HOMEWOOD, Ill. — For the first year, Carl Buddig & Co. and Old Wisconsin will be hosting a new multimonth promotion that will benefit consumers, partnering brands and retailers and continue the company’s mission to feed family traditions in the “Make It Delish” Recipe Contest.

To enter, consumers will submit an original recipe featuring a Buddig or Old Wisconsin product, along with a secret ingredient from a brand partner, via www.makeitdelish.com for a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize.

The contest features program elements including a retailer component where the grand prize winner’s primary retailer will also be awarded $10,000 to donate to its charity of choice. In addition, at the close of the contest, top recipes will be featured in a special digital Buddig cookbook.

“We know that our consumers love to cook, and they pride themselves on their culinary skills,” said Tom Buddig, executive vice president of marketing at Carl Buddig & Co. “With online recipe sharing increasing, what better way to get our products in the mix, have our consumers show off their skills in the kitchen and share the traditional recipes they make for their own families with other families.”

The contest will run from October 1 through December 31, and at the end of each month, a panel of judges will award the top three recipes with $1,000, $500 and $250 prizes. Recipes will be judged based on simplicity, creativity, use of secret ingredients and Buddig/Old Wisconsin product and flavor. The nine finalists will then be entered for a chance at the $10,000 prize that will be determined by public voting.

In conjunction with a variety of promotional avenues, the contest will be supported with TV broadcast advertising during national morning shows, digital home page takeovers, social referrals, e-blasts, radio mentions as well as a digital coupon component. For each entry into the Make It Delish Recipe Contest, consumers will be awarded a digital coupon for a future Buddig or Old Wisconsin product.

Based in Homewood, Ill., Carl Buddig & Co. is the family-owned parent company of Buddig lunchmeat and Old Wisconsin hardwood-smoked sausage and snack products. It offers an assortment of thin-sliced lean meats for sandwiches, snacks and special recipes including Buddig Original, Premium Deli and Fix Quix products.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — QuickChek Corp. and The Festival Group, which produces the annual QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, have each been named among the most generous companies in New Jersey for the second year in a row.

Continuing its tradition of recognizing “all that’s great in the Garden State,” New Jersey Monthly magazine has announced that both companies will be among 64 companies honored at its second annual Great Oak Awards, which honor the state’s most generous companies.

“We are delighted to recognize companies that have been nominated by New Jersey’s leading charities for exceptional generosity in terms of financial support, in-kind giving, volunteerism and professional expertise,” said Kate S. Tomlinson of New Jersey Monthly.

Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based QuickChek, a convenience-store chain with 140 locations throughout New Jersey, New York’s Hudson Valley and Long Island, raised more than $460,000 in 2014 for a variety of causes benefiting children, families and military veterans.

Community programs include dozens of company executives and store team members volunteering at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey where they sorted donations to help feed thousands of hungry area families. Company stores also participated in the food bank’s Check-Out Hunger campaign in which QuickChek raised $125,000 during the holiday season.

More than 40 team members also volunteered to physically help rebuild homes along the Jersey shore that were damaged and still in need of repair following Hurricane Sandy.

In-store promotions include raising funds for Hope For the Warriors, which aids post-9/11 service members and their families. QuickChek also supports 145 youth sports groups statewide.

“We would like to thank each and every customer who shares our belief in helping those in need and for giving so generously,” said QuickChek CEO Dean Durling. “Our team members embrace being active in our communities and work hard to be a true neighborhood shopping destination in the areas we serve.”

The QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, in association with PNC Bank, has raised more than $2.55 million for dozens of local charities, non-profit groups and children’s hospitals the past 23 years.

“Volunteer organizations are one of the many reasons the Festival is so successful year after year,” said Howard Freeman of The Festival Group in Fairfield, N.J., which has produced the balloon festival since 1993. “The Festival, QuickChek and PNC, are all committed to being active in our community and we’re very happy to help out where we can each and every year.”

