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By: Tom Barnes | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG — As the sound of Revolutionary War fifes and drums echoed through Capitol hallways Tuesday, supermarkets and convenience stores launched a new attempt at one of the most difficult legislative feats — liberalizing Pennsylvania’s beer-selling laws.

A crowd of about 150 people, many from the Sheetz store chain, held signs calling for a “Beer Revolution” in Pennsylvania, with others reading “I Drink and I Vote,” “Free My Beer” and “Get Your Hands Off My 6 Pack.”

State Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, joined by the Pennsylvania Convenience Store Council and the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, backed a new bill that they said would “make sweeping and historic changes to the way beer is sold in Pennsylvania.”

Specifically, it would allow a six-pack, a 12-pack or a case of beer to be sold, for the first time, at convenience stores and groceries. Currently, most beer is sold by state-licensed beer distributors, and only by the case or keg; under the new bill, they also would be able to sell one or two six-packs.

It also would strengthen efforts to make sure beer isn’t sold to underage youths. It would require “carding,” or the showing of valid ID, by everyone buying beer, regardless of how old they look. The system would use “electronic age-verification machines to ensure that minors are not buying alcohol illegally.”

Sheetz owner Stan Sheetz said his chain sells beer at its stores in five other states and wants to do so in Pennsylvania. His general counsel, Michael Cortez, urged scrapping “outdated beer laws” and giving consumers “what they’ve wanted for years — the ability to buy beer in convenience stores and supermarkets.” Backers have created a website, www.sixpacktogo.org.

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C-Stores, Consumers, Featured beer, convenience stores, john rafferty, pennsylvania, pennsylvania convenience store council, pennyslvania food merchants association, sheetz

By: Ed Sealover | Denver Business Journal

Colorado’s convenience-store owners have taken a step toward being able to sell full-strength beer.

The state House Business Affairs and Labor Committee approved a measure late Wednesday that would allow convenience stores of under 5,000 feet to sell an alcoholic product bigger than the reduced-strength beer that they now are limited to pedaling. The 7-4 vote came after other bills that would have expanded alcohol sales died two straight years in legislative committees.

Unlike its predecessors, however, HB 1186, sponsored by Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, does not give the same sales allowances to grocery stores, which are pushing a separate bill this year to allow them to buy liquor stores’ licenses.

And it also limits convenience stores to selling only full-strength beer rather than being able to offer wine or spirits to customers. Liston cited those two factors as having a big influence on a committee that rejected a bill to allow beer and wine sales at convenience and grocery stores last year by a similar margin.

Committee members heard hours of testimony from craft brewers and liquor-store owners that allowing convenience stores to tap into a product now available only at liquor stores will harm both of their industries and cost jobs during a recession.

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C-Stores, Consumers, Distributors, Featured, Manufacturers, Retail beer, colorado, convenience store, hb 1186

We’ll be posting a weekly recap of all of our Tweets and re-Tweets. You can also follow us at: www.twitter.com/FsDashboard!

You’ll see that we follow tweets from Food Manufacturers and Distributors, to Restaurants and Associations, to Journalists and Bloggers, Retail Grocery Stores to Convenience Stores,  Industry publications and celebrated Chefs,  to Foodies and Goverment agencies……

We cover the landscape of the food industry.

@paulbarron Yum Brands gives $500,000 to provide food for victims in Haiti – AWESOME @kfc_colonel http://ow.ly/WUlp

@QMG Chinese create shamless knock-off’s of famous American restaurant brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s: http://ow.ly/WUuU

@PeterRomeo A roundup of what restaurants and chains are doing to help earthquake victims in Haiti: http://snipurl.com/u3ec3

@NRNonline Daphne’s Greek Cafe files for Ch. 11: The fast-casual Daphne’s Greek Cafe chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy pr… http://bit.ly/7VffJs

@FoodMfg Peanut Butter Recall Spreads To Other Products http://bit.ly/6YygpK

@RestaurantMentr McDonald’s Contributes to Disaster Relief Efforts in Haiti http://bit.ly/8biiQF

@Debra_Blueberry U.S. Foodservice Donates $50,000 to Haiti Relief Effort: http://bit.ly/60IIEh

@FastFoodMaven RT @QSRweb Exclusive.. @DelTaco parent company selling sister-brand: Captain D’s on the market http://ow.ly/Wvvb

@FoodBizDaily General Mills Foundation Pledges $250,000 to Earthquake Relief in Haiti

Nice to see: @FoodBizDaily Brat Pitt and Angelina Jolie donates 1 million to Doctors without Borders

Gr8 use of Twitter: @SouthBeachGril is vry proud of crew. Hlth Insp. just graded our restaurant-a 99.5 & many compliments on our operation!

