Thursday January 25, 2007 FEATURES PMAA: President's renewable fuels goals are 'mind-boggling' Many energy industry experts voiced skepticism about the feasibility of President Bush's energy-efficiency goals, as detailed in his State of the Union address on Jan. 23. One of those was Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America. Gilligan told NPN MarketPulse that Bush's proposals are "mind-boggling." (Full Story) Temperature compensation issue heats up Efforts to force petroleum marketers to compensate for the affect of temperature on fuel dispensing have been on the rise since a series of articles appeared in The Kansas City Star last August. "It was probably the most-debated topic at the National Conference on Weights and Measures," Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, told NPN MarketPulse. (Full Story) Sign up for a FREE subscription to NPN, the magazine that has been reporting news and trends in the petroleum and convenience store industry since 1909. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Get The Data That Drives The Petroleum & Convenience Industry Today! To order your print copy or CD version of the 2006 NPN MarketFacts edition, please click here NEWS ITEMS Bush seeks 20 percent reduction in U.S. gasoline consumption President Bush's call for a 20 percent reduction in U.S. gasoline consumption within 10 years is being met with skepticism from both environmentalists and the oil industry, The Houston Chronicle reported Jan. 24. (Full Story) Tuscola, Ill., said to be possible site for 100 million-gallon ethanol plant Tuscola Economic Development, Inc., (TEDI) confirmed Jan. 23 that a new Cargill subsidiary, Emerald Renewable Energy LLC, has identified the city in Illinois as a potential site for a new 100-million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant. (Full Story) PDQ develops online educational tools for equipment operators PDQ Manufacturing, De Pere, Wis., said Jan. 23 that it is launching a new Web site designed to help operators use its carwash equipment more profitably, thus maximizing their investment. (Full Story) McDonald's says it will open 800 new restaurants in 2007 McDonald's Corp. on Jan. 24 reported a sharp increase in quarterly earnings after recording a large gain for last year's spin-off of the Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. chain. (Full Story) Oil prices drop below $55 a barrel Oil prices decreased, The Associated Press reported Jan. 24. (Full Story) 'Terror-free' gas station to open in Omaha A plan for a new gas station is making headlines in Omaha. It's the nation's first "terror free" gas station. According to NTV, a television station in Nebraska, a Florida-based company that plans to open the station claims U.S. dollars are used to buy gas made from Middle East oil that funds terrorism. (Full Story) In Maui: Goose's Edge buys 12th petroleum/convenience store A Maui company has bought one of the busiest gas stations and convenience stores in the state, Queen K Chevron in Kona, according to Pacific Business News. (Full Story) Giant Eagle unveils small-store format with fuel and pharmacy Giant Eagle is preparing to launch a grocery/gas/drug combination dubbed Giant Eagle Express, that will take direct aim at large-format drug stores. (Full Story) Biofuel industries feel pressure as oil prices drop Investments in biofuel projects are less attractive since oil plunged to near $50 a barrel and gasoline began selling at less than $2 a gallon, The Tulsa World reported Jan. 23. (Full Story) Nashville marketers install bulletproof glass after string of armed holdups Reda Rezkalla 40, stands behind a thick wall of bullet-resistant glass at the ARG Discount Tobacco, just off Gallatin Pike in Madison, Tenn. (Full Story) In Indianapolis: Circle K renovates and re-brands gas stations Circle K, the No. 2 convenience store chain in metropolitan Indianapolis, is renovating a dozen local gas stations, reported the Jan. 22 edition of The Indianapolis Star. (Full Story) Fast food outlets, c-stores, outnumber grocery stores in California A study released Jan. 19 looked at the concentration of fast-food outlets in counties and cities in California. (Full Story) Gilbarco Veeder-Root introduces Daily Loss Advisor Gilbarco Veeder-Root on Jan. 19 introduced Daily Loss Advisor, the newest service from Fuel Management Services that applies technology and a dedicated analyst to help petroleum retailers identify their sources of fuel loss and improve profitability. (Full Story) Harvard researchers: Nicotine on the rise in cigarettes Cigarette manufacturers have increased the nicotine content of their products, according to research results released by the Harvard School of Public