8 Innovation Lessons from the World’s Largest C-Store Brand, 7-Eleven

Marissa Jarratt, 7-Eleven chief marketing & sustainability officer, explains the company’s ascent amid a digital revolution.

Loitering Encouraged: Have a Seat at the C-Store

The contemporary C-store is not just a place of commerce and connection, but community and expanded food/bev services. No Loitering signs are giving way to invitations to pull up, sit down, and stay a while.

FI Fast Break audio news: July 26, 2023

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on convenience stores’ big push to sell pizza throughout America.

Beyond the Pump: A C-Store Deep Dive

Convenience stores often get a bad rap for lackluster foodservice options, but the category has expanded to include better foodservice options in the past few years.

C-stores Innovating Foodservice Offerings

  Convenience-store operators are embracing creativity. According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, 70% of C-store leaders say innovating foodservice offerings is a top priority. C-store customers seem ready for the innovation as well. …

FI Fast Break audio news: Dec. 21, 2022

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on Tim Hortons’ unique, new sustainability initiative.

Report: Loyalty Members Defying Inflation with Higher Spending

Loyalty spending reached the highest point on record across all restaurant and convenience store concepts in 2021. This traction reflects the value of loyalty programs as a source of revenue during inflationary periods. According to …

FI Fast Break audio news: Aug. 24, 2022

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on how c-stores must adapt amid the current inflationary environment.

CEO: C-Stores Must Evolve in Inflationary Environment

C-stores must evolve to provide experiential store journeys rather than serve as just quick, grab-and-go retailers.

Case Study: How Stuckey’s Revived its Company Brand

Stuckey’s CEO Stephanie Stuckey has learned a lot about social media over the last three years, like the importance of telling compelling and sometimes personal stories.

Rising Inflation Inspires C-Store Innovation

Add convenience stores to the growing list of businesses slammed by skyrocketing gasoline prices. Fifty-nine percent of convenience retailers say customer traffic has decreased in stores over the past three months, according to the Q3 2022 …

Convenience Store ‘Grab-and-Go’ a Growing Meal Option

The convenience store long has been a place where one could grab a quick slushy on the way home from school or a bag of chips on the road. But a funny thing has happened: …

FI Fast Break audio news: May 4, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine: weakening consumer confidence, a surge in America’s snacking, and more. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – May 4, 2022 …

Case Study: Foxtrot Reimagining C-Store Experience

Foxtrot, a modern convenience store chain with an all-day café and a 30-minute delivery app, aims to expand into more metropolitan areas following its $100 million Series C raise in January. What differentiates Foxtrot from …

FI Fast Break audio news: Jan. 26, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine Coca-Cola’s experiment with alcohol, Walmart’s investment in indoor farming, and more. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – Jan. 26, …

FI Fast Break audio news: Jan. 19, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine the evolution of convenience stores, and provide an update on port backlogs. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – Jan. …

Convenience Store Growth Poised to Continue Amid Pandemic

Convenience stores have been reaping the benefits of pandemic-induced shifts in consumer behavior and many chains across the U.S. are targeting expansion, according to a Retail Tenant Expansion Report by real estate firm Stan Johnson …

FI Fast Break audio news: Dec. 8, 2021

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine New York City’s vaccination mandate, optimism within the fine-dining space, and more. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – Dec. …

Report: Convenience Store Growth in Q3 Boosted by Edible Products

The convenience store channel grew 7.7% in the 13 weeks ending September 26, outperforming the broader market for the third consecutive quarter, according to a new report from data analytics firm IRI. Stronger growth in …

Dollar General to Diversify Produce and Health Care Offerings

As the lines of traditional retail continue to blur, Dollar General is gaining competitive ground across multiple sectors, including grocery, convenience, and most recently, health and wellness. With 17,266 locations nationwide, Dollar General is the …

As Convenience Store Business Grows, So Does M&A

Over the past year, convenience store business has been growing—particularly in the acquisition space. Convenience store in-store sales reached a record $255.6 Billion in 2020, according to NACS State of the Industry data. While total …

Major C-Store Operators Look to Expand

During the COVID-19 pandemic, gas stations emerged as key, profitable parts of oil companies’ operations as more consumers turned to them for food and drink purchases that were a bit closer to home. While fuel …

Hot Dogs, Cigarettes and Soufflé: Couche-Tard Makes Play for Carrefour

Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Canadian owner of Circle K convenience stores, is exploring a takeover of French grocer Carrefour SA in a roughly $20 billion deal that would create a trans-Atlantic retail giant. The not-so-typical move comes on …

QuickChek Acquisition Caps String of C-Store Purchases

The QuickChek acquisition by Murphy USA in a $645 million deal, capping off a string of convenience store acquisitions during  the first half of December. QuickChek, which began its operations as a dairy delivery service …

C-Stores Profit from Pandemic

More than half of c-store operators said they expect their total 2020 sales to be at least somewhat higher than last year’s profits, according to CSP Daily News’  latest Outlook Survey. Thirty-nine percent anticipate their …

Convenience Stores Adapt During COVID-19

Main Points:   Convenience stores must adopt practices to ensure employee and customer safety, such as contactless checkout The ability to shift focus to different day parts to achieve sales is essential Consumer loyalty is …