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TPCA Facts Weekly Bulletin No. 709 Top Stories TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - DELIVERY DOCUMENT POLICY
Bills of Lading and Delivery Documents – The department is finalizing a bill of lading/delivery document policy allowing marketers up to 72 hours to provide delivery documents. Marketers should be ready to produce the past 60 days of delivery documentation indicating the Automotive Fuel Rating Certification (Octane Rating) by the refiner/supplier and the ethanol content of the fuel. TPCA would encourage members to specifically address this issue when given notice of an inspection so that all parties are clear on what needs to be produced to satisfy the inspector’s request.
Wholesale Operations
CONOCOPHILLIPS TO BE OFFICIAL OIL OF HONDA AND ACURA
Honda and Acura dealers are now getting word that Honda selected ConocoPhillips for its genuine oil program. This business was formerly supplied by, ExxonMobil, the long time incumbent.
Based on JobbersWorld's estimates, this means ConocoPhillips will quickly enjoy roughly 9 million gallons of new business with Honda and Acura dealers. In addition, they have an opportunity to nearly double that volume if they can get all of the Honda and Acura dealers on board for bulk and packaged product. Whereas this is certainly good news for ConocoPhillips, it's also good news for its lubricant marketers. From what JobbersWorld is hearing, its lubricant marketers are already being advised about the new business and what it means for them in terms of buy backs. Retail Operations
NEW DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES FUEL FRESH FOOD IN C-STORES
The lines between convenience stores and quick service restaurants (QSRs) have been blurring for some time, with trends pointing toward foodservice as a major contributor to recent and future c-store revenue growth. While hot food options from roller grills and warmers continue to dominate the c-store prepared-food landscape, fresh options -- such as gourmet wraps, premium juices and fresh-cut fruit -- have become a critical staple in the evolving convenience store landscape.
Growth in convenience store foodservice is coming from the ability to develop and offer high-quality products that are fresh, nutritious and flavorful, with the enhanced perception that follows. A health-conscious parent is now more willing than ever to consider lunch for the kids from a convenience store that he or she perceives will offer a healthy, affordable alternative. Innovative technologies and processes introduced in the last few years are having a tremendous impact on this evolution. New product engineering advancements are improving shelf-life for fresh foods and making frozen foods more fresh-tasting, so chilled deli sandwiches and precooked breakfast solutions not only taste great, but are easier to manage safely for longer periods of time. However, technology from distributors to support the exploding fresh-food trend has been the key to c-store foodservice expansion. Convenience stores -- chains and independents alike -- want to offer their customers healthier, fresher foods, but are limited in their ability to add perishable products with any kind of consistency and assurance for profitability. The complexities involved from a supply chain perspective to ensure product freshness, food safety and temperature storage throughout the entire delivery cycle -- from loading/unloading, verification, sorting and storage, to transport and presentation in the customer location -- have greatly limited opportunities for convenience store operators to take advantage of the growing demand for fresh products. Establishment of new cold-chain processes are enabling the widespread distribution of fresh foods by limiting the amount of transport time, decreasing overhead and offering sophisticated refrigerated transport and storage options. These solutions address critical challenges associated with product freshness, food safety, and proper temperature storage and transport throughout the delivery cycle. Modern distribution systems must leverage comprehensive, multi-step monitoring processes that systematically measure, record and validate temperatures on the loading dock, in the distribution center, in transit and at the time of delivery. When the products reach the retail site, they must be available and displayed in ways consistent with the promise of fresh foods. Fresh product merchandising also requires an enhanced level of attention when compared with traditional packaged foods. The world's best looking salad is doomed for failure if the consumer perceives it was arbitrarily merchandised in the beer cooler. Retailers are interested in finding ways to integrate fresh products into their convenience store designs and layouts. Maximizing the time that fresh products are available for sale is critical, and success or failure starts with having a comprehensive plan for making it all work in a coordinated fashion. In other words, be sure to emphasize browse-ability in any fresh offering — ensuring what's convenient for the store is also intuitive for the consumer. Successfully delivering the type of service required to supply convenience stores with fresh food items on any scalable basis requires not only a massive, specialized infrastructure, but also a diverse set of tools and thinking. Aside from the obvious need to source and procure the freshest products from quality-focused, reliable suppliers, a distributor must also closely monitor every aspect related to temperature control and handling of those products from the time they leave a supplier's warehouse to the time they reach the retail site. For example, dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables have unique and different requirements. And delivering perishable goods to different regions across vast geographies — where temperature and humidity can vary wildly and greatly impact the quality of the shipment — compounds the already considerable difficulties. The key to providing retailers with perishable products is creating a cold-chain solution completely focused on the specific needs of convenience store retailers. This custom solution ensures safe, expeditious handling and delivery for a wide selection of fresh products while also offering broad selection and flexibility for retailers. Not only are innovative new processes and technologies expanding the availability of fresh foods to thousands of convenience stores, but they are having an effect on sales of traditional hot food as well. Offering fresh options drives additional traffic and improves the perception of c-stores as places that are dedicated to high-quality prepared food, which actually leads to more sales of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers and burritos. This may not be what the health-conscious parent had in mind, but at least the kids are happy. As food engineering and distribution technologies continue to evolve, we'll continue to see evolution of convenience stores as direct competitors to quick-service restaurants. Finding innovative new ways to offer a variety of healthy, flavorful and affordable options will have a tremendous and sustainable impact on the foodservice landscape for years to come. Grant Demers is McLane Co.'s product director for perishables, fresh, frozen and supplies. He has led the charge to establish McLane's proprietary fresh food program: Fresh on the Go. Source of article: Convenience Store News Daily, September 7, 2010. Legislative Update 9-1-1 PREPAID WIRELESS SERVICE FEE ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION
The 911 Prepaid Wireless Emergency Service Fee is collected by the seller from the consumer at the time of each retail transaction of prepaid wireless telecommunications for use in Texas and remitted to the Comptroller.
"Prepaid wireless telecommunications service" means a mobile telecommunication service that is paid for in advance and allows a person to access 911 emergency communication services. Online Filing Now Available
Click here for more information on the Comptroller's Website. TPCA EVENTS
REGISTER FOR TPCA FALL CONFERENCE
TPCA's 2010 Fall Conference will include meetings of the Wholesale Operations Committee, Retail Operations Committee, Membership Committee and Legislative Committee along with the Board of Directors. Confirmed speakers include Comptroller Susan Combs, Speaker of the House Joe Straus and Rep. Jim Pitts, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Limited event sponsorship opportunities are available.
Confirmed guests for this year’s TPCA Fall Conference, September 28-29, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines include:
All marketer members of the association are encouraged to join TPCA leadership at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines for this valuable meeting. The schedule has been designed to maximize the benefits of your participation while meeting these key leaders.
Please contact Annette Hicks at ahicks@tpca.org to obtain a Housing/Registration form to complete and return by Monday, September 6, 2010. We look forward to seeing you on September 28 & 29 in Lost Pines/Bastrop.
FALL CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE:
SPONSORSHIPS DELIVER VISIBILITY AND IMPACT...Increase your exposure! TPCA associate members are encouraged to take advantage of limited sponsorship opportunities available for this year’s TPCA Fall Conference. Sponsors will receive access to sessions and be able to network with petroleum marketers and c-store owners and operators. Please see the attached sponsorship form for more information. Sponsorships are limited so contact Annette Hicks at TPCA today!
THANK YOU to our current Fall Conference Sponsors:
TPCA Workers Compensation Purchasing Group
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