OAK BROOK, Ill. -- CSP Daily News readers have spoken, and the overwhelming industry-related story of 2006 was gasoline prices. With spikes well over the $3 mark across the country, retailers found themselves fighting an uphill battle to keep themselves from becoming the bad guys in a storyline that included many twists and turns before product ever landed at the pump.
Nearly 44% of the almost 300 respondents to a Kraft/CSP Daily News Poll chose gas prices as the biggest story of the year. Second place, with 24% of the vote, went to the Hugo Chavez/CITGO [image-nocss] story of early fall, and third place, with a distant 6% of the vote, was a tie between food-borne illnesses and the midterm election results.
For completeresults ofhow readers voted, click here.
On CSP Daily News, the day-to-day results of the most-read stories showed a slightly different result. CITGO's issues remained a strong lure, but Home Depot's move into the c-store channel and changes in Big Oil strategies led the way.
Here's a complete list of the top 10 most-read stories on CSP Daily News, and links to each complete story:
1. CITGO Pulls Plug on 10 States
1,800 stations forced to find new brands
(Originally run July 13)
Home Depot's second c-store offers high-tech surprises
(Originally run May 26)
Retailers assess Home Depot's pilot into the convenience store industry
(Originally run April 3)
4. ConocoPhillips Divesting Company-Ops
More than 800 retail sites affected
(Originally run December 8)
5. Crawford of LNC Killed in Mountain Biking Accident
Philanthropist, convenience industry visionary dies after fall
(Originally run July 5)
7-Eleven points finger at Hugo Chavez; Florida mulls turnpike contract change
(Originally run September 28)
Both 7-Eleven and CITGO say this week's political heat was misguided
(Originally run September 29)
8. New Leadership to Right BP's 'Listing Ship'
Flinn out; MacLeod in, sources say
(Originally run July 10)
Jobbers poised to reap bounty in ConocoPhillips' 830-store divestiture
(Originally run December 11)
QuikTrip's remodeling in Wichita to feature doorless coolers, repositioned checkouts, more roller grills
(Originally run November 30)
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