The growth of the independent class—those retailers with one to 25 stores—has prompted a call to arms: cleaner sites, friendlier staff and an inspired customer experience.
Nothing thrills Kelly and Neena Collins like a good scare. Kelly, marketing supervisor for Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle Corp., and his wife, Neena, operate a 40,000-square-foot haunted house, complete with spooky sets, actors in ghostly makeup and a 3D fun house crawling with scary clowns.
With Amazon, Walmart and Overstock.com tackling the “last mile” of delivering produce, perishables and convenience goods to people’s doorsteps, c-store operators must grapple with the threat and potentially expand their role with consumers to stay viable.