Health and variety continue to drive trends in the convenience-store and foodservice space.

Craft sodas, tea and meat snacks are seeing increased success among customers seeking healthier fare. While tea has long been deemed a good-for-you beverage, craft soda’s natural ingredients are contributing to piqued interest. And manufacturers of meat snacks have seen category growth as they highlight the benefits of protein.

Three minutes: It’s the length of the average commercial break, and it’s a little more than the amount of time it takes you to brush your teeth. Unfortunately, it’s also the amount of time retailers and suppliers have to trigger sales inside the c-store.

I always thought I’d work in newspapers.

I got the degree in journalism. I had a bright-lights-big-city mentality. I was ready to take on the world.

So I moved to Chicago. Some of the media trade’s biggest and most important names came from this town. Mike Royko. Roger Ebert. Even Langston Hughes wrote a weekly column for the Chicago Defender for a period of years. The city has pedigree.

CHICAGO – It can seem like a no-brainer. They have built-in consumer loyalty right off the shelf. But convenience-store retailers are finding that line extensions are not always the hole-in-one they should be.