Blog

Where Success Begins

August 22, 2011

Nearly all discussion about retail success focuses on stores. Yet savvy retailers know the store is only a piece of the puzzle. The only way an operator can successfully compete is with a lean supply...

A New Management Priority

August 16, 2011

While the national unemployment rate continues to stay stubbornly over 9%, two things remain true about the labor market: 1. There are never enough good associates to work in our stores. 2. As the economy...

Advertising Recipes for the Times

Tough times can be the ideal time to help shoppers see the supermarket as an ally. However, it may require fresh thinking in stores and a different approach to weekly circulars. It’s clear that the...

Marketing Convenience

The NACS/CCRRC study Redefining Convenience: Successfully Marketing to the 21st Century Consumers, completed in 2000, challenged c-store operators to take ownership of the new definition of convenience, described in the report, and to aggressively market its...

Forecasts for the Future

Imagine you had the ability to peer into the future; to see trends that would shape shopping and eating habits. These, in turn, will influence retail response on numerous levels. No doubt you’d jump right...

Tip to Drive Teen Business

The 2005 NACS/CCRRC Convenience Teens Study provides solid insight into how to tap the sales potential of “next generation” shoppers. The good news is that the work didn’t stop there. Several council members pilot tested the action...

Into the Mind of the Shopper

How is it possible that the same shopper who will drive an extra mile for cheaper gasoline will stop along the way for a cup of gourmet coffee? Or why does the same person love...

Going to the Next Level of Understanding Shopper Needs

There have been plenty of studies on the importance of supermarkets winning back meals each week. But, in The Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council study Eating In you will find a lot of practical ways to do...