@ZagatBuzz Hugh Jackman, aka Wolverine, to be the face of @Lipton_Tea via @guardiannews http://is.gd/6fecq

@RestaurantMentr Applebee’s launches remodeling push http://bit.ly/8t9Icb

@RestaurantMentr The Women’s Foodservice Forum Names Fritzi Woods as Incoming President and Chief Executive Officer http://bit.ly/8jAp7P

@bmarler is ALWAYS on top of things. Interesting points regarding Nestle Toll House and Contaminated Flour… http://bit.ly/7gGISw

@RonRuggless V-Day at White Castle?: burger chain offers candlelight dinner reservations http://bit.ly/8qk2Dm questioning Harold & Kumar’s “relationship”

@ihospitality IH News: Seattle’s Best to debut canned coffee drinks http://bit.ly/8xqSGC

@PeterRomeo McDonald’s promotes Don Thompson to president, succeeding Ralph Alvarez. Jan Fields named U.S. president

@PeterRomeo Gene Baldwin named interim CFO for Benihana Inc. http://snipurl.com/u2m7o

@seriouseats Cute. Coca-Cola “Happiness Machine” dispenses more than just soda to group of college students. Video: http://su.pr/6wZ9Lt

@RonRuggless Keep On Truckin: RT @FastFoodMaven: Kogi BBQ generates $2 million in 1st year http://bit.ly/5CBQc3

@slashfood Irony of the day: fast food restaurants in UK hospitals http://bit.ly/5NoE9p

@NexCenBrands Multiple-Concept Franchising: The Growing Allure Of Operating Several Brands http://bit.ly/Nex0113A

@eartheats Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback Will Kill You Just As Fast As The HFCS Kind http://bit.ly/6oFgQD (via @TreeHugger) /@aschweig

@DairyFoods HP Hood recalls Heluva Good Cold Pack Cheese Food: Click here for full story http://bit.ly/7c4O6v

@ZagatBuzz Food makers quietly cut back on salt (@wsj) http://is.gd/6b7M8

@paulbarron Fast Casual goes global as Chipotle eyes France, Germany for new restaurants http://ow.ly/W8oN

@RonRuggless Feeling Their Oats: Another coffee co. offers hot oatmeal http://bit.ly/91vHjO This time Caribou

@ihospitality IH Retail News: Pepsi’s Social Marketing Campaign Stumbles Out of the Gate: Erick Schonfeld subm.. http://bit.ly/698w8k

@npdfood Americans are using more store brand and private label products … and have been since 2002, reports NPD.

@manageyourbar Diageo Congratulates NJ Legislature for Passing Legislation to Combat Drunk Driving http://bit.ly/6SNgNz

@RonRuggless Not Taking It w/ Grain of Salt: Chefs boiling over proposed NYC salt crackdown http://bit.ly/4Os9FQ

@JeffreySummers The Casual Restaurant Bankruptcy Epidemic: http://bit.ly/6Dx2iy

@foodrecalls PARKERS FARM, INC. RECALLS SEVERAL PRODUCTS BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK: PARKERS FARM, INC. OF COON RAPIDS, MI… http://bit.ly/6ZupJ5

@ashleyebentley A new program from the USDA seeks to find a way to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among food stamp recipients: http://ow.ly/VhBI

@FoodMfg Wisconsin To Open Sausage Development Center http://bit.ly/5fFpTp

@TheGourmetGirl Did you know by federal law, for a noodle to actually be a noodle it must have 5.5% egg solids in it, otherwise it cannot be called a noodle

Agriculture, C-Stores, Consumers, Distributors, Equipment and Supply, Featured, Finance | Economics, Global, Health | Probiotic, Industry News, Manufacturers, Market Trends, Monthly Highlights, Related Industry Sites, Restaurants, Retail, Site News fsdashboard, recap, twitter

By: Renee M. Covino | Convenience Store News

Taking a cue from supermarkets and popular soup/salad bars, both regional and national c-store operators are incorporating hot soup into their foodservice mix to separate themselves from their competitors.

