Thursday April 5, 2007 FEATURES Sheetz' 'Realistic Job Preview:' Gauging an applicant "Although Sheetz is a great place to work, it is not for everyone." Those words are spoken by Steve Sheetz, chairman of the board of Sheetz, Inc., as he introduces the Realistic Job Preview to visitors to the company's Web site. (Full Story) Supreme Court ruling could lead to rise in number of fuel-efficient cars A Supreme Court ruling on April 2 that declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act could lead to more fuel-efficient cars as early as next year, according to The Associated Press and other media reports. The case, Massachusetts v. EPA, 05-1120, has been working its way through the courts since 2003, according to the National Resource Defense Council, a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists. (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 NPRA praises Hutchison effort to finalize 2005 energy tax provision The National Petrochemical and Refiners Association on April 2 praised efforts by Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to urge the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to finalize implementation of the expensing tax provisions for refinery expansions contained in the 2005 energy bill. (Full Story) J&J Snack Foods acquires Whole Fruit Sorbet and Fruit-A-Freeze J & J Snack Foods Corp., Pennsauken, N.J., announced April 2 that it has acquired the Whole Fruit Sorbet and Fruit-A-Freeze Frozen Fruit Bar brands, along with related assets including a manufacturing facility in Norwalk, Calif., from a subsidiary of CoolBrands International, Inc. (Full Story) Sheetz issues statement after court suspends beer sales Following a ruling April 2 by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, Stan Sheetz, president and CEO, Sheetz, Inc., Altoona, Pa., issued the following statement: (Full Story) Road Ranger acquires eight stores Road Ranger LLC, a leading convenience store chain in the Midwest, announced March 26 that it has completed the acquisition of eight convenience stores. (Full Story) 7-Eleven signs contract extension with EDS An agreement with EDS allows 7-Eleven the flexibility to easily manage its portfolio of applications as business needs and processes change, currently enabling 7-Eleven in aligning its IT portfolio with the company's Retailer Initiative strategy, according to a March 28 press release issued by EDS. (Full Story) Chestnut Petroleum to pay $1 million to settle Labor Department lawsuit Chestnut Petroleum Dist. Inc., with 37 gas station/convenience store locations throughout the Hudson Valley; Brooklyn and Long Island, N.Y.; and New Jersey and Connecticut, has agreed to pay 767 employees a total of $900,000 in back wages — plus a $100,000 penalty to the federal government — to resolve a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit alleging violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). (Full Story) First Data to be acquired by KKR First Data Corp. announced April 2 that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) in a transaction with a total value of approximately $29 billion. (Full Story) U.S. Supreme Court rules E.P.A. has power to act on harmful gases The Supreme Court ruled on April 2 that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions, according to an article by Linda Greenhouse published in The New York Times' April 3 online edition. (Full Story) FTC to hold conference: 'Energy Markets in the 21st Century' The Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the federal antitrust laws and is also the federal consumer protection enforcement agency, will host a conference in Washington, D.C., on April 10-12, 2007, to explore a range of energy issues of importance to American consumers and to the United States and world markets. (Full Story) In Wisconsin: State beer sample bill draws heat A bill making its way through the Wisconsin state assembly would allow liquor and grocery stores to offer free samples of beer to customers, according to an April 1 article by Patrick Thornton for the Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers. (Full Story) EZ Energy buys another 40 gas stations in United States EZ Energy, an Israeli holding company, signed two deals over the weekend for the purchase of 40 gas stations in the Midwest region in the United States, according to an April 1 article by Tani Goldstein for Ynetnews.com. The two deals totaled approximately $39 million, according to the article. (Full Story) Getty Realty Corp. acquires 59 properties Getty Realty Corp., Jericho, N.Y., reported April 2 that it has completed the acquisition of 59 convenience store and gas station properties located in nine states throughout the U.S., including Hawaii, for approximately $78 million, and expects to acquire additional properties from Trustreet in the next 30 days that are part of the previously announced 68 property transaction. (Full Story) Fas Mart honors InComm with top vendor award Convenience retailer Fas Mart has awarded InComm its top vendor award for 2006 in recognition of the outstanding job that InComm has done helping Fas Mart achieve dramatic sales growth among gift cards, downloadable music, prepaid wireless, reloadable debit cards and more, according to a March 28 press release issued by InComm. (Full Story) Tesoro CEO addresses key industry challenges at NPRA event Communications and collaboration, especially around climate change and renewable fuels, were the focus March 20 when Tesoro CEO Bruce Smith gave the keynote address at NPRA's 105th annual meeting in San Antonio. (Full Story) In Georgia: Sunday booze bill not dead yet A bill to legalize Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia may have new life, according to WXIA-TV, an NBC affiliate in Georgia. (Full Story) Ontario convenience store operators respond to lottery scandal The Ontario Convenience Stores Association this week issued the following open letter to customers: (Full Story) EIA: Gasoline prices continue to increase; diesel decreases slightly again For the eighth consecutive week, gasoline prices increased, rising 3.3 cents to 261.0 cents per gallon for the week of March 26, according to the March 28 edition of "This Week in Petroleum," published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). (Full Story) DOE selects five ethanol conversion projects for $23 million in funding U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner on March 27 announced just over $23 million in federal funding, subject to negotiation of final project plans and funding, for five projects focused on developing highly efficient fermentative organisms to convert biomass material to ethanol. (Full Story) AWMA files comments on classification of cigars and cigarettes The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) submitted comments on March 26 objecting to the Proposed Rulemaking on Classification of Cigars and Cigarettes offered by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. (Full Story) Indiana bill would limit alcohol permits, invite police enforcement The Indiana House of Representatives is considering legislation that will control the sale of alcohol in the state, according to an article by Grant Monahan, published in the March 28 online edition of The Fort Wayne Gazette Journal. (Full Story) PRODUCT OF THE WEEK New Hybrid Vehicle Wash System, Tandem™ RiteTouch Arrives PDQ Manufacturing, Inc., recently launched its new Tandem RiteTouch vehicle wash system, which incorporates both touch-free and friction technologies. The patent-pending Tandem's™ two-bridge design allows multiple cleaning processes to take place at one time speeding up the wash, versus a linear process common with most other friction systems. The belt driven bridges work in tandem to easily glide over the vehicle, adjusting their speeds and covering gaps to ensure the vehicle is completely covered. The Tandem™ is also capable of washing oversized SUV's and dually trucks. Unlike other friction type systems, the expansive foam top and single rotational side brush configuration creates an entirely open wash bay—the trademark of all PDQ in-bay systems. PDQ Manufacturing www.pdqinc.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2007 NACS SOI Summit Hilton Riverside New Orleans April 10-12 (703) 684-3600 www.nacsonline.com MPM - Minnesota Petroleum Marketers Association 2007 Convention & Trade Show Sheraton Bloomington Hotel Bloomington, Minn. April 10-12 (651)484-7227 www.mpmaonline.com   OPIS Ethanol & Biodisel Management W Lakeshore Hotel Chicago April 11-13 (866) 620-5940 www.opisnet.com/ethbiomgmt/ Fuel Management University Loews Ventana Canyon Resort Tucson, Ariz. April 24-26 (866) 620-5940 www.opisnet.com/fmu   SIGMA 2007 Spring Convention Loews Ventana Canyon Resort Tucson, AZ April 26-29, 2007 (703) 709-7000 www.sigma.org 2007 AOCA Convention and Fast Lube Expo Dallas Convention Center Dallas April 28 - May 1 (800) 331-0329 www.aoca.org   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 Keith Reid, 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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