But We’re Rich in Pizza
Casey’s General Stores is using Tax Day for its latest promotion. The Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience-store chain’s Pizza Refund Deal gives Rewards members who buy a large pizza on April 15 a pizza refund in the form of a free, large one-topping pizza credited to their Rewards account. The refund can be redeemed until May 6, 21 days after Tax Day. Casey’s chose 21 days because that’s the approximate amount of time tax filers have to wait to receive a refund. “Paying taxes isn’t fun, but cashing in on a Casey’s pizza deal? That’s deliciously delightful,” said Brad Haga, senior vice president, prepared food and dispensed beverage at Casey’s. –Chuck Ulie
7-Eleven Korea Gets Into Bland Fashion
It’s not unusual for convenience stores to build their brand by selling T-shirts, hats and more. But those items usually feature the chain’s name and logo. Not so in Korea, where 7-Eleven is rolling out its first private-label fashion line of essentials, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily publication. The retail giant is coming out with two styles of 7-Select Supima T-shirts for $7.50 each, in basic black or white, L and XL only, with plans to debut eight styles of socks later this month, the Daily reported. The c-store described the items as “versatile daily wear items with broad appeal,” according to reports, which probably can’t be said for my Buc-ee’s beaver suit onesie. -Heather Lalley
7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2025 Top 40 Update to the 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Casey's General Stores is No. 3. Watch for the full 2025 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
MLB Teams Switch to American Beer
About two months after Anheuser-Busch’s CEO Brendan Whitworth asked retailers and wholesalers to switch from using the term “domestic beer” to “American beer,” several Major League Baseball teams have made the change. The Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds have updated their stadium menus and signage to recognize American beer, or beers brewed in the United States, Anheuser-Busch said. Hundreds of bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and retail stores have also made the change, A-B said. Budweiser, an A-B beer, is the longest-standing sponsor of MLB and a sponsor of 17 of the 29 U.S. MLB teams, the St. Louis-based company said. –Hannah Hammond
Twinkies. In Candy Bar Form?
Hostess Brands’ iconic dessert Twinkies is coming to the candy aisle in convenience stores, according to allrecipes.com. “For the first time ever, Twinkies is coming to stores in the form of a candy bar,” allrecipes.com said. “The new treat features a smooth candy shell packed with a rich, creamy filling that we can only guess tastes just like the popular snack cake.” There has been no release date, but a shopper found the candy bar at Family Dollar, allrecipes.com said. BlairCandy.com lists the Hostess Twinkies candy bar on its website, but visitors to the site can’t add the item to their cart. –Diane Adam
Share a Coke, AI Version
Sharing a Coke with a friend is getting a distinctly 2025 upgrade. With an artificial intelligence-powered recipe technology called Freestyle at participating convenience stores, restaurants and movie theaters, consumers can generate a unique Coke mixture. Through new Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke campaign, consumers can scan a QR code on the Freestyle touchscreens at locations such as Shell, Mobil and Wawa. After selecting a name to appear on the digital cup and decorating it with stickers, consumers can generate a one-of-a-kind mix, which they can also send to a friend to redeem at a Freestyle location near them through June 2. –Rachel Gignac
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