CHICAGO — A largely rural Midwest chain, a multistate food-and-fuel brand and the second-largest convenience retailer in the United States all had something to say about tobacco in their recent earnings calls, revealing both disparities and common threads in the highly volatile category.
Alimentation Couche-Tard, Laval, Quebec, the parent of the Circle K chain; Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny, Iowa; and Murphy USA, El Dorado, Ark., all had noteworthy points to make about the category this past fall.
All three talked about technology—whether it was a loyalty program or an upselling system—as well as the status of e-cigarettes at their stores.
Here’s a quick rundown of those insights …