LAS VEGAS — VP Racing Fuels and Allied Brand Capital LLC will present a panel discussion at the upcoming NACS Show in Las Vegas to discuss strategies and solutions to achieve EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) compliance.

Attendees will be able to interact with a panel of industry leaders and experts to learn what they need to know about EMV migration and what the October 2015 deadline means to their business, said Mike Cerminaro, president of Allied Brand Capital, who will co-host and moderate the discussion.

“With our panel, retailers can pose questions to the foremost technology experts in their respective fields and learn about state-of-the-art solutions that will help future-proof their POS platform. The session will explore ways to prioritize your EMV assessment strategy, identify your specific needs and implement an EMV solution to better position your business for the liability shift and reduce your risk of payment card fraud,” he said.

“We know the new EMV compliance guidelines can be complex and confusing, so finding the right POS solution is not an easy task,” Cerminaro added. “Knowing and understanding the language and requirements of EMV will prepare you to better evaluate and make the right decisions while avoiding installation mistakes and duplicative spending.”

Panel members include:

• Ernesto Priego, senior product manager, NCR Corp.
• Steve Van Vlack, national sales manager for technology solutions, Wayne Fueling Systems.
• Kim Seller, POS and security consultant for major accounts, CBE Inc.
• Keith Bryant, director and relationship manager for national and global accounts, First Data Corp.

The panel discussion will address valuable and useful topics including:

• Little known ways to enhance an EMV migration plan and save money on equipment costs and installation.
• Three critical things jobbers must know to better position themselves for the liability shift and avoid inherent credit risk exposure.
• Showcase examples of best practices and creative solutions to achieve EMV compliance.
• How to properly balance priorities between the October 2015 deadline for compliance inside the store versus the October 2017 deadline for compliance in the forecourt via fuel dispensers.
• Creative financing techniques jobbers can use to help dealers adopt EMV compliance protocol in a timely manner.

Based in Kingston, N.J., Allied Brand Capital is a specialty equipment finance company that provides vendor financing solutions for clients in the retail and wholesale petroleum industry.

San Antonio-based VP Racing and its retail brand program helps convenience-store retailers differentiate, save money and compete more effectively with major brands and large retailers. VP-branded stores also distribute VP’s other product lines including small-engine fuels, hobby fuels, performance chemicals and more.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Surprising Back to the Future fans everywhere, Pepsi officially confirmed the long-awaited creation of Pepsi Perfect, the famous soda Marty McFly orders in the second installment of one of the most beloved trilogies in motion-picture history.

Pepsi Perfect

The fantastical cola, made famous by the film, will officially be available on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, paying homage to the date Marty McFly travels to in the future.

“Pepsi fans asked, and we heard them loud and clear,” said Lou Arbetter, senior director of marketing, PepsiCo. “The Back to the Future trilogy was as big a moment in pop culture history then as it is now, 30 years later. We are excited to be part of this moment and to bring fans something only Pepsi could deliver.”

On Oct. 21, Pepsi will make the future a reality by offering limited quantities of Pepsi Perfect, available for purchase online while supplies last. Fans in the United States can get their hands on one of 6,500 Pepsi Perfect bottles, each outfitted in a special collectible case. The 16.9-ounce bottles will contain Pepsi made with real sugar and will sell for $20.15.

The limited-edition release will sponsor New York Comic Con, where a Back to the Future-focused panel will discuss the trilogy, and help create a Café 80’s inspired booth featuring a DeLorean and Wild Gunman arcade game.

Pepsi Ghost

In other Pepsi’s-doing-what? news, the Purchase, N.Y.-based company has create a new flavor called Pepsi Ghost in time for Halloween. Available only in Japan, the twist on the soda is that the flavor is a mystery. Each bottle is simply labeled “Mystery Flavor” with no indication of what it is.

Wrote one blogger who tried the drink: “Even after drinking about a liter of the stuff, I still can’t quite put my finger on it.”

His three wild guesses: chocolate, peanut butter and pumpkin.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — New products are the lifeblood of the convenience-retailing industry, and for the 12th consecutive year, CSP magazine reveals the leaders in product innovation with its Retailer Choice Best New Products Contest winners (list below).

