OAK BROOK, Ill. -- "Open & Shut" is CSP Daily News' occasional roundup of some of the many new-store openings, reopenings, groundbreakings, raze and rebuilds, rebrandings, closures and sales taking place around the country by chains small, medium and large that have not otherwise been reported.
Especially on the independent operator level, this recurring feature provides a snapshot of the frequently changing retail marketplace that includes such outlets as convenience stores, gas stations, truckstops, travel centers and related locations.
California
The Valero signs and dispensers at three stations in Manteca came went down in early January and were replaced by Chevron signs, reported The Manteca Bulletin. The franchises for all three stations are owned by the family of Hari Kamboj; they also have a fourth location that is not rebranding because the station across the street is already a Chevron.
7-Eleven opened a new stores in Bellflower on December 28, Montclair and North Hollywood on January 15 and Sylmar on January 21,7ElevenSoCal said on Twitter.
Colorado
The former Mount Werner Sinclair c-store now is branded Loaf 'N Jug, part of The Kroger Co., said Steamboat Today. Dillon Real Estate Co., Pueblo, bought a pair of commercial buildings comprising 5,820 square feet from Sinclair Oil Corp. for $3.2 million in mid-December.
A Shell station and c-store will open up at the former site of the Loaf 'N Jug in Fort Morgan in February with free wireless service, said The Fort Morgan Times. Chris Savard, owner of the c-store, said food will be the focus of the store, which will revive the Chester Fried Chicken franchise.
Florida
A 20-year-old RaceTrac station closed in late December in North Fort Myers because it did not upgrade its storage tanks in time for a state-mandated deadline, reported The News-Press.
Sands Petroleum Development opened a Valero station with a Dunkin Donuts in North Fort Myers in late December, said The News-Press. The company has four other Valero-brand stations in the works for Lee County: North Fort Myers, San Carlos Park; Cape Coral and south Fort Myers.
A Shell gas station and 5,700-sq.-ft. c-store is expected to open by the end of February in Tampa, reported The South Shore News & Tribune. Owner George Bassil said the site will feature a Dunkin' Donuts and a carwash.
Georgia
Atlanta-basedRaceTrac Inc. opened a new location in Woodstock in mid-December, the company said on Twitter.
Idaho
Stinker Stations bought a Chevron location in its home town of Boise on January 14, the company said on Twitter. This site will be rebranded to a Sinclair Stinker.
Illinois
Owners Minhaz and Dilshad Lakhani opened a Shell station and c-store, in Evanston, in mid-January, reported The Evanston Review. It is a 17-position facility that will include Dunkin Donuts and Subway shops. It is their second station.
A new Express Drive-Thru c-store in Mattoon opened in late December, said The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier. The interior is designed to accommodate three vehicles at once. Manager Randy Jones said some of the most popular items purchased have included milk, eggs, diapers, and cough drops, as well as packaged breakfast pastries and lunch meat, bread, canned soup and tuna, dry pasta, cottage cheese, butter, bags of ice, trash bags and windshield washer fluid.
Indiana
The Shortstop gas station in Warsaw closed in early January, but is expected to reopen, reported The Times-Union, citing Tony Silveus, the Sunoco representative and supplier in the area. There is no timetable on when it may open back up for business. He said several people are interested in operating the station and he is meeting with them. He added that the building will undergo some changes, including improvements to electronic equipment. The store will undergo a facelift, he said. The canopy and gas pumps will have new graphics applied; the location will be will be NASCAR-themed.
Iowa
Kum & Go LC, West Des Moines, opened a new store in Riverside on January 15, the company said on Twitter.
A new Casey's General Store opened in late January in Emmetsburg, reported The Emmetsburg Reporter/Democrat.
A new 3,720-sq.-ft. Casey's General Store, is due to open in Huxley in February, Bill Walljasper, CFO for the Ankeny-based chain, told The Tribune. He said the old station and store were demolished last fall. New fuel tanks were placed in the ground, serving five gasoline pumps on the site. An existing Casey's store in Ames recently expanded from 2,457 to 3,470 square feet. Walljasper said the company bought a 21,455-sq.-ft. site next to the existing store and increased the number of gasoline pumps from four to six.
La Crosse, Wis.-basedKwik Trip Inc.opened a Kwik Star location in Charles City in early January, the company said on Twitter.
Two Road Ranger locations in Dubuque are now Gas N Go Food Marts, under local ownership, reported The Telegraph Herald.
Virgil Gingerich, owner of Virgil's Sinclair & Repair, closed his doors and moved his equipment to a new location, reopening only the repair shop on February 1, said The West Branch Times. "We're definitely a dying breed," Gingerich said of the full-service gas station. He sold his last gallon of gasoline on January 15.
Kansas
In early February, Dallas-based Evolution Fuels Inc. announced, as part of its strategic alliance, it has executed a second lease agreement with J&J Developments Inc. for a fuel station located in Topeka. The station has five multi-product blending dispensers that will each provide E20 (20% ethanol/80% gasoline), E30, and E85 blended products, as well as regular and premium gasoline. There is also a diesel dispenser that will offer a blended biodiesel product.
