Liquor Stores

Walmart continues to test new store concepts.    The chain has opened a 2,500-sq.-ft. convenience store, complete with a fuel station, in Rogers, Ark., at the entrance of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, The Northwest Arkansas Democratic Gazette reported.   

7-Eleven is in the process of widening its presence in New Jersey from the New York City suburbs to southern shore towns.   The convenience store chain’s leasing company in the area, R.J. Brunelli, says it is searching for 2,800-sq.-ft. to 3,000-sq.-ft. free-standing or end cap units in Union, Ocean, Monmouth, Mercer, and Middlesex counties. Suburban sites must be situated on roads with minimum traffic counts of 15,000 vehicles a day and must have lot sizes of at least 12,000 sq. ft. to accommodate 10 parking spaces.

Starbucks Corp. is no longer selling alcohol.   The chain will stop selling beer and wine as it brings to an end to its "Evenings" program. The program, currently in operation in 439 company-owned stores in the United States, will end Jan. 10, although it may continue overseas. Also, Starbucks plans to integrate beer and wine into its new higher-end Roastery format.  

Casey’s General Stores continues to grow its store portfolio.   The Iowa-based convenience-store operator currently has 39 new stores, 22 replacement stores, and 37 major remodel stores under construction.       Looking ahead, Casey’s has 84 sites under contract for future new store construction and 15 acquisition stores under contract to purchase.     

On the heels of the biggest deal in its history, Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has entered into yet another deal to expand its U.S. footprint.   The retailer has signed an agreement to buy 53 stores in Louisiana, primarily in the Baton Rouge market, from American General Investments and North American Financial Group for an undisclosed price.    

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is expanding its U.S. portfolio yet again.   In its biggest acquisition to date, the Canadian convenience store retailer has agreed to buy CST Brands Inc. for $48.53 per share in cash, with the total deal valued at $4.4 billion, including debt.   Couche-Tard operates more than 12,000 locations globally under several brands, including Circle K. Last year, Couche-Tard acquired The Pantry for about $1.7 billion, including debt, adding more than 1,500 stores to its U.S. footprint.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is reportedly nearing a deal that would increase the ongoing consolidation in the convenience-store industry.   The Canadian convenience-store giant is in the lead to acquire CST Brands Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported.   CST, based in San Antonio, Texas, is a fuel and convenience-store chain with more than 1,000 stores in the southwestern U.S., New York and eastern Canada.   

When it comes to supporting liquor sales, the Granite State is looking for a rock-solid enterprise foundation.   The New Hampshire Liquor Commission, which operates 79 retail stores across New Hampshire, is turning to the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP platform. The New Hampshire Executive Council has approved a contract with global Microsoft Dynamics partner AlfaPeople to implement and support the application. The $19 million dollar, 10-year contract was won in competition with multiple solutions and through a multi-year selection process.

Sheetz is opening four stores in four different states.   The family-owned convenience store chain announced four new locations: Morgantown, West Virginia; Morrisville, North Carolina; St. Clairsville, Ohio; and Bethel, Pennsylvania. All will open by July, 7.  

Launched in 2013, Drizly facilitates the sale and delivery of alcoholic beverages online. Chain Store Age recently visited the company’s Boston-based headquarters and spoke with Nick Rellas, co-founder and CEO, about Drizly’s business model and the evolution of e-commerce.   What made you decide to enable the online sale and delivery of liquor?