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1

Buc-ee’s First Tennessee Location Will Be Its Biggest to Date

The retailer will open a 74,000-square-foot flagship Buc-ee’s Family Travel Center in Sevierville. The location, close to Knoxville, will surpass the 66,335-square-foot Buc-ee’s that currently operates in New Braunfels, Texas.

2IQOS Will Not Return to U.S. Market in 2022 Philip Morris International CEO Jacek Olczak said the company is going to begin manufacturing IQOS in the U.S. in an attempt to get the product back on the nation’s shelves next year.

3

More Circle K Stores Sold as Part of Network Optimization Effort

Majors Management LLC and its affiliates took ownership of 69 convenience stores from Circle K Stores Inc. in a fourth-quarter 2021 deal. Thirty-four of the sites will convert to franchised Kangaroo Express locations.

4

EG Group Launches $50M Rebranding Initiative for Tom Thumb Stores

The Cumberland Farms rebranding project is expected to take two years and include new locations in Florida and Alabama. According to EG Group, the rebranded locations will position the stores to lead the company in organic organizational growth.

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Parker’s & Enmarket Make Savannah One of Country’s Most Progressive C-store Markets

The convenience hotbed will be the host city for Convenience Store News’ 2022 Convenience Foodservice Exchange event. Taking place June 21-22, the event will feature store tours, food tours, education sessions, networking opportunities, and more.

EXPERT VIEWPOINT

Sustainability & Convenience Stores: An Opportunity for the Industry

The newest study from the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council, Convenience Store Customers and Sustainability: The Journey to Creating Brand Ambassadors, demonstrates that shopper loyalty can be built and reinforced by progressive action on a range of social issues, including sustainability, writes Michael Sansolo, research director. In fact, many shoppers say their loyalty, and their willingness to promote or recommend specific stores to others, could be improved or diminished depending on how their local stores address these issues.

Consumers surveyed for the report indicated they would like to see their local convenience stores create incentives for shoppers to be more sustainable by encouraging reusable and recyclable drink containers. They would also like stores to offer environmentally friendly options such as paper straws. Other initiatives such as the use of energy-efficient light bulbs and electric vehicle charging stations are viewed favorably.

BP Leans Into Convenience Retailing Following Thorntons Deal

Convenience Store News got an inside look at new programs at the recent BP Amoco Marketers Association convention. Greg Franks, senior vice president of mobility and convenience, Americas, explained that BP will always sell fuel, but the company also wants to grow its convenience store network and embrace the coming changes in the mobility landscape as it looks to diversify its business. “If you have a strong backcourt and a strong forecourt, you will have a strong business,” he said.

For more exclusive content, visit the Special Features section of csnews.com.

MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT

Coca-Cola Flavors Portfolio Packaging Redesign

The Coca-Cola Co. rolled out a new look for its Coca-Cola Flavors Portfolio. The modern design features vibrant, colorful cans to quickly communicate flavors and a bold, dominant script to hero the Coca-Cola branding. Full-color cans designate single flavors, while stacked colors communicate dual flavors, such as Cherry Vanilla. Black script is used for zero-sugar and zero-calorie drinks. Gold tops designate caffeine-free drinks. The rollout encompasses all Coca-Cola and Coke Zero Sugar flavors and variants. Coke Zero Sugar flavors and variants.

The Coca-Cola Co. Atlanta (800) 520-2653 coca-colacompany.com

Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology Makes C-stores Even More Convenient

Face it, no one likes waiting in lines. The C-stores that win shoppers’ loyalty are those that offer quick in-and-out shopping trips. Listening to what shoppers want, Amazon set out to build Just Walk Out technology for Amazon Go stores several years ago by starting to work backward from the customer to offer a new shopping experience that was easier and faster.

The question: could Amazon build a way to skip the line? The answer was Amazon Go which ushered in shopping without checkout lines back in 2018.

With great feedback on the experience from shoppers, Amazon considered how to apply its technology beyond Amazon Go stores. At the time, retailers were expressing interest in offering similar checkout-free shopping experiences to their customers. Amazon decided to offer other retailers the ability to leverage Just Walk Out technology for use in their own stores. By extending the technology to other retailers, more shoppers will be able to use it to take what they want and leave without stopping to check out.

