LAS VEGAS -- Filling the technical needs of petroleum retail and convenience store operators appears to have evolved into a game of form melding with function, as suppliers fashion cost-effective solutions to solve day-to-day problems.
Retailers walking the trade show floor at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) convention two weeks ago in Las Vegas saw a gamut of new and field-tested devices, systems and services. Whether hand-held scanners or replenishment software packages, the solutions were task-specific and for the most part, [image-nocss] cost-effective.
Some of the newer entrants to the industry included the following:
A handheld scanning device the size of a cell phone that uses analog technology to aid in the inventory and reordering process. A retro technology, the product, from Cipher Lab and Syntech West Inc., Gig Harbor, Wash., provides reordering automation at a pragmatic price point. A new player in the business intelligence arena arrives in the form of Salient Corp., Horseheads, N.Y. The company emerges from a bottling and distribution background and has developed a tracking system that serves up data in company-specific formats. Temple, Texas-based PDI talked about its enterprise-wide operating system inclusive of home-office financials, backoffice, handheld devices, vendor integration and business intelligence. New integration devices from Digi International Inc., Minnetonka, Minn., allow legacy devices to hook up to each other. The product helps add serial ports to computers and provides retailers a way to extend the life of past investments. New partnerships appear to be forming as companies like Arlington, Texas-based The Pinnacle Corp. make linkages with foodservice software and kiosk partners. Fuel controllers, equipment improvements and software certifications were featured from Radiant Systems, Alpharetta, Ga. Age-verification devices and security systems arrive from CardCom Technology, Buena Park, Calif.Services supporting technology also appear to be on the rise:
New Edge Networks, Vancouver, Wash., a broadband service provider announced new business alliances with Nordstrom Oil, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Walters-Dimmick Petroleum Inc., Marshall, Mich. Morgan Beaumont, Bradenton, Fla., has emerged to provide stored value and debit-card solutions.Other technologies gaining more prominence in the industry include the following:
Trax Retail Solutions, Scottsdale, Ariz., is progressing with its upbeat, employee coaching software geared to reduce shrink. The program prepares reports in easy-to-understand paragraphs, advising managers what to do in situations where employee theft is a possibility. Austin, Texas-based PerfomanceRetail Inc. continues to make headway into the industry with its business-intelligence solution. Designed to sit on top of a retailer's point-of-sale system, the PRI solution provides reports on everything from shrink to sales. Coinstar Inc., Bellevue, Wash., keeps its steady push into the market with its prepaid offering. The company is also pushing coin-accepting machines that convert coins into gift cards, as well as vending devices and crane-style arcade games that reward users with plush toys. A refinement of its pump design was at the forefront of new offers from Greensboro, N.C.-based Gilbarco Veeder-Root.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.