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7-Eleven has reportedly applied for licenses for Open Pantry locations in the Milwaukee area and confirmed that negotiations are moving ahead.

7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris told the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel the deal is expected to close next month, noting 7-Eleven plans to buy “the majority” of the Open Pantry stores, but not all of them.

Open Pantry Food Marts of Wisconsin Inc., was founded in 1966, and currently operates about 25 stores, most of which are located in Wisconsin. 

Chabris told the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel 7-Eleven initially would run the former Open Pantries as corporate stores, but probably would seek to franchise them in the future. “We have been on an accelerated growth pattern for at least the past three years,” Chabris said. “Rent and purchase prices are more favorable than they were before 2007. We have a strong balance sheet. We’re an investment-grade tenant.”

In 1996, 7-Eleven opened about 15 stores in southeastern Wisconsin, but left exited the market about 10 years ago. 

The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global, open industry standards body providing management of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), PIN Transaction Security (PTS) requirements and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), has announced plans to train and certify payment software integrators and resellers on the secure installation and maintenance of validated PA-DSS applications into merchant environments to support PCI DSS compliance.

The PCI Qualified Integrators and Resellers (QIR) program is set to be rolled out over the coming months, with training set to begin in late summer and a global list of PCI Qualified Integrators and Resellers to be available later this year.

“This program comes as a direct result of industry feedback and stakeholder requests for greater quality assurance and accountability around the secure installation of payment software,” said Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council. “Not only will it help integrators and resellers better understand how to address some of the basic security flaws we’re seeing that can be easily avoided, but it will also make it easier for merchants to have confidence in the services being provided to them. Retailers and franchise operators alike will have a go-to resource they can trust for making sure their applications and systems are being installed and maintained properly.”

In its 2012 Global Security Report, Trustwave reports that 76% of the breaches investigated in 2011 were a result of security vulnerabilities introduced by a third party responsible for system support, development and/or maintenance of business environments. Errors introduced during implementation, configuration and support of PA-DSS validated payment applications by third parties into merchant environments were identified as a significant risk to the security of cardholder data. Specifically, small businesses in the food and beverage industry that rely heavily on outsourcing are particularly vulnerable, as they made up the bulk of the compromises.

To help address this security challenge, merchants, acquirers, payment software vendors and card brands participated in a Council taskforce to evaluate market needs and make recommendations on how to address them. This included development of more guidance and best practices for integrators and resellers and a global list of PCI Council certified integrators and resellers.

The QIR program will provide integrators and resellers that sell, install and/or service payment applications on behalf of software vendors or others the opportunity to receive specialized training and certification on the secure installation and maintenance of validated payment applications into merchant environments in a manner that supports PCI DSS compliance. The PCI SSC will maintain a global list of QIRs, ensuring merchants a trusted resource for selecting PCI approved partners.

Training will be offered online beginning in late summer 2012, and the validated list for merchants will be published on the PCI SSC Website shortly thereafter. More details on the program, including eligibility requirements and training course information and costs will be made available soon. In the meantime, those interested in participating in the program can visit https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/qir and contact qir@pcisecuritystandards.org with questions.

“Product solutions that are a good fit for a PCI compliant organization need to be installed, configured, and managed properly to support PCI DSS,” said Diana Kelley, principal analyst at security IT research firm SecurityCurve. “Integrators and resellers need to understand what makes a solution effective for protecting cardholder data and the cardholder data environment in order to provide the most value to their customers. That’s why I think the new integrator and reseller certification and training for 2012 is a welcome addition to the Council’s comprehensive training offerings.”

Motorists in north central and southeast Kentucky are seeing new teal-and-yellow signs going up at gasoline stations now that Valero has expanded its presence in the region under an agreement with Somerset, Ky.-based distributor Southern Petroleum, Inc.

Twenty-six Southern Petroleum properties have undergone or soon will undergo conversions to the Valero brand, bringing these sites into Valero’s coast-to-coast network of over 5,000 retail and wholesale branded outlets. In addition to six sites in Shepherdsville and three sites each in Louisville, Frankfort and Shelbyville, remaining locations stretch from Bedford in the north to Whitley City in the south.
 
“We are very excited here at Southern Petroleum to join forces with the Valero family of brands,” said Jonathan Arnett, president and CEO of Southern Petroleum. “We have received a very warm welcome and outstanding support from Valero on every level. We plan on a long-term relationship with Valero and are proud to have the new teal and yellow colors in our portfolio.”
 
Founded in 1980, Texas-based Valero ranks No. 12 on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations, and has won numerous philanthropic and industry awards – most recently raising $9 million for children’s charities through the annual Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children Golf Classic. Its headquarters are in San Antonio, home of the Mission San Antonio de Valero – better known as the Alamo. Valero’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol VLO.

“When Valero purchased fuel terminals in Louisville and Lexington, we looked for a company to help us introduce the Valero brand to the Kentucky market,” said Valero’s Director of Branded Sales for the North Region, Mark Westrick. “Southern Petroleum has been a great ambassador for our company, and we look forward to continue giving the people of Kentucky another choice when it’s time to fill their tanks.”  
 

American consumers rate Speedway, Costco, Walgreens and Target high in Harris Poll’s latest study.