Kentucky
Mack Lanham, 71, shuttered Lanham's Service Station in Corbin on December 31, reported The Times Tribune. The closure marks the start of Lanham's retirement as well as the retirement of his sole employee, Robert Thomas, 70. Lanham owned and operated the all-full-service station for 44 years.
Louisiana
RaceTrac opened a new store in Hammond in early January, the Atlanta-based company said on Facebook
Massachusetts
The Sconticut Neck c-store that closed after a lengthy employee theft case will be reopening with a new owner, SouthCoastToday.com said in early January. David D. Donnelly said he is buying the assets of Paula P's c-store from former owner Paula Pires and is negotiating a lease with the building owner. The new store will be called Molly's Variety after his daughter. Donnelly will manage the 1,500-sq.-ft. store. Other than some interior painting, he does not intend to make many changes.
Michigan
The McCormick truckstop and gas station opened in White Lake opened on November 25, The White Lake Beacon said. The new location has a CAT Scale weigh station, shower facilities available and public restrooms. The site has a 4,558-sq.-ft. building and is offers 20 fueling stations with a variety of fuels including E85 and diesel fuels including biodiesel, and on- and off-road diesels. The station provides an ATM, a drink refill program and will carry beer, liquor and lottery tickets.
Minnesota
Kwik Trip Inc. opened a new employee-owned c-store and restaurant on January 21 in Nodine, on Interstate 90, on the same site as the Truckers Inn that closed last July, said The Houston County News. The location is Kwik Trip's 365th store. It is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified and features eight gasoline dispensers, two diesel dispensers for pickups and one for E85. The Hearty Platter Cafe has seating for 56 people and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Several specialties include omelets, broasted chicken and batter-fried fish. Showers also are available for truck drivers.
Two fathers and four sons, all owners of Bessler Brothers Electric, recently purchased the Woodland Convenience Store in Lake George, the The Park Rapids Enterprise said in mid-January.
Vergas 66 Gas & Convenience in Frazee has new owners as of the new year, said The Frazee Forum. Denny Iverson and his wife, Jo, have sold the store to their daughter, Kim, and her husband, Dan Doyle. Customers and employees probably will not notice much of a change, as Kim has worked alongside her father the past 14 years.
Missouri
The FastLane Convenience Store and Eighteen Wheeler truckstop and restaurant partially reopened in Taylor in late December, reported The Quincy Herald-Whig. Mary Banmiller, director of retail operations for Warrenton Oil Co., said the facility at the U.S. 61/Mo. 6 junction was a work in progress. The new diesel islands and relocated restaurant were expected to be open in late January. Tom Turner, owner of the Eighteen Wheeler since 1982, sold the property to Warrenton Oil about two years ago. He still operates the restaurant, which has a seating capacity of 42 in the old building. "The seating will go up to about 100 when we get in the new place," Turner said. Warrenton Oil owns 30 c-stores and two hotels.
Nebraska
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc., Oklahoma City, has opened a location in North Platte on I-80 at Exit 179 that includes aSubway and McDonald's.
Nevada
After about three months in business, A.J. Virk, co-owner with his brother, Deep, told The Reno Gazette-Journal in January that he has enjoyed the warmth of the customers and community in his new venture with the two local Corner Stores. Under the name SR Sons Inc., A.J. (Amarjeet) and Deep (Abheydeep) Virk leased the stores from Jackson Food Marts, which had recently purchased the Winner's Corner franchise from Terrible's. Deep has experience owning similar businesses in Reno while this is new for A.J., who is operating the Corner Stores with his wife Sippy. Virk said the improvement in the businesses is a work in progress. Jackson Oil is doing those as part of an image refresh, including repaving and new fuel dispensers with pay at the pump.
Salt Lake City-based Maverik Inc. opened a new store in Carson City in mid-December, in Dayton in late December and Fallon in mid-January, said The Nevada Appeal.
New Jersey
Morris Plains Convenience & Gas Stationopened for business January 1, it said on Facebook.
Portola Valley's only gas station has a new owner. Dieter Mees will run the station with his son Helmut. Mees bought the station and the shop on January 15 from longtime owner and onsite resident Ron Ramies. "The goal is not to change anything," Mees told The Almanac. Some changes are likely at the station. The new owners are looking for suggestions from customers as to what should be done with the two unused bays. The current idea is to use one for a hand car wash and the other for auto detailing.
North Carolina
Mountain Energy Corp., Asheville, has replaced its former store in Asheville with a new facility. It featuress Shell gasoline and a DQ Grill & Chill, which offers burgers, fries, hot dogs and the full line of DQ soft-serve treats.