Nominations of several hundred new products introduced into the convenience-retailing format between Aug. 1, 2014, and July 31, 2015, flooded this year’s contest. They were then whittled down to three finalists in 29 different key categories. Nearly 1,500 c-store retailers then elected the winning products for each of these categories.

“The evolution of products introduced into the convenience channel is unparalleled,” said Abbie Westra, deputy group editor of CSP and Convenience Store Products, Winsight LLC (formerly CSP Business Media). “The quality of the nominees along with a record number of retailers voting demonstrate just how significant these awards and products truly are to our industry. Winsight thanks all the retailers who voted and every single supplier nominee. The contest would not be possible without your participation.”

Winners of the contest will be presented with a special award during the NACS Show held Oct. 11-14 in Las Vegas.

Winsight LLC is a market-dominant, business-to-business media and information company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio of four leading publications, including CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News) and webinars, plus video products, mobile and tablet apps, custom marketing solutions and the convenience-retailer intelligence tool, CSPedia. The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferences—Restaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirections—in addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic, Inc., the leading provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services to the food industry. Winsight is the recognized leader in the markets it serves. For more information on Winsight and its brands, go to www.winsightmedia.com.

ST. LOUIS — Bud Light is introducing the Bud-E Fridge, a “smart-home” beer refrigerator that gives consumers the ability to view real-time information from the fridge, including the number of Bud Light cans and bottles in it and when it reaches the optimal temperature, from anywhere that they have access to a mobile device.

Developed by Bud Light, Buzz Connect and Linq IQ, the Bud-E Fridge and its accompanying smart-phone app (available on both Apple and Android devices) lets sports fans program their favorite sports teams so that the Bud-E Fridge can keep them up-to-date on when games are approaching.

The Bud-E Fridge immediately lets them know if their game-day supply of Bud Light needs replenishing, and as fans re-stock their fridge, which has a 78 beer capacity, the Bud-E Fridge updates the stock level in real-time. A countdown timer indicates when the Bud Light will reach the optimal serving temperature, which the Bud-E Fridge achieves by chilling beers below 32 degrees without freezing them.

“We are constantly looking for innovative ways to enhance the consumer’s experience, and the Bud-E Fridge represents an unprecedented advance,” said Lucas Herscovici, Vice President of Connections at Anheuser-Busch. “With the Bud-E Fridge, we’ve created something that shows how we continue to push the boundaries in technology and innovation, particularly in the connected home of the future, and provide beer drinkers with new level of convenience to better enjoy Bud Light with their friends.”

The Bud-E Fridge also provides consumers with alerts of when it is running low on Bud Light, regardless of whether an upcoming game is taking place, via the smart phone app. In addition to these alerts, when the Bud-E Fridge is low on Bud Light, the mobile app integrates with beer-delivery service, Saucey, allowing consumers to order Bud Light for home delivery in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a multinational beverage and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. Its beers include Budweiser, Michelob, Corona, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Skol. Budweiser and Bud Light are produced by Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co., St. Louis.

LONDON & ST. LOUIS — With the clock ticking on how long it has to place a formal bid for its biggest rival, Anheuser-Busch InBev is expected to submit an official offer to purchase SABMiller this week.

By British law, a company that has acknowledged plans to buy a company has one month to make an official offer. With AB InBev’s period set to expire Oct. 14, a bid is expected before the end of the week, according to multiple reports. A Bloomberg report (see video below) suggests the two companies are quietly negotiating a deal as SABMiller does not want to be part of a hostile takeover attempt and AB InBev is drumming up the necessary cash.

When the news broke in mid-September that AB InBev was planning to make an offer, analysts said initial talks set the price at 40 British pounds per share (about $60 U.S.). Now AB InBev is expected to increase its bid to 45 pounds (or about $68 per share U.S.), placing the deal at about $106 billion (U.S.).

SABMiller has said it will review and respond as appropriate to any proposal that is made, while AB InBev confirmed its intention “to work with SABMiller’s board toward … a combination of the two companies.”