While some retailers have been challenged this year by the U.S. economy, some retail brands managed to keep business steady, partly due to their brand equity. The 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend (EQ) study surveyed American consumers about brands across several retail segments to see which companies have been most successful the past year. Speedway gets bragging rights in the poll as it earns the Convenience Store Brand of the Year title.

“Obviously we’re very excited to receive the title,” said Shane Pochard, a Speedway spokesman. “Speedway prides itself on its convenience for our customers.”

Pochard said one of the company’s slogans is to give customers the “best value” possible. He said he thinks what might impress American customers most is the Speedy Rewards program at their convenience stores.

Arco am/pm and 7-Eleven followed Speedway in the poll. Polls find that more consumers are familiar with 7-Eleven than Speedway, but they prefer Speedway for its quality and purchase consideration.

Costco received the Gasoline Retail Brand of the Year title. Although this is the first time Costco was listed in the polls as a gasoline retailer, the brand took the top spot, ranking higher than Speedway this year. Other fuel brands that scored high were Hess, Shell, Sam’s Club, Sunoco, Arco, Speedway, ExxonMobil and Chevron.

Consumers also reported to Harris Poll they prefer to get prescription drugs from traditional drug stores like Walgreens, CVS or Rite Aid. Walgreens earned the top spot as Drugstore Brand of the Year. Harris Poll reported that name brand familiarity and purchase consideration helped Walgreens get the top spot.

Target also earned Value Retailer of the Year title, surpassing Walmart in the polls. Consumers prefer it for its familiarity, quality and purchase intention.

Harris Poll EquiTrend measures and compares the strength of more than 1,500 brands. The company tracked the responses from more than 38,500 consumers from Jan. 31, 2012 through Feb. 20, 2012 to see what brands are most familiar with the American public.

Rutter’s raised more than $100,000 in its Rutter’s Children’s Charity golf outing, played May 7-8 at the Out Door Country Club in York, Pa.

For the past 10 years, Rutter’s golf outing raised more than $800,000 for organizations whose work is similar to the mission of Rutter’s Children’s Charities, which aims to improve the lives of children.

“We look forward to this outing every year, and it’s great to see the impact these donations have made on our communities over the last ten years,” said Rutter’s CEO Scott Hartman.

The two main beneficiaries of this year’s donations will be the Easter Seals of Central Pennsylvania and the Salvation Army. The Easter Seals want to use Rutter’s donation to purchase specialty equipment to transport disabled children, and the Salvation Army wants to remodel its York-area Children’s Learning Center.

Rutter’s Farm Stores currently operates 57 convenience stores throughout Central Pennsylvania.

The Kroger Co. has been named the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Black Pearl Award for advancing food safety and quality.

The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) names one company annually for its efforts to advance food safety and quality through consumer programs, employee relations, educational activities, adherence to standards, and support of the goals and objectives of the IAFP.

“Food safety is Kroger’s top priority. We want to ensure our customers can count on wholesome, fresh, and safe food from farm to table. We are proud to receive this important recognition from the International Association of Food Protection,” said David Dillon, Kroger’s chairman and CEO. “Kroger’s focus on food safety is a natural extension of our customer first strategy, which engages all of our employees—in every store, plant, distribution center and office—around one common purpose, to serve the customer first in every decision we make. While every Kroger associate plays an essential role in food safety and shares in this award, I’d like to thank our team of food safety experts for their leadership in the areas of risk prevention, continuous improvement, and safety innovation.”

“Kroger is truly honored to receive the Black Pearl Award.  Every day, 339,000 associates work to ensure the safety of the food products manufactured in our plants and sold in our stores.  This award is a reflection of their commitment and efforts,” said Payton Pruett, vice president, corporate food technology and regulatory compliance. “We appreciate what IAFP does to raise food safety awareness in our industry through collaboration, education, and recognition.”

Kroger develops and maintains programs to ensure food safety and quality, including:

Food Safety Review Audits. Kroger conducts a bi-monthly food safety review audit of each store. These audits are conducted by third-party firms and augment inspections conducted by local health departments and Company associates. In 2010, Kroger conducted 14,753 food safety reviews and followed up on results to resolve any issues that were identified.

Customer Education. Kroger works to equip customers with information to ensure safe food handling. It provides education around proper grilling and cooking temperatures, safe food handling tips and general information about food safety at home.

Recall Notification System. Kroger was one of the first retailers to implement a customer notification system for certain types of recalls. Using its customer loyalty database, it can notify customers through register receipt messages and automated phone calls about recalls of products they may have purchased. Kroger was also one of the first retailers to endorse the Rapid Recall Exchange, the food industry’s only online recall notification system—and was the first national retail chain to encourage its suppliers to subscribe to this industry-leading program.

GFSI Audits. Kroger manufactures almost half of the company’s corporate brand items in its 39 food-processing plants and stocks about 11,000 of corporate brand items per supermarket. In 2010, every Kroger manufacturing plant received full Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certifications. These standards are best-in-class and require constant improvement in food safety as measured by certified third-party auditing companies. All of Kroger’s private-label suppliers are required to have GFSI certification as well.

More information about Kroger’s food safety initiatives can be found in its 2011 Sustainability Report, available for download at http://sustainability.kroger.com/.

The Black Pearl Award will be presented at IAFP’s Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island in July.

Kroger operates 2,435 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The company also operates 791 convenience stores, 348 fine jewelry stores, 1,090 supermarket fuel centers and 39 food processing plants in the U.S.