Convenience Store News In Brief…
Visitors to the VERC Enterprises store in Plymouth, Massachusetts, had the chance recently to say hello to a special guest—U.S. Congressman Bill Keating. Keating visited as part of the NACS “In Store” event sponsored by the National Association of Convenience Stores. Keating met with VERC Enterprises President and CEO Leo Vercollone; Barry Ahern, operations-human resources director; and other members of the VERC team. Keating discussed issues that convenience store operators face, including data security, issues of employment and pricing and availability of products. Additionally, Vercollone and Keating discussed VERC’s proactive stance when it comes to hiring developmentally disabled and challenged people to staff VERC stores…
PepsiCo has rolled out its Stubborn soda line across the U.S. Stubborn sodas come in flavors like root beer and vanilla cream and are made with Fair Trade-certified cane sugar and have fewer calories than Pepsi. “Consumers are changing,” said Scott Finlow, VP of innovation and insights for global foodservice at PepsiCo. “They want quality products with different, more natural ingredients. Craft is not a fad. It is here to stay. We think craft is a critical growth space, and we hope this is something we will be talking about for years to come.”…
Dr Pepper Snapple Group continues to collaborate with Keep America Beautiful’s Park Recycling Bin Grant Program, which is providing funding for 900 new recycling bins in public parks across the country in 2016. Now in its fourth year, the program has awarded more than 3,400 recycling bins to Keep America Beautiful affiliates, local governments and other community organizations across 28 states to expand the availability of recycling. “We’re taking aim at two challenges that communities face nationwide—cleaning up parks and other shared spaces and reducing the strain on landfills,” said Vicki Draughn, VP of corporate affairs for Dr Pepper Snapple Group. “Our partnership with Keep America Beautiful puts more recycling bins in more cities within reach of more consumers who are on the go, helping tackle both of those challenges.”