A sell off of beer brands, particularly in the United States, would likely be necessary to gain regulatory support for the proposed merger.

Last week, Anheuser-Busch InBev was trying to get backing for about $70 billion in debt financing to fund its potential takeover of SABMiller, banking sources told The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

SABMiller plc is a multinational brewing and beverage company based in London. Its beers include Miller Lite, Peroni and Pilsner Urquel.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a multinational beverage and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. Its beers include Budweiser, Michelob, Corona, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Skol.

WASHINGTON — As convenience-store retailers ponder home delivery in an age of Amazon Prime and Uber, Gary Shapiro discussed futuristic ways to offer door-to-door service that bypasses people altogether.

Speaking before about 500 attendees at Winsight’s FSTEC conference in Washington, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, Arlington, Va., said that beyond the go-to pizza-delivery guy or even more sophisticated routing methods coming from Seattle-based Amazon or San Francisco-based Uber, three potential delivery methods are emerging that avoid live drivers altogether.

• Drones. Shapiro said drones have hurdles in terms of air-traffic concerns and disruptions at airports, but can provide strong potential for package delivery, especially to areas where poor roads and infrastructure block shipments of necessities like food and medicine. Drones, today come in three versions, he said. One is high-tech drones that governments use for combat; a second is for commercial use, mostly by farmers, architects and safety officials to survey large land masses or complicated structures; and third, consumer drones that hobbyists use for fun.
• Driverless cars. Automated cars equipped with collision-avoidance systems can be a boon for the elderly or people who are too drunk or sleepy to drive safely, he said. Fewer crashes could have a ripple effect on the insurance industry, car-repair shops and lawyers suing for damages.
• 3-D printing. From car parts to artificial limbs, 3-D printers have the potential of disrupting manufacturing and supply, providing access to custom-made products that once were too costly to build. Shapiro said people in Asia are testing robotic kitchens where 3-D printers use sugar to produce food products like wedding cakes.

In addition to naming these potential delivery methods, Shapiro talked about the importance of innovation. Essential to driving such activity would be government support in the areas of regulation and incentives, he said.

Internally, businesses would have to foster cultures of innovation, where “failing fast” was a cardinal rule, as well as the idea of “creating your own competition” and the larger spirit of entrepreneurship. Those cultures produce more flexible companies, ones focused on solving problems, he said.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — The philanthropic activities of the Charitable Alliance of Restaurant & Retail Executives (CARRE) allow attendees of Winsight Events’ major leadership conferences to give back to the larger convenience-store industry and actively support national and global charities. At this year’s Outlook Leadership conference—November 14-16 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz.—the CARRE Foundation and Winsight Events highlight the USO.

As the spotlighted charity, the USO is the direct beneficiary of all of the funds that the Outlook Leadership community raises through a grand prize raffle, silent auction and other special activities.

The USO is dedicated to serving the nation’s troops and their families throughout their journey in the military. A worldwide network of staff and volunteers touches lives at more than 160 locations in 27 states and 14 countries and at hundreds of entertainment events each year. The USO offers a variety of programs and services designed specifically to lift spirits and strengthen resiliency.

“At Chevron, we have an unwavering commitment to being a good partner focused on building collaborative and trusting relationships within our communities. Chevron is proud to support America’s troops and their families through our support of the USO,” said Jeanine Rodgers, district sales manager of company-owned and -operated stores of Chevron Products, San Ramon, Calif., and co-chair for the CARRE Foundation at Outlook Leadership 2015. “As co-chair, it is my aim to foster genuine enthusiasm and generosity among the conference community to come together in support of the USO.”

Serving as co-chair alongside Jeanine is Julius Colina, senior business solutions manager, Wawa Inc., Wawa, Pa. “Wawa is service oriented, so it’s natural for us to lend a helping hand to those who serve and protect,” he said. “The men and women of the U.S. armed forces help us enjoy freedoms every day, and we are honored to do our part to provide our support to the USO who enrich and uplift our troops and their families.”

