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Featured
Articles

NPN - National Petroleum News
CSP - Convenience Store/Petroleum
NYCU - News You Can Use (ConocoPhillips)
Click on the
link to view the article.
The
Three R's of Store Vision (CSP-July
2010)
For most of us, school days are a memory, and the
three R's do not represent "reading, 'riting, and
'rithmetic" anymore. Now they represent
renew, refresh, and restore - the level of attention
we should give to the retail facilities in our
industry. These three words represent myriad
real and potential actions, requiring implementation
schedules from daily to monthly, annually, twice a
decade and beyond.
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Regular
Joe, Regular Folks (CSP-April
2010)
I have had the pleasure of speaking with Joe DePinto
at various CSP functions and other events since he
took the helm at 7-Eleven...I have to say that I was
impressed and found further respect for the man
following the CBS airing of the Feb. 21 episode of
"Undercover Boss," titled "Regular
Joe."...It is these regular folks who make this a
special industry doing a special job with special
people. Be proud and be thankful for the class
showed by Joe DePinto, this industry's "Regular
Joe."
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Land
of Giants (CSP-February
2010)
What childhood images came to mind as soon as you read
"The Land of Giants:?...Well, it can be said this
industry is made up of the same two groups: The
Giants, in terms of the number of stores and geography
served; and The Mortals, the small, independent
companies that serve a much more defined region by a
much smaller number of stores...
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Counter
Culture (CSP-October
2009)
It probably is not that far from reality to say the
era of "pen pals" has passed us by. We
communicate with many people every day via a multitude
of vessels, e.g., phone, e-mail, blogs, tweets,
texting and face-to-face (hard to believe at times),
among others...Our store is the backdrop/stage
incorporated into a production in which each of us
have a role...
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Why
Size Matters (CSP-July
2009)
General Motors has announced to the world that one of
the largest industrial companies is seeking bankruptcy
protection. I think I need to be given a better
definition of what constitutes "too big to
fail"...there are a multitude of opportunities
for the small retail company to grow and expand, and
that is exactly what is happening on a weekly basis
via acquisition and creation.
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Passionate
about Potential (NYCU-June
2009)
The WRAP program is designed to provide financial
support to 76® station operators who undertake site
modernization and profit diversification
projects. The WRAP program demonstrates the
passion ConocoPhillips has regarding fuel and sales
potential at 76 stations. With WRAP program
support, site operators have the opportunity to
realize station potential. Operator passion
creates the energy to maximize business potential
through new site construction or station
improvements.
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IMST
Site Analysis Program (NYCU-May
2009)
Operators of 76® brand stations focused on increasing
gasoline volume and station profitability through site
improvement, expansion, and construction are guided
toward site analysis to determine the feasibility of
planned projects. The implementation of site
modernization strategies is only justified by adequate
increases in fuel volume and convenience revenue.
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The
Power Within One (CSP-April
2009)
The basic tenet of the column is the premise that each
operating retail facility must instinctually serve
each trade area as the distinct entity that it is...No
matter the economic cycle, each of our retail
facilities has the opportunities and abilities to
always remain relevant to our customers.
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The
M&A Game
(CSP TV-February 2009)
CSP's Angel Abcede
discusses industry merger and acquisition activity and
its impact on site transaction opportunities with Jim
Fisher, CEO of IMST Corp.
Video Runtime: 09:03
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Finding
the Right Mix
(NYCU-January 2009)
What does your
product and service mix communicate to your
customers? A well conceived convenience store
product and service mix is habit forming and meets
daily consumer needs.
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The
Power of One (CSP-December
2008)
Numerous companies agree that the best opportunities
for growth rest in more accurately identifying where a
retail presence can be secured...It truly does not
matter how many retail locations your company might
own or operate. What matters is being committed
to seeing each as a distinct retail entity - just one.
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What's
Your Niche?
(NYCU-November 2008)
Understanding the
niche of a convenience store or service station
location is critical in maximizing in-store sales and
gasoline performance. Strategic facility
upgrades and expansions are best accomplished through
defining your niche and knowing your area of
trade...Answering the question "What's your
niche?" is the key to positioning your business
and determining investment decisions.
