Friday August 31, 2007 FEATURES Breakfast is big business, all day long Convenience store operators seeking to grow or even just hold onto their breakfast business are facing stepped up competition from players in other trade channels, notably Dunkin' Donuts, Canton, Mass., and Wendy's International, Dublin, Ohio. Dunkin Donuts has launched a campaign to open many more outlets; it also has said that its breakfast sandwiches sell throughout the day. Wendy's, meanwhile, has been busily rolling out an ambitious program to build breakfast trade. (Full Story) A crime-fighting plan for urban store operators Crime in and around convenience stores has been a chronic challenge in many urban markets around the nation; now Houston is in the midst of devising a crime-fighting plan that could be of interest to store operators in urban markets around the country. Installing security cameras and clearing clutter from store windows are two steps that store operators can take, according to a report released Aug. 28 by Houston Mayor Bill White's Task Force on Convenience Store Security. (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! Order your copy of the 2007 NPN MarketFacts today! For a limited time only, take advantage of a special prepublication price and save more than 15% off the retail price. To order your print copy and/or CD version of the 2007 NPN MarketFacts edition, please click here NEWS ITEMS EIA: gasoline and diesel prices fall The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline dropped 3.6 cents last week to dip to 274.9 cents per gallon as of August 27, 2007, 9.6 cents lower than last year, according to the Aug. 29 issue of "This Week in Petroleum," published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). (Full Story) North Dakota governor wins EPA waiver to import gasoline from Canada North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven announced Aug. 29 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed at his request to a 20-day waiver allowing Canadian gasoline imports to North Dakota to address tight fuel supplies and hold the line on prices, according to a report by KXMB-TV. (Full Story) Tobacco giant to spin off Philip Morris International Altria Group Inc., the world's largest tobacco company, plans to spin off Philip Morris International after being pressured by investors who want faster overseas growth and less risk from US smokers' lawsuits, Bloomberg News reported Aug. 30. (Full Story) FTC, Antitrust Division reports on 2006 gasoline price increases Market factors explain increases in the national average retail price for gasoline during the spring and summer of 2006, according to a report sent to the President on Aug. 30 by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. (Full Story) New bottle for Shell Rotella T with Triple Protection The advanced engine protection offered by Shell Rotella T motor oil with Triple Protection technology is now available in a brand new bottle. (Full Story) Gate Petroleum selects Boomi to streamline order processing, invoicing Boomi, a provider of business integration software for small and mid-market businesses, announced Aug. 28 that Gate Petroleum Company selected the Boomi Visual Integration Platform for current business-to-business integration software needs as well as emerging application integration requirements. (Full Story) Tri Star Energy buys 57 Scot Markets stores Tri Star Energy LLC has acquired 57 Scot Markets convenience stores - marking the company's first foray outside of the Middle Tennessee area, Nashville Business Journal reported Aug. 28. (Full Story) Hughes Network teams with Gas Station TV to provide video at the pump Gas Station TV has signed a deal with Hughes Network Systems to pump video entertainment, news, local weather and advertising directly to motorists filling their gas tanks, reported Gazette.net. (Full Story) Gas stations sue Utica Energy for $12 million Forty-two Green Bay-area gas stations are suing ethanol producer Utica Energy LLC and its associated retailer, Renew E-85, for $12 million for alleged violations of the state's Unfair Sales Act, according to a Winnebago County civil suit, Jeff Bollier reported in an Aug. 28 article for Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers. (Full Story) Gilbarco OKs Skyline electronic price sign for use with Passport Version 6 Gilbarco Inc. said Aug. 23 that it has certified a standard, direct interface from the Passport point of sale system to Skyline Products' electronic price signs. (Full Story) PRODUCT OF THE WEEK OPW Next Generation CARB Certified Overfill Prevention Valve OPW Fueling Components, offers the innovative, next generation OPW 71SO Vaportight Overfill Prevention Valve. It received Phase I Vapor Recovery System certification (VR-102-H) from the California Air Resources Board on May 24, 2007. Designed to prevent the overfill of underground storage tanks by providing a positive shut-off of product delivery, the new 71SO: reduces installation time and costs by eliminating the need for messy and time consuming epoxy sealants; it eliminates curing hassles during hot and cold weather conditions; and provides a higher level of protection against the release of fugitive emissions and pressure decay failures. The valve requires no epoxy sealants, so there's no mess or curing hassles, and best of all, the installation is easier and quicker, and more reliable and cost effective than any other valve. The 71SO enables improved EVR compliance by eliminating 10 of 17 potential vapor leak passages while offering fast flow rates and exceeding enhanced vapor recovery (EVR) requirements. OPW Fueling Components www.opw-fc.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS AWMA Distribution Summit & Business Exchange Ritz-Carlton Buckheadd Atlanta, Ga. Sept. 10-13 (800) 482-2962, ext. 642 www.awmanet.org Pacific Oil Conference and Tradeshow Grand Sierra Resort and Casino Reno, Nevada. September 17-20 (916) 646-5980 www.petroshow.com   Pennsylvania Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association Fall Energy Conference The Nittany Lion Inn State College, Penn. September 17-19 (717) 902-0210 www.ppmcsa.org Insight NACS Future of International Convenience Retailing London, UK September 24-28 Contact: Dan Munford +44(0)1936-556-090 www.nacsonline.com   South Dakota Petroleum and Propane Marketers Association/South Dakota Association of Convenience Stores Annual Convention and Expo Ramkota Hotel Rapid City, S.D. September 25-26 (605) 224-8606 www.sdp2ma-sdacs.com SIGMA 2007 Annual Meeting Westin Copley Place Boston, Mass. October 12-14 (703) 709-7007 www.sigma.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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