TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Barney's Convenience Mart chain in Ohio is temporarily refusing to accept credit cards in the Toledo area. Signs taped to pumps at BP stations operated by Barney's starting last week blamed the move on "computer problems." But a Barney's executive said the situation is the result of a financial dispute. Meanwhile, Barney's has sold four of its station to Circle K.

"I quit taking them," Roy Clark, COO of parent company J-F Enterprises said concerning accepting credit cards. He said he took the action because BP, which processes the chain's credit-card payments, has stopped reimbursing him for the transactions. But unnamed sources, while acknowledging J-F is owed money, suggested other factors may be at work.

HOUSTON -- Shell unveiled its new "visual identity standard" for Shell retail sites. Updating the company's Retail Visual Identity (RVI) designed in 1992, the new look—dubbed RVIe—is "an evolutionary change," according to spokesperson Michael Clingan. "RVIe maintains the core branding colors in a refreshed and modernized look to ensure that Shell continues to express fuel leadership yet it can naturally integrate with the existing network of RVI sites," he told CSP Daily News.

WASHINGTON -- The debate over a tax on sugary soft drinks—billed as a way to fight obesity and provide billions for health care reform—may be gaining traction, but it is also drawing strong criticism. President Obama has said it is worth considering. The CEO of Coca-Cola called the idea "outrageous," and skeptics point to political obstacles and question how much of an impact it would really have on consumers. As for the effect of a federal soda tax on convenience retailers, the results of a poll indicate that beverage sales in c-stores would be hurt by such a tax.