AACSA Vows to Unite Indian-American C-store Owners

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Asian American Convenience Store Association (AACSA) is preparing to present a united front to strengthen their collective bargaining capacity and purchasing power with large manufacturers and suppliers.

According to India West, the association addressed pooling their power at its convention in Tampa, Fla. last month. The day-long event brought together a record number of participation from convenience store and gas station owners as well as a record number of 65 vendors.

"We feel that all these store owners, mostly independents, are not getting the best price for buying their products from the manufacturers. Unity will enhance their bargaining capacity and purchasing power," said AACSA President Satya Shaw at the conclusion of the convention.

AASCA, which is headquartered in Tampa, was formed seven years ago and counts about 10,000 convenience store and gas station owners among its nationwide membership. According to unofficial estimates of the 146,000 convenience stores and gas stations in the United States, some 50 percent of them are now being run by Indian Americans, the news outlet reported.

"This is an effort to bring them under one platform. Uniting of all the independent store owners and with their combined purchasing power would reduce the cost of their products and thus enhance our profits in these tough economic times," Shaw said.

A major theme during this year's convention was how to deal with ongoing economic woes. "Due to the current economic crisis, this year we have added some useful topics in the education seminar that will be beneficial to all store owners. Our strength and unity is the solution to ensure the growth and profitability of our trade," said AACSA Chairman Chandrakant Patel.