Winsight, LLC—a leading facilitator of major convenience retailing and foodservice industry networking events—will include CARRE’s outreach at its 21st annual Outlook Leadership conference. The conference welcomes hundreds of executive-level and emerging leaders from the convenience store, petroleum/fuel and foodservice industries to collaborate with each other, industry innovators and key suppliers and vendors.

“My favorite part of every event is CARRE,” said David Jobe, president of Winsight Events. “I have seen the lasting effect our conference community makes when we come together to make a difference in the lives of those who need it. Our attendees are always receptive to and encouraged by the opportunity to give to a worthwhile charity. This year, we are very fortunate to partner with the USO and contribute to their worthy cause. We are always honored to bring attention to great philanthropic efforts and this is an exceptional and meaningful cause.”

The CARRE Foundation is also seeking items of value to include in the silent auction. For information on how to donate items or money to the CARRE Foundation and the USO, contact Paul De Luca at pdeluca@winsightmedia.com.

Registration for the event is available online at www.OutlookLeadership.com. To attend the conference, operators can contact Mark Hatch at mhatch@winsightmedia.com or 480-337-3419. For sponsorship information, please contact Myra Kressner at mkressner@winsightmedia.com or 718-428-7655.

The USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. It provides a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases in the United States and abroad, top-quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. It also provides critical support to those who need it most, including forward-deployed troops, military families, wounded warriors, troops in transition and families of the fallen. The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. Its programs and services are made possible by the American people, support of corporate partners and the dedication of volunteers and staff. To join this important mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit www.uso.org.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Winsight LLC (formerly CSP Business Media, LLC) is a market-dominant, business-to-business media and information company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has a media portfolio of four leading publications, including CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily, CSP Daily News and more) and webinars, plus video products, mobile and tablet apps, custom marketing solutions and the convenience-retailer intelligence tool, CSPedia.

The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferences—Restaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirections—in addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic Inc., the leading provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services to the food industry. Winsight is the recognized leader in the markets it serves.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Intercoastal Brands LLC is launching a new snack platform, BustaSNACKS!, at this year’s NACS Show in Las Vegas.

Leading the lineup is BustaNUT!, a collection of six flavored peanuts targeting millennial consumers looking for more flavor from everyday snacks.

Flavors include Bourbon, Chipotle Tequila Lime, Buffalo Blast, Maple Bacon, Honey BBQ and Sriracha.

Production started in late September, the company said.

All of the flavors will be available initially in two-ounce tubes, ideal for the grab-n-go consumer.

Based in West Palm Beach, Fla., Intercoastal Brands, founded in 2014, is a consumer products company creating brand propositions for the convenience-store and grocery channels. Intercoastal launched its first brand, Winner’s Circle Motor Oil, in April 2015.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice has joined the five Gulf states in announcing a settlement to resolve civil claims against BP arising from the April 20, 2010, Macondo well blowout that killed 11 and led to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

This settlement resolves the governments’ civil claims under the Clean Water Act and natural resources damage claims under the Oil Pollution Act, as well as economic damage claims of the five Gulf states and local governments.

Taken together, this resolution of civil claims is worth $20.8 billion, and is the largest settlement with a single entity in the department’s history.

Also, the Deepwater Horizon Trustees Council, made up of representatives of the five Gulf states and four federal agencies, has published a draft damage assessment and restoration plan and a draft environmental impact statement.

“Building on prior actions against BP and its subsidiaries by the Department of Justice, this historic resolution is a strong and fitting response to the worst environmental disaster in American history,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “BP is receiving the punishment it deserves, while also providing critical compensation for the injuries it caused to the environment and the economy of the Gulf region.”

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker added, “With this settlement, federal, state and local governments and the Gulf coast communities will have the resources to make significant progress toward restoring ecosystems, economies, and businesses of the region.”

On Dec. 15, 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder announced a civil lawsuit against BP and several co-defendants, seeking to hold them accountable for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The federal lawsuit culminated in a three-phase civil trial in which the United States proved, among other things, that the spill was caused by BP’s gross negligence.

