07/09/22; 9News More than $1 million worth of illegal vapes have been seized in Melbourne‘s south-east and two men have been charged over the haul. Officers patrolling Dingley came across massive supply of e-cigarettes when they noticed two men acting suspiciously by a truck parked in a carpark on Boundary Road about 5.30pm on September 2, according to police. The men allegedly gave differing stories about what they were doing to police, before police were given consent to the search the truck. Officers found around 907,000 illegal cigarettes inside, which are worth an estimated $1,026,000. The two men, a 40-year-old from Mitcham, and a 32-year-old man from Hurstville in NSW, were both arrested. Vapes come in all different forms and flavours. (Nine/Edwina Pickles) They were later charged with negligently dealing with the proceeds of crime and possessing tobacco products with the intent of defrauding revenue of the commonwealth.

21/09/22; AFR Viva Energy will take full control of the Coles Express fuel and convenience retailing network and start offering customers lower-carbon energy products, after a $300 million deal with Coles Group that paves the way for the supermarket chain to consider a share buyback. The deal, announced on Wednesday, accelerates Viva’s strategy to get more exposure to the fast-growing convenience segment through full ownership of the 710 Coles Express sites. It will also be better able to consider investments in the network for electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling to suit consumers’ changing needs, Viva chief executive Scott Wyatt said. For the nation’s second-largest grocer, the deal will free its balance sheet of more than $800 million in lease obligations and leave it able to consider capital management, while reducing concerns about Scope 3 emissions. Mr Wyatt told The Australian Financial Review that Viva was the “natural owner” of the fuels retail business, which…

The tight-knit community of Mickleham is the first in Australia – and indeed the world – to get access to bp’s exciting new Wild Bean Cafe fresh food menu, which has just launched. In a bold step for the industry, the food at bp Merrifield, about 40 minutes north of Melbourne, will be made to order and deliver on the promise of “real food, real good, real fast”, says Matt Elliott, bp vice president, mobility & convenience for Australia and New Zealand. “Out of our 1,400 stores across Australia, we chose Mickleham to trial our new menu for a number of reasons – it has a strong sense of community, its residential and commercial development is growing, and it’s close to major highways. “Our new food offering is designed to have wide appeal to people in the area, whether they’re tradies wanting a hearty lunch, busy parents needing to refuel on the go,…

10/08/22; CS News CHICAGO — With technology playing an increasingly more important role in the convenience channel, retailers from big chains to small operators continue to include it in their conversations. One retailer that stands out for embracing technology is Sheetz Inc. The Altoona, Pa.-based convenience retailer has long been known for its made-to-order (MTO) foodservice offerings — and along with it, ordering kiosks — but its innovation stream has moved beyond what has become standard in the industry to new tech spaces like digital currencies and subscription programs. It is for its forward-thinking take on retail technology that Convenience Store News has selected Sheetz as its 2022 Technology Leader of the Year. This annual award goes to a technology leader (individual or company) who not only contributes to the success of their organization, but also to the advancement and growth of the convenience store industry as a whole. Sheetz CEO Travis…