Cumberland Farms Launches Pediatric Care Campaign

New corporate giving initiative allows convenience store retailer to raise funds for hospitals helping to heal children.

Cumberland Farms launched a Pediatric Care Campaign today, where the convenience store retailer will work with communities to raise much needed funds for hospitals that provide medical care to children.

During this initiative, Cumberland Farms will donate five cents per cup from its coffee and Chill Zone beverage sales to benefit pediatric care programs at five hospitals across New England and upstate New York.

The program will kick off on February 2 with a four-week long fundraiser at Cumberland Farms stores in New Hampshire and Vermont to benefit Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock, best known as CHaD, a family-centered children's hospital. CHaD provides the highest level of care to all children of their region, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

The Cumberland Farms Pediatric Care Campaign continues in March, when it moves to stores in Maine to raise funds that benefit the programs at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland. The campaign resumes in May, when the retailer will raise funds at its stores in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston. In June, Cumberland Farms will have stores across Southwestern Massachusetts and Connecticut raise monies for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The campaign concludes in July as stores across upstate New York and Western Massachusetts contribute to the Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center. Over the course of the fundraiser, stores will announce the total amount of money raised on a weekly basis. All New England stores will be participating, and a listing of specific stores can be found at cumberlandfarms.com/FindaStore.

“All of us at Cumberland Farms recognize that young people are a precious gift and our future. We have an opportunity to reach thousands of young people in the communities we serve. We hope that our contribution, along with the help of our customers, will make a difference in their lives,” Cumberland Farms Retail President Ari Haseotes said.

Since formalizing its corporate giving program five years ago, Cumberland Farms has donated millions of dollars in cash and products to causes that benefit thousands of young people, through scholarship, direct-to-school programs, hunger relief, and local fundraising.

Cumberland Farms Adds Second Drive-Thru Store

Customers at the Cumberland Farms convenience store here can get your usual c-store staples -- coffee, cigarettes, milk. However, they can do it from their car.

The recently opened Cumberland Farms at 263 Grafton St. is the second of the company's nearly 600 locations to feature a drive-thru window, according to the Telegram.com. The first store with a drive-thru opened its doors (and window) in Kingston this past winter.

"We're not just in the convenience store business, we're in the business of providing for the on-the-go customer," Ari Haseotes, president of the Framingham, Mass.-based company said at the time. "The drive-thru was really just raising the bar yet another level."

Cumberland Farms bought the Grafton Street location last year, razing the existing building to make way for a new 4,547-square-foot c-store, company spokesperson Christen Graham. The new location, which held its grand opening on Nov. 10, represents the company's new store design.

Cumberland Farms' multimillion-dollar renovation project to modernize its nearly 600 stores was recently celebrated in Worcester with the grand opening of the Grafton Street store.

Cumberland Farm is currently undertaking a multimillion-dollar renovation project to modernize its stores. Another Cumberland Farms store is under construction on West Main Street in Dudley. The existing 1,780-square-foot store and other structures on the lot were recently razed. The plan, approved by the town in 2006, calls for a 2,400-square-foot building with a contemporary facade of vinyl siding and cultured stone. Although the Dudley location will not include a drive-thru window, it will offer the other amenities in the company's new store design, according to the news report.

The Dudley store is expected to open in January.

Cumberland Farms is trying to find success where few other convenience store operators have found any. Of the more than 146,000 c-stores across the country, only a few have drive-thru service.

Several years ago, 7-Eleven unsuccessfully tried drive-thru windows in the Dallas area, NACS spokesman Jeff Lenard told the Telegram.com. "The drive-thru is something you're seeing more of, but it is fairly novel," he said. "They (Cumberland) are not the first, but it's still newsworthy."

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MoneyGram International Signs Agreement with Cumberland Farms

MoneyGram International today announced that the company has signed an agreement with Massachusetts-based Cumberland Farms to launch the first locations of the MoneyGram® Xpress service. This new in-lane money transfer service allows consumers to purchase pre-packaged money transfers in $50, $100 and $200 denominations and redeem them online or by telephone to complete the transaction. Cumberland Farms has almost 600 convenience stores in 11 states throughout New England, the Northeast and Florida.

