WICHITA, Kansas -- Mark Branham might not refill the coffee pots at QuikTrip, but he’s as much responsible for the convenience store chain’s success in Wichita, Kansas, over the past eight years as anyone. Branham is division manager in the Wichita market, and as he prepares to move to run QT’s St. Louis market, he offered some insight into how the company operates.

SKOKIE, Ill. -- A look by the In-Store Marketing Institute at how several convenience-store retailers—including Circle K, Speedway SuperAmerica and ampm—are marketing their products and services in-store reveals a heavy reliance on point-of-purchase signage, food and coffee promotions, and ties to major product manufacturers.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Thorntons Inc. announced that it has opened six new stores during December 2009. The company opened four new stores in Nashville, Tenn., expanding the market to 10 locations in 2½ years. It also opened a new store in the Chicago suburb of East Dundee, Ill., and another location in Champaign, Ill.