In the main committee room of Parliament House, Labor MP Jerome Laxale held up a crumpled $5 polymer banknote. Why, he asked the bosses of Australia’s major banks, if he paid for the same cup of coffee with his debit card did it cost $5.08? He produced a debit card with the inflated price taped to its front to ram home the apparent injustice, like a referee wielding a red card. It was a simple question, and one that is being asked all over the country. Tap-and-go debit card surcharges have become a political firestorm. Robert Duong When a $40 round of drinks shows up on an electronic payment terminal as $40.64, nobody can say precisely where the 64¢ goes. And when these charges are aggregated across the economy, the cents add up to big dollars. Australians spend $1 trillion on credit and debit cards annually, racking up 15 billion electronic…

Yesterday, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announced it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire GetGo Café +Markets from supermarket retailer Giant Eagle Inc. According to a press release, GetGo employs approximately 3,500 people and operates approximately 270 convenience retail and fueling locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana. As part of this transaction, “Couche-Tard and Giant Eagle have agreed to maintain and partner together on Giant Eagle’s widely popular myPerks loyalty program.” “We are excited to welcome GetGo into the Couche-Tard family. As we learn more about the GetGo business, it is clear that it has built a strong and passionate customer base with high-quality stores staffed by talented and engaged teams working to deliver a great experience. We have deep respect for its management and people as well as its outstanding food and loyalty programs. We look forward to growing together as we learn from and continue GetGo’s innovative approaches…

LAVAL, Quebec — As the second-largest convenience store chain in the United States, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and its banners — primarily, its global Circle K brand — are well known in the convenience retail space. Couche-Tard’s appetite for acquisitions may be the first attribute that comes to mind when thinking about the Laval-based retailer, which operates in 31 countries and territories, with more than 16,700 stores. However, the company’s willingness and ability to innovate is just as noteworthy. Couche-Tard Inc. has been chosen as the 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Leader of the Year for the company’s use of tech to:  More specifically, a sampling of the solutions the retailer has implemented either across its network or regionally include its Inner Circle loyalty program across 10 U.S. business units; Smart Checkout touchless systems; and in Europe, Pay by Plate. The Technology Leader of the Year award goes to a technology leader (individual or company) that not only contributes to the success of…

A fantastic turnout attended the recent Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) Women in Convenience Breakfasts in Sydney and Melbourne. At the Sydney event, Michelle Rushton (GAICD) Co-Founder and Director of People of Influence, had the room captivated for her entire keynote outlining The Smiling Ox Paradox and the science of becoming the person others are compelled to follow. Rushton’s learnings proved valuable for everyone that attended, in both their business and personal life, helping them find ways to elevate their executive presence and influence. Ashley Whitehead from EQ Minds spoke to the Melbourne audience on finding balance, sharing simple steps to reduce stress, cultivate resilience and restore harmony along with how to prioritise their mental and physical wellbeing. The audience took away useful tips everyone can easily practice. Theo Foukkare, CEO of AACS, thanked both attendees and their sponsors UCB Stores and Patties Food Group. “We will continue to bring…

7-Eleven Australia’s Fuel Pass fuel card has received five-star ratings from customers surveyed, winning Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers 2024 Award in the Small to Medium Business Fuel Cards category. According to Jason Tran, Head of Fuel, the award recognises the work of the 7-Eleven team to provide small and medium businesses with a fuel card product convenient for their needs. “Winning the Canstar Blue 2024 Most Satisfied Customers Award in this category is an extraordinary effort by the entire team to design a competitive fuel card offer, and provide a market leading in-store offer and overall customer service experience.” “At 7-Eleven, our ambition is to be ‘My Convenient Neighbourhood Store’ for more Australians. From a fuel perspective, this means having more fuel stores in more neighbourhoods based on our customers’ needs,” Mr Tran said. “Given how critical small and medium businesses are in Australia, it’s important to us that…

A range of single use plastic products will be banned from today in one of the most significant phases of the Malinauskas Government’s efforts to reduce plastic waste in our natural environment, waterways and beaches. From today, the following items are banned.