“Cumberland Farms’ focus on convenience and giving great customer service mirrors the values of MoneyGram,” said Stu Kiefer, MoneyGram vice president of product management. “The company’s 50-year history of providing its customers with quality products and services and its network of stores makes Cumberland Farms a perfect venue for our MoneyGram® Xpress service.”

According to Bob Skiba, InComm executive vice president, the new MoneyGram Xpress prepaid money transfers allow consumers to pay for the transfer amount and fees at the same time as they make other retail purchases, and then actually make the transfer when convenient for them – online or by phone. Consumers using the service can send money to any MoneyGram agent location around the world. “MoneyGram Xpress broadens ways to access money transfer services, and – for many consumers – assists with time and money management,” Skiba said.

According to Kiefer, the InComm partnership gives MoneyGram the opportunity to take this product to 19 countries and 250,000 unique retailer doors.

Cumberland Farms Category Manager Mike Esposito added, “As the newest agent for MoneyGram, we look forward to marketing this safe, efficient, and cost-effective money transfer service to our loyal base of customers. We fully expect this innovative MoneyGram Xpress service to appeal to our customers throughout the regions where we operate.”

Cumberland Farms Opens Application Period for Its Believe and Achieve Scholarship

Cumberland Farms today opened the application period for its sixth annual Believe and Achieve Scholarship program.

High school seniors living within 30 miles of a Cumberland Farms location and planning to attend college next fall are eligible to receive a scholarship of $1,000. The application period closes December 15.

"It is important that we support educational opportunities for young people "said President of Cumberland Farms Retail Division Ari Haseotes. "The Believe and Achieve scholarship is our investment to the next generation of community leaders.

Since its inception, Cumberland Farms has awarded more than $500,000 to talented and ambitious high school graduates across its service area. With the help of the scholarship, students offset a variety of expenses, including tuition, books, and room and board. Interested students can learn more about the scholarship rules and apply directly at https://cumberlandfarms.scholarshipamerica.org/index.html .

Cumberland Farms, Maverik and Wilson Fuel Among PDI Award Winners

Cumberland Farms, Maverik and Wilson Fuel were among the first-place winners of the inaugural Doing Business Electronically awards handed out by PDI at the Grand Hyatt hotel here yesterday.

Cumberland Farms was awarded for forms usage, Maverik for SSRS report creation and Wilson Fuel for integration and environmental stewardship during the award ceremonies. They were among 16 companies PDI honored for using its PDI/Enterprise product "for creative practices that saved their businesses time and money, improved decision making and reduced paper processes."

"The goal of PDI/Enterprise is to help companies reduce their workload and increase productivity by doing business doing business electronically," said Austin Skaggs, community manager for PDI. "It's been amazing to see some of the ways our customers have accomplished this, and these awards are a testament to their efforts. Form automated imports to integration with third-party products, PDI customers are using the tools available through PDI/Enterprise to think outside the box and streamline their business procedures in really impressive ways. The end result is that companies are working more efficiently by having PDI/Enterprise take on more and more of the day-to-day activities."

First, second and third place companies for each award category received an Apple iPad and a commemorative plaque. "We are extremely pleased to be honored by PDI, a company with an unwavering commitment to helping its customers succeed," said Catherine Baker of Wilson Fuel. "Our organization always looks for opportunities to provide consistently superior solutions for our customers and suppliers, while emphasizing the importance of environmental awareness.

PDI is a software, hardware and professional services provider to convenience retailers and wholesale petroleum marketers.

Cumberland Farms store to donate thousands to local fire department

The new Cumberland Farms convenience store on Route 4 in North Greenbush will present a check for more than $3,700 to the DeFreestville Fire Department tomorrow after a fundraiser pulled in more cash than expected.

Representatives of the convenience store said the month-long grand opening promotion of donating 20 cents to the department for every Chill Zone beverage and iced or hot coffee sold was anticipated to bring in around $1,000. Instead, the store more than tripled that figure, and will give $3,725.40 to firefighters during a ceremony tomorrow morning.

Cumberland Farms manager Ross McGowan will present the check to Fire Chief Raymond Stewart, department president Robert Durivage and vice president Bill Stewart.

"This fundraiser is our way of acknowledging those who risk their lives to save others in the community," said Ari Haseotes, president of Cumberland Farms Retail Division. "It’s our pleasure to help the DeFreestville Fire Department fund the equipment they need to keep our community safe."