Beneficiaries of the annual festival, the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America, include local volunteer fire and ambulance departments, school groups, and the Children’s Miracle Network of specialized hospitals. In these challenging economic times, the festival has proven to be the leading fundraiser for many local organizations through either direct contributions or through their volunteering at this internationally acclaimed event.

This year’s festival at Solberg Airport in Readington drew a record 175,000 attendees.

QuickChek and The Festival Group will be among those companies honored at the Great Oak Awards dinner on Sept. 29, 2015, at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset.

WASHINGTON & GAITHERSBURG, Md. — As autumn leaves begin to fall, gasoline prices will likely continue their decline but possibly at a slower rate.

The national average retail price for regular gasoline rose slightly during the past week to $2.29 per gallon, after 37 consecutive days of declines, according to Washington, D.C.-based AAA. In fact, prices fell 20 cents per gallon (CPG) over the past month thanks to low crude prices, slowing demand in the United States and a seasonal move to winter-blend gasoline, which is less expensive to produce.

On average, national retail gasoline prices are down $1.05 per gallon from the same time last year, and at their lowest level since 2004, according to AAA.

Industry observers expect a busier-than-normal refinery maintenance season this fall because the facilities had been running at longer, above-average rates this past summer. Gasoline price declines might slow and even reverse direction as maintenance gets into full swing this fall. But AAA expects the current oversupply of gasoline to keep prices relatively low.

Five states saw averages below $2 per gallon at the start of this week, including South Carolina ($1.96), Mississippi ($1.96), New Jersey ($1.98), Alabama ($1.98) and Tennessee ($1.99). The highest state averages were in Alaska at $3.04 per gallon, followed by California ($2.99), Nevada ($2.94), Hawaii ($2.90) and Utah ($2.70).

Thirty states and Washington, D.C., enjoyed price drops over the past week, according to AAA, with the biggest decline in Alaska (down 10 CPG), followed by Idaho and Colorado, both off 8 CPG. In 20 states, retail price averages were up week-over-week, led by Indiana at 13 CPG, and Kentucky and Michigan, both up 9 CPG.

From a monthly basis, the retail regular gasoline average has fallen by double digits in 46 states and Washington, D.C. In 10 states, prices fell 25 CPG or more, led by Alaska (down 38 CPG), California (down 37 CPG), Oregon (down 35 CPG) and Washington (down 34 CPG).

From a year-over-year perspective, retail averages fell in every state and Washington, D.C. In 33 states and D.C., prices are off $1 or more per gallon. The biggest discounts are in Hawaii ($1.31), Connecticut ($1.23) and Vermont ($1.22).

According to a report from petroleum analysts at fuel-price information service GasBuddy, Gaithersburg, Md., average retail gasoline prices fell 22 CPG in September, matching August’s price decline from July. In California, prices fell 39 CPG from a month ago to settle at $2.99 per gallon. Hawaii saw the biggest year-over-year decline, off $1.31 to rest at $2.89 per gallon. In 20 states, the average was at $2.25 per gallon or less, while six states—South Carolina, Mississippi, New Jersey, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee—had averages below $2.

“With little change anticipated in overall supply & demand fundamentals and the benchmark crude (West Texas Intermediate (WTI) opening today just below $45 per gallon we anticipate nominal but consistent decline this week in nearly all markets,” the GasBuddy analysts reported.

MESA, Ariz. — The staff of CSPedia, Winsight’s online encyclopedia of convenience-store chains, gathers news and insights and updates the listings for the nearly 500 retailers in its database on a daily basis. CSPedia delivers a monthly summary of these reports, often news not yet announced publicly, to its subscribers.

Here is a collection of some of the news and people updates from August 2015.

