Washington D.C. – Auto fuel has always been the economic poster-child of price transparency, efficient markets, and easy menu-changing. But any gas station owner will tell you that there’s still some money to be made at the pump. Yet given the razor thin margins on fuel, the game has, of course, moved away from the pump and into the store.

This shift has profoundly changed the make-up of where the gas game is played – very few pure refueling stations exist anymore and new entrants are looking to use zero-margin fuel as a traffic driver: grocer Stop & Shop recently announced that it will be ramping up their fuel service offering, opening their first location in Quincy, MA. (more…)

Washington D.C. – In a bold step towards our world looking more and more like the Jetsons, ViVOtech recently announced the launch of their “contactless Near Field Communication payment system.” Which is tech talk for “people can pay for things with nothing more than their smartphone.”

According to ViVO, The ViVOpay 8800e features “a 16 million color HD display and tactile keypad,” which is tech talk for “this is going to be expensive.” With a price tag of $600 per unit (or 4 thousandths of a penny per color), equipping even a modest convenience store network is a sizable investment, especially after you consider training and any additional labor.

Is the ROI there? If you ask ViVO, they certainly believe so: “With tens of millions of NFC mobile phones about to hit the market in 2011 and EMV continuing to gain traction in the US, merchants have to be ready for the surge with the right technology.” (more…)

UPDATE: NPD reports that “nearly two-thirds of prepared foods purchased at retail are from traditional supermarkets.”

Washington D.C. – Accounting for more than 10% of industry profits, convenience store food service offerings have garnered a lot of attention lately. The Pantry and Quick Chek have recently announced plans to expand their prepared foods offering. Through a languishing economic recovery, consumers are looking for quick and convenient meal options at affordable prices without sacrificing quality. Is this a good opportunity for c-stores to increase both revenue and profit? (more…)