HOUSTON -- With a major brand conversion underway and the end to company-operated stores in sight, Shell is getting back to the basics and placing a major focus on its fuel brand.

The details were presented at Shell’s National Wholesale Conference that ends today in Houston. Roughly 1,000 attended the event. In an exclusive interview with CSP, Russell Caplan, vice president of retail USA, and Ian Sutcliffe, director of national marketing, shared Shell’s new strategy. The three-to-five year marketing plan will reposition Shell’s business.

TORONTO -- Facing competition from big U.S. retailers on both merchandise and gasoline, Canadian Tire Corp. has responded by expanding its store presence and is now pushing to raise its profile at the gasoline pumps, said Reuters.

With 212 “gas bars” or kiosk-type fueling and convenience centers currently in operation, Canadian Tire hopes to eventually furnish nearly all of its 454 stores with petroleum units and increase sales in a gasoline market dominated by the big oil companies. The company is also working on a new expanded format for its gas bars as it tries to squeeze extra revenue from customers who have already been lured into their parking lots.