota, who each won a Dell Netboook.

“We chose the name Radar because we felt it accurately represented our forward thinking, innovative corporate culture” said Tracie Wilbanks, Marketing Manager for The Pinnacle Corporation.

Posted at 12:56 PM by czuazua | Category: Branding; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/10/2009

This’ll Wake You Up

Remember when food used to only satisfy your hunger and drinks only quenched your thirst? My, how have times changed, and that was clear at the NACS Show thanks to an array of functional drinks and food on display.

The energy category has expanded well past drinks and shots to sprays, tabs, candy bars, jelly beans, sunflowers seeds, potato chips and yes, even beef jerky. The same may be happening with the libido enhancers, which have now gone beyond shots or tablets to…coffee. Witness Magic Power Coffee, a new product that is promoted as the “world’s first aphrodisiac coffee.” What will they think of next...

Posted at 10:11 AM by czuazua | Category: Merchandising; Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/9/2009

Apps Mean Business

According to a recent BusinessWeek feature, the mobile application industry (nearly nonexistent two years ago) has since swelled to have more than 100,000 apps in cyberspace and a $1 billion market today and is projected to hit $4 billion by 2012. Below are some of the top players in the app universe:

Apple: creator of the online Apple Store, housing over 85,000 apps with millions of downloads per week
Verizon Wireless: announced an initiative to invest up to $1.3 billion in mobile apps
Yahoo!: will soon be testing new apps on their homepage, visited by 300 million users monthly
Zynga: creator of FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and other apps generating over $100 million in revenues

How can this work for c-store operators and retailers? Although most mobile apps are games, there are a myriad of opportunities to offer consumers a functional app that can prove useful for customers on the go, and foster interaction with stores and operators. Check out our NACS Magazine story "Technology APP-lications" (member login required).

Posted at 12:44 PM by czuazua | Category: Industry Data; Technology | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/5/2009

Hey, We Wrote About This Too!

While we weren’t the first — by a long shot — to write about mobile foodservice, it’s good to know that your trade association publication is featuring foodservice trends that capture the attention of well-known culinary magazines such as Food & Wine magazine.

Check out Food & Wine’s blog for a review of L.A.-based Kogi’s new mobile kitchen — “fully loaded in the back with a grill, sink and special grilling-tools compartment” — and read more about Kogi and other mobile foodservice vendors in this month’s NACS Magazine cover story, “Meals on Wheels.”

Posted at 9:26 AM by cblasinsky | Category: Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/29/2009

Mobile Foodservice: A Growing Trend?

Is mobile foodservice the wave of the future? A segment in MarketBrief reports “13%, or approximately one of eight consumers, actually has visited a mobile food truck in the past six months,” indicating that there is plenty of room for growth in the niche. Some of the cuisines mobile food trucks are bringing to the streets include Korean barbeque and fresh Belgian waffles.

For more on mobile foodservice, see the November 2009 NACS Magazine cover story "Meals on Wheels" (member login required).

Posted at 12:57 PM by czuazua | Category: Merchandising; Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/26/2009

But Wait, There’s More!

So the NACS Show is over for 2009 – and while it may take everyone a while to recover from a great event in Vegas, it’s never too early to start planning for next year. The NACS Show will be held October 5 to 8 in Atlanta, and will provide another dose of informative workshops, unbeatable networking opportunities and more ideas for improving your business. So as you’re updating your contact lists for this year and reviewing our workshop handouts, don’t forget to mark your calendar for 2010!

Posted at 9:41 AM by czuazua | Category: NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (1)

Clinton Speaks on C-Stores

President Bill Clinton spoke to NACS Show attendees this morning about the future of the convenience and petroleum retailing industry, and his confidence that the industry will continue to innovate and satisfy the needs of consumers in a constantly changing environment. He emphasized the need to combine business interests with public service, and operate in such a way that benfits c-store owners and consumers alike.

"I am wildly optimistic about the future." Clinton told attendees.

Posted at 9:40 AM by czuazua | Category: NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/22/2009

Roger Dow Stirs C-Store Crowd

Travel industry executive Roger Dow drew a standing-room only crowd at the opening general session at the NACS Show yesterday when he spoke about the importance of customer focus in the convenience store industry.

“How do you reach the point where your customers tattoo your logo on their body?” Dow asked the audience.

For the industry, he said, making every customer feel special is crucial. Despite the slow economy and other difficulties, Dow emphasized c-store strength in surviving the downturn and reminded attendees that they must play to win.

Click here for more information on upcoming general sessions.

Posted at 6:29 PM by czuazua | Category: Best Practices; NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Brazilian Invasion!

Convenience store retailers from Brazil have arrived at the NACS Show as a force to be reckoned with! More than 300 c-store operators from Ipiranga have joined the action, exploring the expo floor and listening in on workshops to improve their operations back home and exchange ideas that will change their businesses. Some of the ideas they will take back home are innovations in technology, marketing and best practices. The group is composed of many single-store operators, as well as members of larger chains, such as Ipiranga Petroquimica.

Click here for information on international events at the NACS Show.

Posted at 6:27 PM by czuazua | Category: Global; NACS Show; NACS Events | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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