The Cumberland Farms chain has donated more than $100,000 this year to support local organizations in the northeast

Forty-one Connecticut High Schoolers Win Believe and Achieve Scholarships From Cumberland Farms

Forty-one talented high school seniors from across Connecticut have been awarded a Cumberland Farms Believe and Achieve Scholarship this year.




The 2011 Award winners are:

-Caitlin Brostek of Sharon will attend Chapman University
-Marie Dipinto of Burlington will attend St. Joseph College
-Rayne Mcglamery of Hartford will attend Vassar College
-Jake Odell of South Windsor will attend Williams College
-Valerie Stickles of Coventry will attend University of Hartford
-Jacqueline Lorange of Plainfield will attend Boston College
-Stephanie Vogel of Thompson will attend University of Connecticut
-Alicia Goncalves of Ledyard will attend University of Connecticut
-Carlos Lozada of Waterford will attend University of New Haven
-Patrick Campbell of Chester will attend Tufts University
-Joseph Jones of Meriden will attend Purdue University
-Rynne O'Connor of North Branford will attend Dickinson State University
-Patrick Lenehan of Cheshire will attend Harvard College
-Lucy Peng of Madison will attend Swarthmore College
-William Lederer of Fairfield will attend University of Southern California
-Lauren Taylor of Shelton will attend Saint Joseph College

"More than ever, today's high school graduates deserve to attend the college of their dreams without finances standing in the way," said Cumberland Farms President Ari Haseotes. "We are proud to help these college-bound students ease their costs through our Believe and Achieve scholarship."

Cumberland Farms is awarding a total of $130,000 in scholarships this year to students across its service area. In addition, the retailer sponsors scores of individual school fundraisers every year, supporting programs for kindergarten students through high school, as part of its corporate giving mission.

Cumberland Farms will again begin accepting Believe and Achieve Scholarship applications for the graduation class of 2012 in October. Eligible high school seniors are encouraged to visit www.cumberlandfarms.com, as well as any Cumberland Farms' store location for further information.

Cumberland Farms offers free iced tea this month

Cumberland Farms is giving away free servings of our new, freshly brewed iced tea for the next three Fridays this month - June 10, 17 and 24 - at all of our convenience stores. Every other day, the iced tea is only 99 cents, any size. For more information, visit CumberlandFarms.com.

Cumberland Farms Store Managers Earn NECSA Honors

Cumberland Farms' store managers have won the top prizes for operations, customer service and leadership from the New England Convenience Store Association (NECSA). Cumberland Farms' employees earned recognition in four out of the eight categories.

Manager of Cumberland Farms' Leicester, Mass., store, Linda Calver, won first place as 2010 NECSA Store Operator of the Year. Her colleague Dan Canova of the Deep River, Conn., store, won the NECSA Customer Service Award, Julie Gerundio of the West Warwick, R.I., store, won the NECSA Leadership Award and Roy Horsfield of the Halifax, Mass., store, won the NECSA Retail Operations Award.

"I take great pride in knowing our talented team of people have been recognized by their peers for their good work," said Ari Haseotes, president of Cumberland Farms Retail Division. "Our managers and their customer service associates are the face and future of Cumberland Farms, working hard to ensure that customers get in, out, and happily along with their day."

NECSA conducts a contest annually to determine which store managers, franchisees and independent owners are the best c-store operators in the Northeast. Every year, a panel of judges consisting of suppliers and retailers spends 600 hours, and they drive roughly 5,300 miles, to evaluate the 50 to 75 nominated operators and their stores.

Cumberland Farms' network of c-stores across 11 states reflects the values of three generations of providing customers with value, convenience and unparalleled service - whether you need a refreshing Chill Zone drink a cup of Farmhouse Blend Coffee or a quick satisfying meal. Family owned for over 70 years, Cumberland Farms also has a long heritage of giving back to the communities where it operates.

Cumberland Farms TV Commercial "Princess"

Cumberland Farms TV Commercial "Heaven"

Celtics, Cumberland Farms Announce Contest

Thirty lucky Boston Celtics fans will be chosen at random to compete in a three-point shot contest and one winner will walk off with $25,000.


The Take-a-Shot contest, a promotion with Cumberland Farms, will be held at the team’s home games starting Jan. 3 vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves and running through March 25.