People on the Move

• Coborn’s Inc. Scott Morris has joined Coborn’s as senior vice president center store, replacing the retiring Andy Knoblauch. The company, based in St. Cloud, Minnesota, operates 20 Little Dukes, Cash Wise, Save-A-Lot, Coborn’s and Holiday convenience stores throughout the upper Midwest, plus several grocery stores.
• Davis Oil Co. & C-Stores Inc. Jim Davis has stepped down from active leadership and taken on an adviser/owner role. His sons, Ben and Jon, lead the chain, with Ben Davis serving as president of Davis Oil, and Jon Davis as president of c-stores. The Michigan company is focusing on expanding stores and foodservice. It owns and operates 19 sites in or near Battle Creek and Grand Rapids.
• Kum & Go. Krischelle Tennessen has joined the Iowa chain as senior vice president of human resources. She previously was vice president of human resources at Walmart in Bentonville, Ark.

In the News

• 7-Eleven of Oklahoma opened a new store in Oklahoma City in July. It features 4,000 square feet with a full-service kitchen preparing breakfast and lunch offerings, and patio seating. The company plans to add three more stores with this design over the next year or so.
• Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard is expanding its Circle K brand in Mexico, signing an agreement to rebrand more than 700 existing Extra convenience stores located throughout Mexico to the Circle K brand by August 2017. The stores are operated by Comercializadora Circulo CCK SA de CV. CCK has been a master licensee of the Circle K brand in Mexico since 2005.
• Blarney Castle has completed its acquisition of Blodgett Oil and is integrating the 23 stores. The chain, based in Bear Lake, Mich., now operates 118 stores throughout the state, most branded EZ Mart.
• Childers Oil Co. has added a loyalty program app for its Double Kwik stores. The chain operates 41 sites in eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia and is based in Whitesburg, Ky. Four upgraded sites have added customer seating in the coffee-bar area.
• Corrigan Oil Co., operator of Express Stop stores in Michigan, plans to open three new stores by the end of the year. It operates 29 sites and distributes fuel to more than 250 dealers.
• Mississippi-based Craddock Oil has increased its footprint, acquiring 17 stores from Litco Petroleum for a total of 47 stores in Mississippi under the brands The C Stores, BlueSky and On the Run.
• E.J. Pope & Sons, based in Mount Olive, N.C., has added two Handy Mart stores, bringing its total to 39, all in North Carolina.
• Illinois chain GasMart USA’s CEO, John Tittle, has been quoted in the local newspaper, The Effingham (Illinois) Daily News, stating that the Jumpin’ Jimmy’s stores in Effingham, Montrose, Edgewood and St. Elmo are being replenished with funds received in its bankruptcy filing. Tittle also told the paper that he and company president David George plan to be visible in the Effingham community as part of a “new attitude.”
• Honey Farms Inc., operator of 37 stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, plans to purchase and rebrand two more sites in 2016.
• Kum & Go is building the first site with its newest design, a 6,000-square-foot store with expanded prepared foods. The site is being built in Johnston, Iowa. The chain operates 430 stores in 11 states and is based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Kum & Go also has acquired three Gasby’s stores in Iowa.
• MKM Oil Co. has completed the sale of its Fast N Fresh stores to TravelCenters of America, as TA continues to expand its network. MKM Oil, which has been in business since 1989, began with one gas station, which the company later converted to a convenience store and grew to its current store base of more than 30 locations. All sites sell fuel. TravelCenters said it expects that the stores, which average approximately 3,400 square feet, will be rebranded as Minit Mart convenience stores, and the sites will undergo improvements in the coming months.
• The Parker Cos. of Savannah, Ga., has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America for the fourth year in a row.
• Parkland Fuel Corp. has closed on the purchase of Pioneer Energy. Pioneer Energy and its Snack Express sites are expected to remain a stand-alone entity. Parkland is Canada’s largest independent marketer and distributor of fuels, with more than 1,000 stations.
• Reliance Petroleum Holdings LLC, owner and operator of 84 sites in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, is in growth mode and plans to add 15 to 20 sites in the next year. The company is based in Ocala, Fla.
• Street Corner has added electric charging stations at three locations, with plans to add more. The Kansas retailer specializes in small, franchise-operated sites with fuel, snacks and groceries. One site in New Jersey has added a drive-thru and self-checkout. The company franchises 43 sites and operates one.
• Wood Oil Co. has rebranded all stores Cenex, retiring the Woody’s Express brand name. Company offices are in Leavenworth, Kansas, and the chain’s five stores are in Missouri and Kansas.