Quick Chek’s new store design last year put the emphasis on fresh food, and included “gourmet-quality” soups such as Chicken Noodle Galore, Pot Roast Vegetable, Italian Wedding, Sweet Potato Bisque, Roasted Tomato and Garlic, and Spicy Chili. This winter, the Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based chain kicked off the cold weather season by offering its morning coffee patrons a complimentary cup of soup on a Wednesday in mid-December. Customers who purchased any size Quick Chek coffee that morning received a special hand stamp entitling them to come back for a complimentary cup of soup later that afternoon or evening.

Meanwhile, Kwik Trip’s 60,000-square-foot kitchen commissary makes its own soups, supplying roughly 500,000 gallons of them to its 350-plus stores on an annual basis, and Parker’s Market gas station in Savannah, Ga., advertises its fresh soups daily on its Web site. In addition to Chicken Noodle, the gourmet-inspired convenience store rotates selections such as Kickin’ Crab Corn Chowder and Cheesy Chicken Enchilada.

Additionally, Giant Eagle Express in Pittsburgh, puts out four soups each day and rotates them every four hours to keep them fresh, according to a company spokesperson, who stated the location is “very proud” of its soups, as it’s “a growing area right now.” Modeled after its parent, Giant Eagle grocery stores, which reportedly has had soup sales increase year-to-year recently, some of the regionally popular varieties the store offers include Italian Wedding soup, Broccoli Cheese soup, Wisconsin Cheese soup and Cheesy Chicken Tortilla.

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C-Stores, Consumers, Distributors, Featured, Manufacturers, Retail convenience store, giant eagle, kwik trip, parkers market, quick chek, soup

Samantha Oller of CSP Magazine and CSPNet.com recently profiled Pacific Convenience and Fuels in a three part series. Highlights from the series are listed below with a link to the articles in their original form at CSPnet.com.

Part I:

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. — A couple of days before Thanksgiving in 2008, David Delrahim received a late evening phone call from his business partner, Sam Hirbod. The news wasn’t good. Tower Energy Group, which had originally signed on to supply the California dealers who were part of Pacific Convenience & Fuels’ August 2008 acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ retail network, had dropped out of the deal. It was yet another roadblock in PC&F’s attempts at closing what was perhaps the industry’s largest acquisition in 2009.

But Hirbod and Delrahim were determined not to let this setback scuttle the impending closing.

Continue reading Part I….

Part II:

With more than 120 ProWash car washes across six western states, Pacific Convenience & Fuels has truly embraced the business. The retailer operates self-service washes at more than half of its 235 company-operated stores, as well as a half-dozen full-service locations.

“When we choose a facility, car wash is one of the variables we think about,” said Sam Hirbod, president and CEO of Pacific Convenience & Fuels (PC&F), in an exclusive interview with CSP Daily News. “How will a car wash work in this corner? Otherwise we may not do a car wash at all.”

Continue reading Part II….

Part III:

When Pacific Convenience & Fuels LLC, San Ramon, Calif., took over ConocoPhillips’ nearly 600 convenience stores in January 2009, it assumed not only the major oil’s store network, but also the legacy of its conventional retail approach.

While the ConocoPhillips stores indexed high in some categories—tobacco generated more than 40% of in-store sales—they left other, higher-margin categories, such as snacks, candy and foodservice, somewhat underdeveloped. Foodservice, for example, contributed only 4% of sales.

It wasn’t for lack of a good model.

Continue reading Part III…

C-Stores, Featured, Retail 76, chevron, circle k, conocophillips, csp magazine, pacific convenience fuels, prowash

By: Todd J. Zywicki | The Wall Street Journal

Fresh off of its enactment this summer of new regulations on consumer credit card terms, some in Congress want to go further—to impose a national usury ceiling on credit card interest rates and limits on interchange fees (the price that credit card issuers charge to merchants that accept their cards). That caps on interest rates harm consumers is well understood. But price controls on interchange fees would also result in consumers paying more and getting less.

The “interchange fee” (sometimes called the “swipe fee”) is an element of the price a merchant pays when a consumer uses a credit card for a purchase. Interchange partially compensates the cardholder’s bank for the cost and risk of offering payment cards to consumers. This includes clearing costs, billing and collection, fraud recovery, customer service, credit losses, and the resolution of any disputes that might arise from the transaction.