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Station
Transformation and Makeovers (NYCU-October
2008)
It's intriguing to watch "extreme makeover"
type TV shows and view dramatic "before" and
"after" photos of people, places, and
spaces. These programs are hits because interest
soars as the transformational process breathes new
life into "before" images...Many golden
opportunities await convenience store owners as worn
out facilities rebuild, remodel, and become the
existing new "makeover" in their
marketplace.
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Finding
the Formula for Success
(NYCU-September 2008)
Decisions to raze,
rebuild, remodel, expand, or create new profit centers
(car wash, QSR, etc) become high potential
opportunities with market appropriate information and
resulting sales and fuel volume forecasts.
Merchandise offerings and service mix fulfill the
needs of the specific market segments and customer
elements. This is the direct route to bottom
line results versus the shotgun approach.
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Flexibility
Matters Most (CSP-July 2008)
As a retailer, how
do you respond to the community when you learn that it
is about to be the beneficiary of a $6-billion
energy-related contract? Not a possibility, a
fact! Framed another way, are you ready and able
to adapt to changes in your marketplace, whether it
means creating an entirely new offer or subtracting
from what you're already doing?
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To
'Supersize' or Not (CSP-March 2008)
At the end of the 20th
century, the term "supersize" became part of
our vocabulary. It was created by the fastfood
industry in the ongoing "burger wars" that
had begun when fastfood companies looked to lift flat
revenues without having to address the industry's
deeper problem...
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Some
Changes, Good and Sad (NPN-December 2007)
On a more sentimental
note, this is the last issue in which Jim Fisher, CEO
of the retail site analysis, market analysis and
screening, and retail sales forecasting modeling
colutancy, IMST Corp., provides us with our "Last
Word" column.
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Blink:
Don't Blink (NPN-December 2007)
This article serves as
Jim's last "The Last Word." Many
events have occurred in the space of time this column
has been written. It has been the formation of a
bridge between all of us as to what matters in this
industry, in our companies and in our lives. I
hope this very last page of this magazine continues to
bring you enjoyment each and every month it is
published....
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Nurturing
the Goose... (NPN-November 2007)
In our industry there
are two types of retail facilities: the nurtured and
the neglected. A total of 80 percent of
respondents do not reinvest (nurture) in the
properties to any significant level for at least six
years after a store is opened; whereas virtually every
retail indicator suggests that retail operations must
be refreshed and updated at least every two years.
Nurture the Goose...don't smash the egg.
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Invisibility
(NPN-October 2007)
It is with the idea of
"The Invisible Man" that I began a little
experiment approximately two years ago: if I'm not
acknowledged within two minutes from the time of being
seated, then I simply get up and leave the restaurant.
All of this has been based upon the restaurant segment
of the retail industry, but this can be transferred
into our industry as well. Just how are we
building great customer experiences if the simple act
of recognition and appreciation for stopping and
spending time with up cannot be accomplished?
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Yard
Sale (NPN-September 2007)
Accumulation exists
within all areas of our personal and business lives.
Each of us can probably identify where in our personal
lives it might exist. However, we must address
asset accumulation within our companies -
specifically, retail asset accumulation and its
overall impact on our company. That's not to say
we must conduct a yard sale of our retail facilities,
but we must be constantly vigilant as to what forces
are evolving in each marketplace our facilities exist.
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Localization,
Not Globalization (CSP-August 2007)
It is the smaller
market that has been abandoned in past decades in
terms of new-format introduction. This fact is
now becoming acutely apparent to visionary retailers
within this industry. If our industry
continuously focuses on what the requirements are in
Birmingham and how to best serve its needs, we will
not have to be concerned about Brussels. Then,
and only then, are we as an industry being true to
those we are entrusted to serve.
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Some
Would Say That Familiar Icons Were Not Retailers
(NPN-August 2007)
The famous "three
wise monkeys" can be re-named "Stop, Look,
and Listen." In the retail industry, we
must "Stop" before we speak,
"Look" for the details to improve customer
service, and "listen" to the daily hustle
and a bustle of activity. It's o.k. to make a
monkey out of yourself every once in a while.
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