Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Permission granted by Hershey
Gum manufacturers turn to innovation to keep sales from popping
Hershey, Mars Wrigley and other companies are using unique flavors, ingredients and formats to boost consumption.
Christopher Doering • Sept. 6, 2024 -
Courtesy of High Noon Spirits Company
Hard seltzer started a new category, but will canned cocktails sustain momentum long term?
The push for premium RTD beverages is relying on real spirits and unique flavors to keep the ball rolling.
Chris Casey • Aug. 19, 2024 -
Permission granted by Ice Cobotics
C-store 2.0: How technology is reshaping key design strategies
Self-checkouts, ordering kiosks and digital screens are changing the ways operators lay out their stores. Here, experts discuss how to incorporate these and other tools.
Danielle McLean • July 18, 2024 -
Retrieved from SQRL.
As SQRL continues to spiral, its landlords remain in the dark
Amid the convenience retailer's struggles, store owners have lost millions and face an uncertain future. Many of them have begun terminating their leases.
Brett Dworski • May 30, 2024 -
Virginia Gabrielli for Industry Dive
‘Epic failure:’ Inside the rise and fall of Mountain Express Oil
The Georgia retailer was growing fast until it went bankrupt and terminated operations. Several former employees say leadership’s financial mishandlings and dysfunctional culture caused its demise.
Brett Dworski, Jasmine Ye Han and Shaun Lucas • April 23, 2024 -
Permission granted by Stinker Stores
9 trends that will shape the c-store industry in 2024
As convenience retailers consider new layouts, flavors and technology, the ability to be efficient with operations will be key, experts say.
C-Store Dive Staff • Jan. 9, 2024 -
LeoPatrizi via Getty Images
Restaurant loyalty programs will be ruled by personalization in 2024
Major chains are using real-time consumer data and artificial intelligence to provide more personalized perks, which may grow engagement even as diners’ emotional attachment to brands dips.
Danielle McLean • Jan. 5, 2024 -
Courtesy of the National Retail Federation
Retailers have a crime problem. It’s in the numbers.
The issue is complex and often clouded by imprecise data. Sometimes from the industry itself.
Daphne Howland • Nov. 30, 2023 -
Permission granted by Schnuck Markets
Foodservice ‘renaissance’: How grocers are spicing up their deli and premade meals
As competition grows from restaurant chains and c-stores like Foxtrot, supermarkets are getting creative with offerings, deals, labor models and shopping experiences to differentiate beyond price.
Catherine Douglas Moran • Nov. 6, 2023 -
Sean Gallup / Staff via Getty Images
Retail media’s standardization race is heating up — what’s at stake?
Calls for unity are growing as marketers stamp their feet about the industry’s fragmentary state, but the push for shared best practices faces an uphill battle.
Peter Adams • Aug. 22, 2023 -
Retrieved from Casey's.
C-store chains like Casey’s, QuikTrip and RaceTrac are all-in on travel centers. Here’s why.
Traditional c-store players have begun testing the truck stop market for reasons including higher margins and EV charging, among others, experts say.
Brett Dworski • July 26, 2023 -
Retrieved from Cumberland Farms website.
How a sale of EG America could impact the c-store industry
If the U.K. retailer offloads its U.S. assets, as reports indicate, the result could be a further shift of power to the industry’s the top players, among other effects, experts say.
Brett Dworski • Jan. 31, 2023 -
Halfpoint via Getty Images
Here’s how c-stores are attempting to cure the labor bug in 2023
While increased pay continues to be a priority for employees, so are flexible scheduling and career growth opportunities, say representatives from chains like Weigel's and Pilot Co.
Brett Dworski • Jan. 24, 2023 -
Permission granted by Casey's General Stores
C-store chains are betting on retail media in 2023. But at what cost?
On the heels of Casey’s and 7-Eleven announcing their first ventures into the space, retail media promises to bring new growth and opportunities — as well as challenges — for c-stores, experts say.
Brett Dworski • Jan. 11, 2023 -
Retrieved from 7-Eleven press release.
9 trends that will shape the c-store industry in 2023
Experts foresee plenty of opportunities for retailers to separate themselves this year, driven by consumer demands for quality and an evolving digital landscape.
C-Store Dive Staff • Jan. 4, 2023 -
Permission granted by DoorDash
How new verticals boost DoorDash’s momentum
The delivery giant’s expansion into convenience, grocery and other retail has helped it reach new customers and increase loyalty on its platforms.
Julie Littman • Nov. 30, 2022 -
Retrieved from 7-Eleven media kit.
Behind the making of 7-Eleven’s retail media network — and what c-store operators can learn from it
The chain’s Gulp Media is the first of what will likely be many retail media enterprises in the industry as companies wrestle with higher costs and an evolving digital landscape.
Brett Dworski • Nov. 28, 2022 -
Scott Olson via Getty Images
‘It’s so easy to go in and steal from them’: Why c-stores attract so much crime — and what retailers can do about it
About 5% of U.S. violent crimes in 2021 happened at c-stores. How can operators keep their staff and customers safe?
Brett Dworski • Oct. 11, 2022