Credit cards generate three basic revenue streams: finance charges, merchant fees, and behavior-based fees such as penalties for late payment. Because annual fees have largely disappeared on standard credit cards, interchange is generally the only compensation issuers receive for the billions of dollars of credit they make available to consumers who pay their balance off every month. Credit unions and community banks, which cater to lower-risk customers who are less prone to revolve balances and pay penalty fees, rely especially heavily on interchange revenues.

Merchants pay, on average, less than 2% of the transaction amount in interchange fees. In exchange, merchants are relieved of the cost and risk associated with running their own in-house credit operations. And they benefit because consumers can make purchases even when they don’t have enough cash in their wallets. This deal is voluntarily assumed by merchants who agree to accept payment cards because the benefits exceed these costs.

But now the Merchants Payments Coalition—a group of retailers, supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores, gas stations, on-line merchants and other businesses—wants Congress to intervene to rewrite their contracts. Several legislative proposals are on the table and while they differ in their details, they are identical in their intent—to artificially reduce interchange prices.

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C-Stores, Consumers, Featured, Restaurants, Retail credit card, interchange fee, merchants payments coalition, swipe fee

By: Taiga Uranaka | Reuters

TOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Lawson Inc., Japan’s second-largest convenience store chain, said on Monday it aims to boost its store numbers in China by 10 times in five to 10 years as it seeks growth outside its saturated home market.

“We assume there will be about 30,000 convenience stores in China in five to 10 years. We want to be a player with a 10 percent share,” Takeshi Niinami, the company’s president said at a media reception.

The company, which currently has about 300 outlets in Shanghai, said it plans to expand into other areas of China, such as the country’s inland and northeastern regions.

Lawson and its rivals are planning to speed their expansion in China and other Asian markets as they face weak growth prospects at home, where more than 40,000 convenience stores are vying for survival as the population ages. Lawson has about 9,600 stores in Japan.

Seven & I Holdings, which runs the industry leading Seven-Eleven chain, has said it plans to increase the number of its convenience stores in China by more than five times to 500 locations over the next three years.

Lawson’s Niinami said the company is also considering opening stores in Vietnam and India, where it has already been approached by local businesses for possible partnerships.

C-Stores, Featured asia, china, convenience stores, japan, lawson, shanghai

The Associated Press -

7-Eleven Inc. said Wednesday that it bought convenience store operator New England Pantry for an undisclosed sum in order to broaden its presence in the Boston area.

The privately held company, known for its Slurpee frozen beverages, purchased the business from affiliates of wealth management firm Sanders Morris Harris Group Inc.

New England Pantry runs 58 convenience stores under the White Hen Pantry brand. Those stores will convert to the 7-Eleven brand next year.

7-Eleven runs, franchises or licenses more than 37,100 stores in 16 countries.

C-Stores, Featured 7 11, 7-eleven, new england pantry, seven eleven, white hen pantry

By: Mike King | The Gazette: Montreal

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. plans to fly into the Windy City in 2010.

The Laval convenience-store chain announced yesterday that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries is expected to reach an agreement by the end of this year to create a joint venture with Shell Oil Products U.S. to operate about 100 stores in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Of the convenience stores in the proposed venture, about 90 are run by third parties in an agreement with Shell, including 32 operated under the Circle K banner by Couche-Tard’s Midwest Division. The remaining 10 or so operate as Shell outlets under a retail lease agreement.

“These stores are located in the third-largest city in the U.S. Strategically, this acquisition would be a complement to our expansion and growth plans for the Midwest Division,” Darrell Davis, vice-president of operations at the Circle K Midwest American Division, said in a statement from his office in Indiana.

“In addition to being an excellent fit within our current operating framework, it would … allow us to more easily target our growth in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.”

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C-Stores, Featured, Retail chicago, circle k, convenience store, couche-tard, shell

Courier-Journal.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Kemper Foods International announced Tuesday that it will expand its food production center in New Albany, creating more than 350 new jobs by 2012.

The manufacturer of frozen foods for restaurants and brand name retailers will invest more than $6.8 million for equipment and building improvements, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
That will more than double the size of the company’s 24,000 square-foot food production facility in the Park East Industrial Park.

“Hundreds of new jobs in New Albany – added to several hundred more recently announced in the northeast and western parts of our state – is a strong indicator that Indiana is holding its own during this global recession,” Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement Tuesday. “We couldn’t be happier that Kemper Foods has chosen to grow this promising venture in Indiana.”

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C-Stores, Equipment and Supply, Featured, Manufacturers, Retail indiana, jobs, kemper, new albany