COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kroger Co.'s Turkey Hill Minit Market convenience store chain is making its first foray into Ohio, with plans for seven stores in the Columbus area by the end of the year, according to a report by The Business Courier of Cincinnati.

Lancaster, Pa.-based Turkey Hill said Wednesday it has signed a deal to buy five On the Run c-stores in Columbus, Dublin and Westerville from Cincinnati-based Gilligan Oil Co. Erin Dimitriou Smith, a Turkey Hill spokesperson, declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, said the report.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- Overall consumer spending has declined over the past year at levels not seen in decades, said NPD. Consumers are value conscious, looking for deals and discounts and re-evaluating their spending habits. The result has been that they have significantly changed their shopping patterns by reducing trips, consolidating purchase occasions, deferring purchases, and considering value-oriented alternatives, according to the report provided exclusively to CSP Daily News. What impact have these behavioral shifts had on the c-store channel?

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. -- Quick Chek, a chain of 120 fresh food c-store locations throughout New Jersey and southern New York, said that the company is currently offering flu shots, free of charge, to each of its 2,300 employees. Also, the company's new 2009 flu shot program, an extension of its Fit for Life preventive employee health services initiative, also provides complimentary flu shots for each dependent of Quick Chek employees enrolled in its health benefits program.