Initially, 30 winners will be selected to compete in a three-point shooting contest on 10 different game nights. The 10 finalists from each contest will have the opportunity to attempt a half-court shot for the chance to win the $25,000.

Each contestant will receive a Celtics hat & T-shirt as well as a Cumberland Farms gift card.

Sign up online at http://www.cumberlandfarms.com/ or http://www.celtics.com/, or by mailing in a 3x5 card in a stamped envelope with their first and last name, address, and daytime phone number to:

Boston Celtics
Attn: Cumberland Farms Take-a-Shot Promotion
Corporate Partnership Services
226 Causeway St., 4th floor
Boston, MA 02114.

All entries must be received between Wednesday, Dec. 15 and Friday, March 18

Cumberland Farms Sponsors Massachusetts Food Drive with 4-H

Throughout the month of November, Cumberland Farms is helping Massachusetts 4-H to collect food for the hungry as part of a statewide food drive.

The USDA reports more than a half million people in Massachusetts are struggling to put food on the table this year. Cumberland Farms encourages the public to help ease this crisis in any way they can, and to contribute non-perishable food at any Cumberland Farms store in the Bay State. The 4-H volunteers hope to collect 12,000 pounds of food for food pantries in their local communities across Massachusetts.
"We are proud to sponsor the young people of 4-H who are working hard to assist those families in need," said Ari Haseotes, President of Cumberland Farms Retail Division.
Throughout November, 4-H members will retrieve donations from each Cumberland Farms store, and deliver it to local food banks. This is the third consecutive year the convenience store has supported the 4-H Massachusetts Food Drive as part of the company's Corporate Giving Program.

Cumberland Farms Celebrates New Store Openings

To mark the grand opening of its newest remodeled convenience store in Brookfield, Mass., Cumberland Farms is kicking off a month-long fundraiser Wednesday that will benefit the students of Brookfield Elementary School. For the next month, Cumberland Farms will donate 20 cents from every Chill Zone beverage and cup of coffee sold at its 225 Main St. store in Brookfield to the school's current fifth grade class. All proceeds will support a class trip to Camp Bournedale, which the students will take in sixth grade. Cumberland Farms said it hopes to raise at least $1,000 for the class trip.
"With so many tight budgets these days, the costs of school trips can seem overwhelming to families," Principal Kathleen Hosterman said in a statement. "This donation will help lessen those burdens, and encourage our students to keep learning. We're grateful to Cumberland Farms for this generous donation, and thank them for their support."
Ari Haseotes, president of Cumberland Farms Retail Division, stated: "This fundraiser is our way of thanking the Brookfield families who patronize our stores. It's our pleasure to give something back to them, and help these kids take new adventures and broaden their minds."
In addition, Cumberland Farms recently celebrated the grand opening of its newly remodeled store in Southampton, Mass., by kicking off another month-long fundraiser -- this one benefiting the students of William E. Norris School. The fundraiser began Oct. 25.
From now through Nov. 25, the convenience store chain will donate 20 cents from every Chill Zone beverage and cup of coffee sold at the store, located at 130 College Highway and Route 10 in Southampton, to William E. Norris School. All of the proceeds will go toward purchasing new gym equipment for the students, including a new rock wall.
So far this year, Cumberland Farms has donated more than $10,000 to support local schools.
Family owned for over 70 years, the chain operates a network of c-stores across 11 states.

Cumberland Farms offers Believe and Achieve Scholarship

Cumberland Farms is taking applications for its Believe and Achieve Scholarship program, which provides individual $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors bound for college.


The program is open to students who live within 30 miles of any Cumberland Farms store, as well as children of Cumberland Farms employees. While the initiative takes academic performance into account, the award also considers the student’s financial need.

Applications can be submitted online through Cumberland Farms and will be open until Dec. 15.  For details, visit CumberlandFarms.com/DoingGood.

CSI Fleet Fuel Card Adds Cumberland Farms to CSI Fuel Discount Program

CSI Fleet Fuel Card, a leader in cost savings features for fleet businesses, announces the addition of Cumberland Farms convenience stores to its consortium of vendors participating in CSI’s fuel discount program. The CSI fuel discount program offers immediate at-the-pump discounts up to $0.05 per gallon at more than 30,000 locations. Cumberland Farms now offers a $0.03 per gallon discount at its 58 convenience store locations in Florida including those in West Palm Beach, Vero Beach, Hollywood and Orlando.