Convenience Store News connected with Jennifer Maul, Director at Amazon, to learn more about Just Walk Out technology.

CSNews: What is Just Walk Out technology?

Jennifer Maul: Just Walk Out technology leverages the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Retailers can of course customize what they sell in their stores. But when it comes to the core technology, we’re offering retailers the same Just Walk Out Shopping experience that people have come to know and love at Amazon Go.

CSNews: Where and how is the technology currently being used?

JM: At Amazon, we invent and test in our own store environments. Just Walk Out technology was first implemented in our own C-stores, Amazon Go. We’ve applied the technology in larger, grocery formats like at select Amazon Fresh locations and now in two Whole Foods Market stores. Further, we offer the same technology to retailers in new verticals — including travel retail, sports stadiums, and live event venues. Some of our customers include Hudson, Sainsbury’s, TD Garden, WHSmith, and the Climate Pledge Arena. Across all use cases, the benefits for shoppers remain consistent: fast, frictionless, and convenient.

CSNews: How do customers shop in a Just Walk Out technology-enabled store?

JM: Retailers have the flexibility to define most retail functions in a Just Walk Out technology-enabled store, spanning the entry /exit experience, post-purchase customer experience, pricing and payment method. Depending on the customization by the retailer, shoppers have a few ways to enter a store using Just Walk Out technology. Shoppers can insert a credit card, use an app, or enter with Amazon One. Once inside the store, they shop like normal. Anything the shopper takes off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart. Anything they put back on the shelf comes out of their virtual cart. For example, if they take a soda off a shelf, it’s in their virtual cart, but they won’t be charged for it until they’re done shopping and leave the store.

CSNews: What is Amazon One?

JM: Amazon One is a palm recognition service that allows customers to use their palm to enter, identify, and pay. In a C-store environment with Just Walk Out technology, Amazon One can be used to both enter and pay. Since Amazon One is linked to a shopper’s assigned credit card, once a shopper has completed their trip, the credit card linked to their Amazon One ID will be charged for items they took after they leave the store.

CSNews: What are the advantages of checkout-free technology?

JM: Shoppers have described the Just Walk Out Shopping experience as magical. The technology has broad applicability across store sizes and industries because it’s great in places that have high demand, long lines, or wherever shoppers are pressed for time. C-store shoppers expect convenience and retailers don’t want to lose a sale because a shopper sees a line and decides not to wait.

For retailers, the technology scales with no limit on shoppers in-store or number of products. It’s easy to manage, using intuitive visual tools for restocking, and its flexible in terms of retail integration, payment, fixtures, merchandising, and store formats.

CSNews: What makes this technology a good fit

for convenience stores?

JM: We know this technology works well in C-stores as because use it in our own — Amazon Go. In a retail setting where you fundamentally want to get in, out, and go, Just Walk Out technology enhances the shopper experience and reduces friction from the moment the shopper enters. CSNews: How hard is it to retrofit a store?

What is the time commitment?

JM: Our technology can accommodate new store builds, retrofits, and pre-fab environments. We work closely with our retail customers and collaborate with them on store design, store development and deployment.

CSNews: How does Amazon support retailers/C-stores that use Just Walk Out technology?

JM: The flexibility of our technology allows for retail integration options based on your vision for the end-to-end shopper journey. We leverage our expertise to understand your vision, and then we design and build a solution with you. We provide a mix of tools, training, and expertise to help retailers run their Just Walk Out technology-enabled stores smoothly. Our support team consists of Just Walk Out technology experts who are available 24/7 to address any questions. We provide training materials and sessions for retailers so that their associates are prepared to help shoppers who are new to the experience shop with ease. The technology is backed by Amazon’s security, reliability, and technical support.

CSNews: How does a Just Walk Out store improve the customer experience? The store associate experience?

JM: Getting rid of checkout lines is great for shoppers and allows store teams to focus on tasks that will make the biggest impact in helping to deliver a great experience for their customers. With Just Walk Out technology-enabled stores, the way the employee spends their time is simply shifting — they now spend more time assisting customers, answering questions, helping them find items, and stocking shelves as needed, rather than operating checkouts and manually processing payments.