Traci Carneal

The right little-cigar plan-o-gram can keep profits growing

If you’ve been to Connecticut in the winter, you may have seen Mike Fox trekking down the streets with a camera. But rather than capturing the glow of freshly fallen snow on the treetops, he’s more interested in snow-laden branches that may be the cause of frequent power failures across the state.

It’s been more than a year since Hurricane Sandy crippled the Northeast, but the unprecedented fuel shortage that followed the storm remains troubling for local and state governments hoping to avert a future crisis.

In the past decade, a growing number of convenience-store chains have embraced hedging as a strategy to improve profits and pricing predictability at the fuel island.But the pump isn’t the only ...

Some retailers dread a blast of snow, sleet or an extended bout of below-freezing temps, but not Nice N Easy.Just ask Fran Duskiewicz, the Canastota, N.Y.-based chain’s senior executive vice pre...

NOCO knows about cold-weather challenges.The Tonawanda, N.Y.-based operator of 35 NOCO Express stores throughout western New York battles ice, sleet and upwards of 10 feet of snow each winter. Most re...