Cumberland Farms is currently enjoying a number of exciting changes, including new store designs as well as the introduction of premier fresh products and services, such as the new Farmhouse Blend coffee, all in an effort to become the first choice destination for every on-the-go consumer and fleet driver.

“We are always looking for new opportunities to help our customers save,” explains Keith Stone, CSI President/CEO. “Both Cumberland Farms and CSI strive to provide the very best for their customers, and I think the inclusion of Cumberland Farms in the CSI fuel discount program is a perfect example of each company offering a real and valuable benefit.”

The CSI fuel discount program is part of the comprehensive savings plan developed for CSI Fleet Fuel Card users. “Clients that take advantage of the variety of opportunities we offer, can consistently save up to 15% on their fuel expenses,” said Stone.

Savings begin with immediate discounts at the pump. Fleet managers also have access to the CSI Smart Buy Fuel Locator which not only lists the location of every participating discount merchant but also reports the current fuel prices at all stations, allowing managers to easily identify the lowest-priced merchants. In addition, CSI Fleet Fuel Cards may be individually set with a variety of controls such as purchase limits on the amount and types of purchases as well as requiring PIN and mileage prompts at the pump. Fleet managers can also monitor purchases and adjust limits online in real-time.

To apply for and learn more about the CSI Fleet Fuel Card, visit www.csifleetfuelcard.com.

Get connected.

How many times have you been told that it's not what you know, but who you know?  Thanks to the emergence of professional networking sites like LinkedIn.com, job seekers no longer have to rely on the old standby of exchanging business cards with strangers. 

LinkedIn is composed of millions of industry professionals and allows you to connect with people you know and the people they know to build your network.

The more connections you have, the more opportunities you have. However, I would caution you to connect with people you know and trust or have a business relationship with, no need to go crazy and connect with everyone.  You should also take a few minutes to search LinkedIn and I'm sure you'll find lots of contacts from your current and prior employers, clients, vendors, and schools. All those contacts have the potential to help you grow your career or find a new job.

Ready to start your LinkedIn network? Start with me and I will share Cumberland Farms and Gulf Oil job opportunities with you as they become available !

Cumberland Gulf expands brand portfolio with addition of 75 Mobil stations

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- With the purchase yesterday—as reported in a Morgan Keegan/CSP Daily News Flash yesterday—of ExxonMobil's real and contractual interests in 75 properties and a petroleum distribution fleet located in Suffolk and Nassau Counties, N.Y., the Cumberland Gulf Group of Companies has added the Mobil brand to its portfolio that includes Cumberland Farms, Gulf and Exxon.

The 75 Long Island stations will remain branded as Mobil, and will be a combination of company-operated and dealer-operated locations.
"We are proud to welcome Mobil, one of the premier brands in the Northeast, as a part of our business portfolio," said Joseph Petrowski, CEO of Cumberland Gulf Group of Companies. "Adding these high-quality sites fits with our company's long-term strategy of providing multiple quality brands to the motoring public."
All Mobil employees at the company-operated locations and in the petroleum distribution fleet are expected to be offered employment with Cumberland Farms, the company said.

You can read the rest of the article from CSP here

Are you looking for a great retail job?  Check out the latest retail openings here

Jobs in MA: Retail Managers-in-Training

Cumberland Farms Store Managers love retail, merchandising, and most importantly customer service. The Store Managers realize that Cumberland Farms is a vital and exciting Company with endless opportunity for growth.

Cumberland Farms offers Great Retail Careers for individuals who are as enthusiastic about running great convenience stores as we are.

There are new opportunities to join a Manager-in-Training program in Massachusetts.  Click here to learn more about these new careers and apply!

Presenting a Whole New Way to Pay

The Cumberland Farms Cash Card

How easy is this? Now you can get whatever you need at Cumberland Farms with just a simple swipe of our brand new Cash Card. You can use it inside the store or out at the pumps. The card can be purchased or reloaded in increments from as little as $5 to as much as $250. It's a wonderful gift, a fantastic idea for businesses both large and small, and a great way to get things done without relying on a credit card.