Thursday October 19, 2006 FEATURES R.J. Reynolds fights to market "light" cigarettes, but alerts retailers in case ban is upheld While it awaits a court ruling on its request to stay a ban on marketing of cigarettes as "lights," ultra-lights," "milds" and the like, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is continuing to market those products under those labels, a company spokesman told NPN MarketPulse. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled in August that R.J. Reynolds and other cigarette makers violated racketeering laws and misled the public about the health consequences of smoking. (Full Story) EIA issues Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook The Energy Information Administration has issued its "Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook." Here are some excerpts: (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. EXPERT CORNER Seasons and Cycles Brian Reynolds, director of fuel solutions, The Pinnacle Corporation The fuel business is a lot like farming in that it is very seasonal. During winter, marketers are conditioned to live off less volume and smaller margins. The sun brightens, grass gets greener and sales begin to increase — and hopefully so do margins. (Full Story) NEWS ITEMS Visa, following MasterCard, says it will disclose more fees Visa USA on Oct. 17 said it had started posting its U.S. interchange fee schedule on its Web site, Reuters reported. The announcement came six weeks after MasterCard Inc. said it will do the same. (Full Story) Petro Express says it will drop Citgo brand Petro Express Inc., Charlotte, N.C., is phasing out Citgo Petroleum Corp. gasoline. By next year, the company will no longer sell the brand, The Charlotte Observer reported Oct. 17. (Full Story) Hershey's Kisses, 100 years old, get Valentine from Postal Service The Hershey Company, Hershey, Pa., and the United States Postal Service on Oct. 16 unveiled the 2007 edition of the "Love" series stamp, titled "With Love and Kisses." (Full Story) Citgo ad campaign designed to counter fallout from Chavez speech Citgo Petroleum Corp. went on the offensive Oct. 16, with advertising that denounces "misleading and inaccurate" criticisms of the Houston-based arm of the Venezuelan oil company. (Full Story) In Massachusetts, some local office holders take sides in the wine war As the Nov. 7 general election draws closer, many municipal officials in Massachusetts are taking sides on a ballot question that, if passed, would allow grocery stores and some convenience stores to sell wine, The Eagle-Tribune reported Oct. 18. (Full Story) OPW Fluid Transfer Group creates biofuels team OPW Fluid Transfer Group announced Oct. 16 that it has formed a team to focus on the biofuels industry. (Full Story) In Hawaii: Refineries seek to resume operations after earthquake One of Hawaii's two refineries was restarting on Oct. 16 while the other was inspecting machinery before going back online in the aftermath of an Oct. 15 earthquake that knocked out power to both plants, Reuters reported. (Full Story) E85 remains scarce in Toledo; conversion costs cited Meijer Inc. spends about $20,000 to convert one dispenser from gasoline to E85, according to The Toledo Blade. (Full Story) Tobacco companies seek to reverse 'lights' class-action decision Cigarette companies last week asked a U.S. appeals court to overturn a judge's ruling that granted class-action status to smokers of "light" cigarettes, according to an Oct. 16 article by The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area, which cited a Reuters report. (Full Story) Gulf Oil chief says price of gasoline may drop to $1.80 Gasoline prices could fall to as low as a $1.80 in coming months, according to the chief executive of Gulf Oil, The Boston Herald reported Oct. 13. (Full Story) Investigators: Texas City refinery did not have safety procedures set BP did not have safety procedures in place which could have prevented a July 2005 fire that broke out at its Texas City refinery because workers installed the wrong type of pipe, federal investigators said Oct. 15, according to the Associated Press. (Full Story) In California: Santa Ana to consider licensing fee for tobacco retailers Santa Ana, Calif., is poised to become the first city in Orange County to require licenses for tobacco sales, The Orange County Register reported Oct. 16. Money collected from fees charged to retailers would be used to fund a program designed to curtail teen smoking. (Full Story) Report: Susser Holdings, operator of convenience stores, to go public Susser Holdings Corp., an operator of Circle K and Stripes gas and convenience stores, is preparing to go public with an initial public offering of 6 million shares expected to be priced between $16 to $18, the Associated Press reported Oct. 13. (Full Story) New era of diesel dawns with