Best Of The Best

COVER STORY
The Best
of the Best
Convenience Store News honors excellence in c-store
design, foodservice and new product innovation
D
ue to a coincidence in timing this year,
Convenience Store News is announcing
the winners of three of our most popular
industry award competitions this month.
In this special cover story package, we
recognize the best new store designs, the best-in-class
convenience foodservice retailers and the best new
products introduced by vendors into the convenience
store industry in 2014.
Why do we need industry award programs? Since
CSNews’ inception more than 40 years ago, we’ve
recognized leading retailer companies (Top 100,
Top 20 Growth Chains, Retailer Innovator of the
Year, etc.) and leading retailer people (Hall of Fame,
Retailer Executive of the Year, Top Tech Executive,
etc.). Award programs do two things. First, they
acknowledge outstanding achievement and give us all
an opportunity to thank an individual or company for
its contributions to the industry’s overall prosperity.
Second, they stand as examples of the type of innovation and leadership we all can aspire to attain.
Featured in this issue, CSNews’ Store Design
Contest showcases convenience stores in the United
States and from around the globe that have differentiated themselves from the pack through design innovation and attentiveness to customer needs. Awards are
presented to retailers and designers for Best Original
Design, Best Interior Design, Best Low-Cost Remodel,
Best Mid-Cost Remodel and Best Sky’s the Limit
Remodel, as well as specialty categories.
CSNews’ Foodservice Innovators Awards — presented in partnership with Tyson Foods — recognize
convenience retailer leaders that are raising the bar on
quality, service and innovation in the fast-growing and
critically important foodservice category.
Finally, the 18th annual CSNews Best New
Products Awards, the original new products recognition program for the convenience store industry, puts
the spotlight on 20 items launched in the past year
that tap into the latest emerging consumer trends,
from one-handed protein snacks to healthy “bites”
meant for sharing.
These award winners truly represent the best of the
best in the convenience store industry.
WWW.CSNEWS.COM | NOVEMBER 2014 | Convenience Store News 29
W
ith a modest budget in hand, PDQ Food
Stores approached Hussmann to help it
build a new convenience store in Madison to
add to its Midwest portfolio.
The design philosophy was to “keep it
simple” with a floor plan that is intuitive
and fluid. Utilizing the interior wall
structures and creating a compleBesT inTeriOr mentary color palette, the retail
Design
and service areas were defined.
Winner: PDQ Food Store, The store is open enough for the
Madison, Wis.
customer to visualize the entire
Designer:
merchandising area from just about
Hussmann
anywhere in the store.
The majority of focus has been
placed on the made-to-order food program, keeping with the employee-owned company’s
heavy focus on fresh store-made bakery items and
prepared foods. PDQ offers a large variety of prepared
foods, some of which are showcased in its Hussmann
island merchandiser. The new store also highlights its
World Cup coffee offering.
Based in Middleton, Wis., PDQ Food Stores operates 30-plus convenience stores in Wisconsin and one
location in Tahoma, Calif.
34 Convenience Store News | NOVEMBER 2014 | WWW.CSNEWS.COM
S
tanding at the center of many professional buildings and medical centers, American Center
BesT
in Madison is aptly named.
MiD-BuDgeT
The store’s operator, Loeder
reMODel
Oil, decided it was time to refresh
Honorable Mention:
the outlet, which is positioned
American Center,
just off the highway leading to the
Madison, Wis.
state capital. The retailer joined
Designer: Hussmann
with a longstanding partner and
customer Hussmann to do just that.
Hussmann created a 3-D model of the
store so that Loeder Oil could gain a clear understanding of how the store interior would transform. The
new design places visual emphasis on the new beer
cave and coffee islands so that neither is lost in the
layout. Adjacent product and food offerings surround
focal areas. In addition, the blue truss work ties the
convenience store to the Subway restaurant that shares
the space.
The remodel also draws attention to American
Center’s ties to the community, with photo displays of
local landmarks and flatscreen TVs showing college
football games.
44 Convenience Store News | NOVEMBER 2014 | WWW.CSNEWS.COM