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History Channel's Modern Marvels spotlights the c-store

January 12, 2012

Convenience stores might not top the average person's list of marvelous technological achievements, but as The History Channel's "Modern Marvels" makes clear in a recent episode on the convenience store phenomenon, there is much more to America's go-to pit stops than coffee, soda, snacks and hot dogs.

The profit centers are designed for maximum speed and efficiency, said Joseph R. Bona, president of the Retail Division for global branding firm CBX, in on-camera interviews for the hour-long program, which you can watch online here.

"The successful development of any store starts with the layout," said Bona, who has designed convenience stores for more than 30 years, often relying on a zoning system that maximizes impulse buying while also making the shopping experience as quick and easy as possible. Such innovations, the program notes, have been responsible for the c-store industry's impressive track record in recent years. Today, there are more than 144,000 c-stores across the country, with the sector accounting for about one out of every 23 dollars spent in the United States in a given day.

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