DAN FROSCH November 17, 2013 Beer sales are now allowed at Maverik, the only convenience store in a town that was founded by Mormon pioneers. After all, this quiet town near the Idaho border, founded by Mormon pioneers, had a longstanding ban on alcohol sales. And in keeping with the tenets of the Mormon Church, few people in Hyde Park drank at all. But this month, after a long and bitter battle, residents voted nearly two to one to allow alcohol sales, making Hyde Park one of the last bastions to loosen its rules on drinking in this button-down state, where liquor laws have grown less restrictive in recent years. “This was the most emotional issue I’ve seen in Hyde Park,” said Bryan Cox, the mayor, who supported overturning the ban. “People were passionate on this, one way or the other.” Alcohol has had a quirky, complicated history in Utah,…

Nov 15, 2013 CSNews CHICAGO – Technomic Inc. released its forecast for the top 10 trends that are likely to influence the restaurant and foodservice industries in 2014. These predictions are based on site visits evaluating the restaurant scene in cities across the United States; interviews and surveys of operators, chefs and consumers; qualitative data from the researcher’s Digital Resource Library; and quantitative data from its MenuMonitor database. The 2014 trends most relevant to the convenience store industry include: Creamy, cheesy, high-fat goodness – Although there is a real demand for healthier eating, there is also a backlash, and there will likely be more items such as cheese melts, fried snacks and pasta with creamy sauces. However, super-indulgent limited items such as Wendy’s nine-patty burger are designed to gain social media buzz, not sales. Day for night – Consumers are less likely to eat three standard meals per day and…

Nov 12, 2013 CSNews BELLEVUE, Wash. — Although convenience stores are currently losing the lunch battle to fast-food restaurants that have added fresher, healthier fare, they still have the chance to become the top go-to lunch destination for consumers that want quick, easy and accessible meals, according to market research firm The Hartman Group Inc.’s latest HartBeat report. Quick-service chains such as Subway and Panera Bread offer items that are lower in calories and made while customers wait, but they don’t offer the convenience desired by many busy customers who don’t have time to wait around or sit down for lunch. Meanwhile, fast-food restaurants that don’t focus on easy-to-carry sandwiches are adding portable alternatives, such as KFC’s “Go Cup” that fits in a standard car cupholder. C-stores already offer quick, easy and accessible food options, but they tend not to be as fresh or healthy, the researcher stated. As a…

Robert Gottliebsen November 20, 2013 Business Spectator WOOLWORTHS chief executive Grant O’Brien and Coles boss Ian McLeod have woken up to just how dramatically the big corporate game is about to change in Australia with the proposed new “fair contracts” legislation. Accordingly they have moved quickly to be ahead of the game.By contrast, I fear that Westfield’s Frank Lowy and the chiefs of other shopping centre owners have misread the “fair contracts” game and are in danger of falling into the dangerous space of resorting to lobbying to delay the “fair contracts” legislation.Woolworths and Coles are too smart to be caught in what will almost certainly be an unsuccessful lobbying game.As Business Spectator has reported on many occasions, the Abbott government is like no other postwar Coalition government. It is a government dedicated to looking after Australia’s largest employment group, small enterprise, and believes that’s how it will generate employment.…

CSNews ALTOONA, Pa. — Who are the authorities on the future of the convenience store industry and what can you learn from them? In this series of exclusive one-on-one interviews with c-store industry leaders, Convenience Store News Editorial Director Don Longo explores the more important trends and issues facing the convenience industry. This month, Longo interviews Stan Sheetz, former CEO and now chairman of Sheetz Inc., the 450-plus convenience store chain based in Altoona. A former NACS chairman, Sheetz was inducted last week into the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame. Under his leadership, Sheetz Inc. experienced aggressive growth in number of stores and employees, achieved impressive financial success, and maintained a healthy culture to create a highly motivated and passionate employee base. Earlier this year, Sheetz Inc. was also named to CSNews’ Top 20 Growth Chains list and last October, the retailer was honored as the gold medal winner…