KINGWOOD, Texas & AUSTIN, Texas — Ascentium Capital, a leader in providing commercial financing, is offering fuel retail and convenience-store customers two affordable financing promotions for Wayne Fueling Systems products solutions and services.

Wayne Fueling Systems is a global provider of fuel dispensing, payment, automation and control technologies for retail and commercial fuel stations.

Clients acquiring Wayne products, solutions and services will have the opportunity to choose between two financing options that will help optimize their cash flow; 0% financing for 24 months or 5.9% financing for 60 months.

This offer will be available from Oct. 1, 2015, through Feb. 29, 2016.

“In the continued effort to support our national distributor network, we are pleased that Ascentium Capital has developed this finance program to help make starting or upgrading fuel retail sites more affordable for our customers,” said Wayne’s director of U.S. distribution and national accounts, Dave LaCaille.

Fuel retailers are eligible for these competitive rates on all of Wayne’s products, solutions and services including the Wayne Ovation 2 fuel dispenser, payment upgrades including EMV-ready solutions, the Wayne NAMOS point-of-sale (POS) system, media programs and more.

Additionally, with the 100% financing program, clients may also finance shipping, installation and tax. This will enable retailers to avoid upfront or out-of-pocket expenses.

“Our specialized finance team for Wayne will help retailers choose the terms and conditions that’s best for them. The expedited approval process lets clients confirm within two hours, the financing solution that makes the most sense for their business. These offers also come at year-end to help business owners take advantage of tax incentives,” saidd Len Baccaro, senior vice president of sales at Ascentium Capital.

As a direct lender, Kingwood, Texas-based Ascentium Capital specializes in providing business financing, leasing and loans for equipment manufacturers and distributors as well as direct to businesses nationwide. The company is backed by leading private-investment firms Vulcan Capital and LKCM Capital Group LLC. Ascentium.

Austin, Texas-based Wayne is one of the world’s largest suppliers of fuel dispensers, payment terminals, forecourt control devices, point-of-sale (POS) and other measurement and control solutions to the retail and commercial fueling industry.

MILWAUKEE — VNG.co LLC has announced the opening of a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility at an Andy’s-branded gas station, and convenience store in Milwaukee.

To mark the occasion, VNG will offer CNG by VNG for a limited-time promotional price of 99 cents per GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent) at this location.

“We are thrilled to bring CNG by VNG to Milwaukee as we continue our nationwide expansion of CNG fueling in retail gasoline stations,” said Robert Friedman, COO of VNG. “Our Milwaukee CNG fueling facility at Andy’s is the latest of our recent openings of CNG facilities which include major metro markets such as Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia.”

“We see the potential of CNG as a transportation fuel and are excited to count ourselves as a part of its future,” said station owner Andy Khullar. “Adding CNG is a great opportunity for me to meet all the fueling demands of my current and future customers.”

VNG’s newest CNG fueling facility is part of a multi-city development program in major U.S. markets to provide convenient, safe and accessible CNG fueling for drivers of light-duty vehicles such as pickups, vans and passenger cars.

Priya Corp., established in 1997 by Andy Khullar, owns and operates 20 retail establishments in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, including gas stations, convenience stores, wine and spirits stores, grocery stores and car washes. Andy’s, the division of the company operating gasoline stations, partners with Mobil, CITGO and BP.

A leading developer of retail CNG fueling facilities within gas stations, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based VNG offers CNG by VNG nationwide to support and accelerate the widespread use of light-duty natural-gas vehicles (NGVs) by national and regional fleets, and eventually the mass-market consumer segment. VNG installs, maintains, monitors and operates its company-owned CNG fueling equipment, providing fleets with cost-effective, turnkey CNG by VNG fueling services.