Health. (Full Story) Publix Super Markets to open more gas stations After four years of testing, Publix Super Markets Inc., Lakeland, Fla., is ready to roll out its gas station format, according to a Jan. 16 article in The St. Petersburg Times online. (Full Story) EIA: Retail gasoline and diesel prices drop sharply The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline for Jan. 15, 2007 decreased 7.7 cents to 222.9 cents per gallon, according to the Jan. 18 issue of "This Week in Petroleum," published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). (Full Story) A clock face + an apple = Tesco logo for stores in the United States Tesco intends to use an image a clock crossed with a green apple to symbolize the offerings of a network of small supermarkets it plans to open in California, Nevada and Arizona this year. (Full Story) IRI examines high-growth, under-served consumer segments Due to sheer size and projected growth, three consumer groups are emerging as critical segments for consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers: families with young children, Hispanics and lower-income consumers. (Full Story) United Refining reports a loss; drop in crude is cited as a factor United Refining Co. said it had a net loss for the three months ended Nov. 30, in part due to a drop in the price of crude oil, The Pittsburgh Business Times reported Jan. 16. (Full Story) In Georgia: Governor takes dim view of Sunday sales of beer and wine Gov. Sonny Perdue said Jan. 17 that he does not support letting Georgians vote on whether to allow Sunday beer and wine sales at grocery and convenience stores. (Full Story) BP to sell Connect sites for conversion to ampm in Pittsburgh area NRC Realty Advisors, LLC (NRC) announced Jan. 17 that it has been retained by BP to coordinate the sale of 34 existing BP-branded sites in the Pittsburgh area to franchise sites. (Full Story) New York governor's cigarette tax plan meets with hope, skepticism New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's statement that he intends to collect tax on the sale of cigarettes to non-Indians at American Indian-owned stores is being met with hope and skepticism, The Utica Observer-Dispatch reported Jan. 17. (Full Story) In Virginia: a move to stop gas stations from being taxed on collections Legislation prohibiting local governments in Virginia from assessing a tax on gas stations for the fuel taxes they collect was endorsed Jan. 17 by two legislative committees, according to The Virginian-Pilot. (Full Story) PRODUCT OF THE WEEK Lettieri's® introduces new BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich Lettieri's Inc., recently announced its launch of one of the American consumer's favorite sandwiches - Lettieri's new BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich is made from slow-roasted pork simmered in a tomato-based barbeque sauce, sweetened and mixed with molasses. The sandwich is served on a specially formulated sesame seed bun that holds the product's integrity, even when microwaved. This product is fully prepared & fully cooked, and comes hand-wrapped in colorful consumer appealing packaging. The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich can be merchandised in a refrigerated case or warmer program (refrigerated shelf life is 14 days once product is thawed). Lettieri's® www.lettieris.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS SIGMA 2007 Executive Leadership Conference Silvertree Hotel Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. February 11 - 14 (703 )709-7000 www.sigma.org PACE - Petroleum and Convenience-Store Exposition of Mid-America Overland Park Convention Center Overland Park, Ks. February 16-17 (573) 635-7117 www.mpca.org   WPMA Convention & Convenience Store Expo The Mirage Convention Center Las Vegas February 20-22 (801) 263-9762 www.wpma.com AWMA REAL DEAL EXPO Las Vegas Hilton Las Vegas February 21-23 (703) 208-3358 www.realdealexpo.com   PetrolWorld Africa Middle East Business Forum 2007 Malelane Resort, Kruger Park, South Africa February 24-27 www.petrolworld.com NASM Convention & Exposition World Golf Village and Renaissance Resort St. Augustine, Fla. March 5-8 (703) 922-9784 www.nasmonline.com   For a complete list of industry events, go to NPN's calendar web page.  Published By NPN Group |  © 2007 NPN Group | All Rights Reserved For more information on NPN MarketPulse, contact: Gary Bevers, group publisher M2MEDIA360 Retail Distribution Group Ph: 832-444-7675 Fax: 800-430-3446 Chris Traczek, editor-in-chief M2MEDIA360 NPN Group Ph: 630-739-0280 Fax: 630-739-0321 This newsletter is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of M2MEDIA360.

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