introduction of ultra-low sulfur fuel The auto industry is converting to more advanced engine systems as new rules go into effect that require fuel makers to produce a much cleaner diesel that is largely sulfur-free, the Associated Press reported Oct. 15. (Full Story) In a Massachusetts town, smoking in clubs could get eighty-sixed Veterans, who fought for the freedoms the United States provides, should not be told they cannot smoke in their own clubs, Richard Flaherty says, according to the Oct. 15 Metro West Daily News. (Full Story) NACS' new chairman: Credit card fees top NACS' agenda "It will be a few weeks before we will know the makeup of the next Congress, good, bad or ugly. But whichever, I can tell you our agenda won't change," said NACS incoming Chairman of the Board Sam Turner during his closing remarks Oct. 11 at the NACS Show 2006 in Las Vegas. (Full Story) In New Mexico: suspects charged in theft of fuel valued at $500,000 Police said they arrested three men who allegedly stole $500,000 worth of fuel from several Albuquerque gasoline stations and then sold it at half that price, the Associated Press reported. (Full Story) Average retail gasoline price continues declining The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline fell 4.9 cents last week to hit 226.1 cents per gallon as of October 9, which is 58.7 cents lower than a year ago, according to the Oct. 12 edition of "This Week in Petroleum," published by the Energy Information Administration. (Full Story) FleetCor acquires a second European fuel card company FleetCor, Atlanta, Ga., announced Oct. 11 that it has acquired CCS, a fuel card operator in the Czech Republic. FleetCor said it acquired CCS from Advent International, a private equity firm, in a cash and stock transaction. (Full Story) QuikTrip chain is testing express exterior carwashes Convenience store chain QuikTrip is building conveyorized carwashes at two of its locations in Wichita, Kan., in the second phase of a project to decide whether there's a market for upscale carwashes chain-wide, reported The Wichita Eagle. (Full Story) EPA marks date of switch to ultra-low sulfur diesel: Oct. 15 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson on Oct. 10 formally kicked off the nationwide switch to ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD), which takes effect Oct. 15, during a tour of engine maker Cummins Inc.'s test facilities in Columbus, Ind. (Full Story) OPEC ready to cut output by 1 million barrels per day The president of OPEC, Edmund Daukoru, said Oct. 11 that the 11 members of the oil cartel have agreed to trim production by 1 million barrels a day. But they are still negotiating over how the cut will be divided among them, reported The New York Times. (Full Story) Reynolds agrees to drop flavored cigarettes in U.S. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has agreed to a domestic ban on its line of flavored cigarettes such as Twista Lime and Mocha Taboo, which critics say are marketed to youths, reported the Associated Press. (Full Story) Anheuser-Busch rolls out '180 Blue,' an energy drink Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. announced Oct. 11 the nationwide launch of a new member of its 180 family of energy drinks, reported the St. Louis Business Journal. (Full Story) PRODUCT OF THE WEEK Metromint Metromint, the all-natural mintwater company, combines the properties of functional and flavored water. It provides cool refreshment and fresh breath, along with its natural benefits that include calming the nerves and energizing the senses. It can also reduce inflammation in the nasal passages and clear congestion related to colds and allergies. It is available in two varieties, with more on the way - Peppermint and Spearmint. Metromint Peppermint is available in 500 ml. size for $1.39-$1.99 per bottle and in six-packs for $6.99-$7.49. Metromint Spearmint, the more recent release, is available in stores as well. Metromint www.metromint.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS AWMA Fall STEPS Belmont Conference Center Elkridge, Md. November 5-8 www.awmanet.org NACS Regional Grassroots Events Hotel Hershey Hershey, Pa. November 6-8 www.nacsonline.com   Site School Fairmont Chicago Chicago November 9-10 (866) 620-5940 www.opisnet.com/siteschool SIGMA 2006 Annual Meeting Fairmont Hotel Chicago November 10-12 (703) 709-7000 www.sigma.org   Ethanol and Biodiesel Management Westin Galleria Houston November 15-17 (866) 620-5940 opisnet.com/ethbiomgmt/ Fall Pressure Vessel Conference Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel Houston November 16 (847) 438-8265 www.steeltank.com   For a complete list of industry events, go to NPN's calendar web page.  Published By NPN Group |  © 2006 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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