NEW YORK – On National Coffee Day, Dunkin’ Donuts—the chain that made “time to make the doughnuts” a catchphrase in the 1980s—has debuted “Time to Coffee,” a digital campaign enabling New York City residents and visitors to determine how they can obtain the chain’s coffee at the fastest-possible speed, according to a report by Adweek.

The baked goods and coffee chain worked with Johannes Leonardo and Trilia Media to build timetocoffee.com, which analyzes two sets of data—the walk times to Dunkin’ locations in the Times Square area, and current wait times at each location—to determine which Dunkin’ Donuts will get a customer coffee quickest, said the report.

Along with a “Get Coffee” button, the website says, “Hey New York, we’ve added some super high-tech line length data to your map so you know approximately how long it will take to get your daily cup of Dunkin’.”

Dunkin’ Donuts, a leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, has more than 11,400 restaurants in 39 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., it is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc.

Click here to view the full Adweek report.

SAN RAMON, Calif. & TAMPA, Fla. — Chevron Products Co., a division of Chevron USA Inc., has signed a multi-year sponsorship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers professional football team.

“We are excited to welcome Chevron as our newest sponsor,” said Brian Ford, COO of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Chevron’s strong international brand and large retail presence throughout the Tampa Bay Area is a perfect fit for the Buccaneers, and we look forward to working with them to continue adding to the fan game day experience of supporting the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.”

“Chevron is working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to continue to bring new and differentiated game day experiences to our valued customers and Bucs fans,” said Don Walker, brand manager for Chevron. “Whether it’s a chance for fans to be on the field or the opportunity to compete to win $25,000 in Chevron gift cards—we want Bucs fans to know we are ‘all-in’ on the fun that surrounds their game day.”

As part of its relationship with the Buccaneers, Chevron will add to the game-day environment at Raymond James Stadium with various promotions and in-game activities throughout the year.

Chevron, based in San Ramon, Calif., is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. It explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power and produces geothermal energy; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company’s operations.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in their 40th year as members of the National Football League (NFL) and compete in the National Football Conference’s South Division.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. & TOKYO — Saying that “Natural American Spirit has achieved excellent international growth over the past several years,” Susan M. Cameron, Reynolds American Inc. president and CEO announced that RAI is selling the international rights to the tobacco brand name and associated trademarks, along with the international companies that distribute and market the brand outside the United States, to the Japan Tobacco Group of companies (JT Group) in an all-cash transaction with a value of approximately $5 billion.

As reported in a 21st Century Smoke/CSP Daily News Flash, the deal does not include the rights to the Natural American Spirit brand name and associated trademarks in the U.S. market, U.S. duty-free locations, U.S. territories or in U.S. military outlets, all of which will be retained by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of RAI.

“When backed by the strength of the JT Group’s international distribution, sales force and manufacturing capabilities, we believe that growth trajectory will not only continue, but accelerate,” she said.

Cameron said that once the transaction is complete, the international rights to all of RAI’s operating companies’ cigarette trademarks will be owned by international tobacco companies, allowing the RAI companies to focus on brand growth in the U.S. market.

Selling the international trademark rights to a company with an established global infrastructure was more advantageous to RAI than investing in an international infrastructure capable of supporting Natural American Spirit’s growth potential, she said.

The international companies RAI is selling employ about 280 people, primarily in Europe and Japan. Those companies distribute and market Natural American Spirit additive-free and organic styles of cigarettes and roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco primarily in European and Asian markets. The brand’s largest markets are Japan, Germany and Switzerland.

Since its launch in 1982 by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, the Natural American Spirit brand “has provided a unique product offering and established a special brand positioning as the only truly global ‘additive-free,’ premium cigarette with a marketing theme that is environmentally conscious and socially progressive,” JT Group said.

“Natural American Spirit, which has a strong and international presence in a premium priced category, will allow the JT Group to further extend its brand portfolio. This strong and unique brand equity combined with an energetic and experienced team of people will further strengthen our Group’s business foundation,” said Mitsuomi Koizumi, president and CEO of the JT Group.