Each of the Gulf states–Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas–also filed civil claims against BP relating to the spill, including claims for economic losses and natural resource damages.

Under the terms of a consent decree lodged in federal court in New Orleans, BP must pay the following:

• $5.5 billion federal Clean Water Act penalty, plus interest, 80% of which will go to restoration efforts in the Gulf region pursuant to a Deepwater-specific statute, the RESTORE Act. This is the largest civil penalty in the history of environmental law.
• $8.1 billion in natural resource damages, this includes $1 billion BP already committed to pay for early restoration, for joint use by the federal and state trustees in restoring injured resources. BP will also pay up to an additional $700 million, some of which is in the form of accrued interest, specifically to address any later-discovered natural resource conditions.
• $600 million for other claims, including claims for reimbursement of federal and state natural resource damage assessment costs and other unreimbursed federal expenses and to resolve a False Claims Act investigation due to this incident.

Additionally, BP has entered into separate agreements to pay $4.9 billion to the five Gulf states and up to a total of $1 billion to several hundred local governmental bodies to settle claims for economic damages they have suffered as a result of the spill.

The current settlements are in addition to several earlier criminal and civil settlements of federal government claims concerning the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Among them: On Jan. 29, 2013, BP Exploration & Production Inc. pleaded guilty to illegal conduct leading to and after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, and was sentenced to pay $4 billion in criminal fines, penalties and restitution, including $2.4 billion for natural resource restoration.

London-based BP is a global producer, manufacturer and marketer of oil, gas, chemicals and renewable energy sources. With U.S. headquarters in La Palma, Calif. (West), and Warrenville, Ill. (East), BP markets more than 15 billion gallons of gasoline every year to U.S. consumers through more than 11,000 BP- and ARCO-branded retail outlets and supplies more than four billion gallons of fuel annually to fleets, industrial users, auto and truck manufacturers, railroads and utilities.

CHICAGO — Breakfast is the only restaurant daypart with sustained visit growth over the last several years and as a result, classic foodservice breakfast fare, like bacon, breakfast sandwiches and pancakes, are also growing, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company.

Case shipments of bacon, eggs and pancakes from broadline distributors to foodservice outlets have increased as have servings of these foods ordered at restaurants and other foodservice outlets, according to NPD foodservice research.

Breakfast/morning meal visits grew by 5% in the year ending June 2015 over the same period last year when visits grew by 2%, reported NPD’s CREST ongoing foodservice market research.

Quick-service restaurants (QSR) including retail foodservice were responsible for most of the visit gains at breakfast. Lunch was up 1% in the period over a 2% decline the prior year and dinner visits were flat. Breakfast sandwiches and bacon, perennially popular grab-and-go breakfast foods, have been growing but so have other not-so-portable foods, like pancakes.

Case shipments of bacon shipped from broadline foodservice distributors to restaurants and other foodservice outlets increased by 7% in the year ending June 2015 compared to year ago, reported NPD’s SupplyTrack, a monthly service that tracks every product shipped from major broadline distributors to foodservice operators.

Case shipment of eggs, the food item likely to be found in the middle of a breakfast sandwich, increased by 5% in the period, and case shipments of pancakes shipped to foodservice outlets also increased by 5%.

Bacon servings ordered at restaurants and foodservice outlets increased by 2%, which translated to a servings volume of 1.1 billion, in the year ending June 2015 compared to a year ago when servings increased by 6%.

Breakfast sandwich servings increased by 3%, or a total of 3.6 billion servings, over flat growth prior year. Servings of pancakes ordered increased by 7% to 816 million servings in year ending June 2015 over year ago when servings were down by 4%, reported NPD.

“Growth at the breakfast daypart has been good for the industry and also led to an increase in distributor sales within key breakfast operator segments,” said Annie Roberts, vice president of NPD’s SupplyTrack. “As breakfast traffic continues to grow, competition in the breakfast space will require distributors, manufacturers and operators to become innovative in providing quality and value at breakfast.”

The NPD Group provides market information and analytic solutions. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, diamonds, e-commerce, entertainment, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, technology, toys, video games and watches and jewelry.