NPN Marketpulse - Coffee calls out to customers

A robust coffee offering may be more important that ever to convenience store operators as gasoline prices seem to reach new highs weekly. Many operators are trying to generate more profit from in-store sales, citing tight margins on the fuel side; and coffee, an integral component of foodservice, has long been viewed both as a means to draw customers inside and as a key sales generator. View Article

NPN Marketpulse - EIA projects summer regular average of $3.66

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects regular-grade motor gasoline retail prices, which averaged $2.81 per gallon in 2007, to average $3.52 per gallon this year, according to its May 6 Short-Term Energy Outlook. That is up 16 cents from the projection in last month’s Outlook. View Article

NPN Marketpulse - Researchers blame c-stores, QSRs for higher risk of obesity and diabetes

People living in neighborhoods crowded with fast-food and convenience stores but relatively few grocery or produce outlets are at significantly higher risk of suffering from obesity and diabetes, according to a study by health researchers in California. The study, titled Designed for Disease: the Link Between Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes, was released April 29. It examines the correlation between the health of nearly 40,000 Californians and the mix of retail food outlets near their homes. View Article

NPN Marketpulse - Analyst: Tax rebate will trigger big boost in retail sales

Federal tax rebates will give retail sales a significant and much needed boost in the next two quarters, predicts TNS Retail Forward, but that forecast excludes autos and gasoline. View Article

NPN Marketpulse - Washington fuel pricing probe follows similar report on Northeast markets

The conclusion recently reached by Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna – that gasoline prices are shaped partly by regional U.S. market conditions, and largely by the price of crude oil on the world market – is similar to that of a study released in the fall of 2007 by five Northeastern attorneys general. View Article

NPN Marketpulse - Safety video is based on lessons from refinery explosion

The explosion that killed 15 workers and injured 180 others at the BP Texas City refinery three years ago is now the basis of a safety video offered free by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB). View Article

NPN Marketpulse - EIA: Fuel prices to rise still higher this spring and summer

“Driving season” is drawing near, and this spring and summer are expected to see retail gasoline prices rise even further from current high levels, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). View Article

NPN Marketpulse - Retailers open ‘green’ convenience stores

How green can a convenience store be? View Article

NPN Marketpulse - EIA: high prices for gasoline will persist, even as demand weakens

Current record high prices for both crude oil and product are occurring despite weakness in U.S. demand, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported in its Short-Term Energy and Summer Fuels Outlook. The weakness in demand is expected to be a prominent feature of the summer driving season, defined as the period from April 1 to Sept. 30. View Article

NPN Marketpulse - Expert: Anti-crime ordinances should be based on proven methods

An ordinance designed to deter crime in and around convenience stores in Houston contains many sound elements, and avoids imposing measures that have been shown to be ineffective, forensic sociologist and consultant Rosemary Erickson, president of Athena Research Corp., told NPN MarketPulse in an interview. View Article