The purchase agreement also contains a non-compete clause that restricts Reynolds American and JT from producing, selling, distributing and developing natural, organic and additive-free combustible tobacco cigarettes and RYO products in each other’s territories of business, for a period of up to five years from the close of the transaction, according to Bonnie Herzog, tobacco analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, New York.

“This sale was a very smart and strategic move by RAI to monetize a very valuable asset while retaining its crown jewel, in our view—the [Natural American Spirit] business in the U.S.,” Herzog wrote in a research note. “RAI’s position in the overall tobacco industry is stronger than ever, and it has one of the best brand portfolios in the industry.”

The transactions must be approved by regulatory authorities in a number of countries. The companies are working to attain regulatory approvals by early 2016, and the transaction will close thereafter.

All current international employees will become employees of the JT Group of companies following the closing of the transaction. JT Group said the existing operations of the acquired companies will remain unchanged “to fully benefit from their extensive knowledge and experience.”

Japan Tobacco Inc., Tokyo is a leading international tobacco company. Its sells its products in more than 120 countries, and its brands include Winston, Camel, Mevius and LD.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc. is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. Inc.; American Snuff Co. LLC; Niconovum USA Inc.; Niconovum AB; and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco’s brands include Newport, Camel and Pall Mall cigarettes; American Snuff’s brands include Grizzly and Kodiak smokeless tobacco products; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco manufactures and markets Natural American Spirit 100% additive-free natural tobacco products, including styles made with organic tobacco; Niconovum USA and Niconovum AB market nicotine replacement therapy products in the United States and Sweden, respectively, under the Zonnic brand name; and R.J. Reynolds Vapor manufactures and markets Vuse electronic cigarettes.

CHICAGO – It can seem like a no-brainer. They have built-in consumer loyalty right off the shelf. But convenience-store retailers are finding that line extensions are not always the hole-in-one they should be.

Yes, line extensions have a lot of potential, but if they are poorly managed it can cause unintended harm on the parent brand, according to new research from Nielsen. To protect a brand’s reputation, a line extension “should clearly link with the core product while also offering consistency, uniqueness and relevance in the market,” stated Nielsen in its Global New Product Innovation Survey.

“Brands can signify quality and inspire confidence,” said Rob Wengel, senior vice president and managing director of Nielsen Innovation in the United States. “For a consumer with limited disposable income, the potential loss from an underperforming product is magnified. As a result, they’re often hesitant to take a risk on a product that might not live up to expectations, and are sometimes even willing to pay more for brands they trust.”

For new products launched without that brand-name cache, Wengel said “extra care must be taken to provide strong assurance that the product will be perceived as a good value for the money.”

The executive added that brand building can be costly and time-consuming and, as such, it can be “extremely advantageous for established brands to lend their name to a new item in the same category through line extensions.”

He said line extensions are approximately three to four times more common than “new-manufacturer” and “new-brand” launches combined.

For consumers, line extensions translate to confidence in a new product’s ability “to deliver against promises and can relieve some of the apprehension often associated with trying something new,” said Wengel.  

Nielsen’s Global New Product Innovation Survey found that nearly six in 10 global respondents (59%) prefer to buy new products from brands familiar to them, and 21% say they purchased a new product because it was from a brand they like.

Consumers in North America and Latin America value brand recognition more than consumers in any other region. For both, it was the second-most important reason (after affordability) consumers gave for purchasing a new product.

Brand recognition is particularly influential in developing markets. On average, more than two-thirds of developing-market respondents (68%) say they prefer to buy new products from brands they’re familiar with, compared with 57% in developed markets.

In addition, more than one-fifth of developing-market respondents (22%) say they purchased a new product because it was from a brand they like, compared with 17% in developed markets.

Nielsen noted that a brand extension can provide a strong foundation for success, but only if the company manages the line extension well.  

In fact, line extensions with little differentiation could lead to cannibalization. Likewise, if a line extension varies too dramatically from the parent, it can dilute sales, said Nielsen.