Mid-Town Dixie Express & Fuel is replacing Hunt's Easy Mart in Ashboro. Lee Davidson, who owns Dixie Express and Dixie Fuels, is currently refurbishing the building with hopes of opening for business in the middle of February, said McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. The foodservice menu will be expanded with salads, specialty sandwiches and other new items available besides just hamburgers, hot dogs and milk shakes. Mid-Town will also be serving breakfast, including biscuits and other choices. There will be limited seating. It will continue to offer drive-thru service. The c-store is expected to offer more groceries than before, perhaps to include produce.
A Stop & Go station in Washington reopened in mid-January, said The The Washington Daily News. A fire destroyed much of the interior of the station in late October 2009. Two years ago, a fire was started at the same station that was investigated as arson, but fire official said there was no connection.
Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz Inc. is expected to open two and possibly three stores in Rocky Mount, said The Rocky Mount Telegram. Two of the three have cleared permitting hurdles. Opening dates have not been announced. Plans call for seven gasoline pumps and a car wash at each location.
Ohio
Broadstone Real Estate LLC, Rochester, N.Y., said on January 5 that Broadstone Net Lease Inc. recently acquired one ampm convenience store in Mayfield Heights.
After delays in 2008 and 2009, plans are firm to build the $6 million travel center at Conneaut's Route 7/I-90 interchange. "Construction could start in late March or early April," Oklahoma City-based Love Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc. spokesperson Christina Dukeman told The Star Beacon. The store is expected to open in the fall. The center will contain a c-store, pump islands for trucks and passenger vehicles, and two fast-food restaurants: McDonald's and a Subway.
Pennsylvania
Gurjit and Kanwaljit Mann, who bought a Uni-Marts store in 2005, in Susquehanna Township, filed for Ch. 7 bankruptcy on November 10, listing assets of $694,000 and liabilities of $2.5 million, said The Central Penn Business Journal. The Manns were evicted from the store Feb. 26, 2009, and have defaulted on the $1.2 million loan they used to buy it. State College-based Uni-Marts LLC filed for Ch. 11 protection in May 2008, owing more than $28 million to its top 30 creditors. The Manns overpaid for the business and the rent paid to Uni-Marts, attorney Bob May, who represented them when they challenged their eviction, told the paper. May said he has had about 10 clients who owned Uni-Marts, and only one has not closed or gone bankrupt.
A GetGo fuel and c-store in Pittsburg reopened in mid-December after being remodeled, reported KDKA-TV. The new facility is 5,600 sq. ft. and is part of the Baum-Center Corridor revitalization that links the East End with Oakland and downtown. It features 16 fuel pumps with four biodiesel pumps.
The closure of a Turkey Hill c-store in late January in Carlisle, Pa., was "a financial decision," Erin Dimitriou Smith, a spokesperson for Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. division Turkey Hill, told The Sentinel. The store is the only franchise slated to close. "We are still very committed to the market and community," she said, stressing that "employees will not lose their jobs, but will have the option to transfer to other locations." A woman who answered the phone at the store on Tuesday told the paper that a manager walked in and announced the closing to surprised employees at 6:00 a.m.
Tennessee
Greeneville Express Mart, a 20-pump service station with a convenience store, opened in Greeneville in early December, said The Greenville Sun. Brothers Jason and Richard Brandon and Chris Buckles, the Brandons' brother-in-law, own Crockett Enterprises Inc., which operates the Davy Crockett Travel Center in Baileyton. They plan to open a Dunkin Donuts on site.
Texas
After 40 years, Garry Graham's full-service gas station in Temple closed on December 23, reported The Temple Daily Telegram
Ashish Ventures purchased a Chevron station and c-store in League City in a sale/leaseback transaction, The Houston Chronicle reported in January. Corpus Christi-based Susser Holdings Corp. is the tenant.
Utah
Smith's Food & Drug Stores, a division of Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., has opened its first Express fuel station and convenience store in Sugar House. A second location in Salt Lake City is set to open this month. The locations were acquired from Sinclair Oil, reported The Salt Lake Tribune. Smith's Express will stock convenience items such as snacks, fountain beverages, tobacco products, ice, beer, auto needs and top-selling grocery and nonfood items. Through purchases customers receive reward points, accumulated fuel discounts and Earn & Learn credit for schools. Smith's Food & Drug operates 132 stores and 62 fuel centers in seven western states, including 47 stores and 35 fuel centers in Utah.
Virginia
The Innsbrook/Short Pump area will have its second Wawa store come late spring or summer, reported DowntownShortPump.com.
Wisconsin
Construction begun in mid-January on a 4,100-sq.-ft. Qmart Marketplace c-store in Sheboygan, said The Sheboygan Press. The store, expected to open May 1, will replace the store on the same property. The existing Qmart will stay open during construction, will be torn down after the new store opens. The new Qmart will be the second of the new-style Qmart stores. It will have more parking, a beer cave and will offer take-home foods such as Chester Fried Chicken. The company acquired the old store in 2007 from Ryan Oil Co. along with several other properties. "We have an 800-sq.-ft. store that basically cannot support the needs of the community," John Winter, vice president of planning and development for Quality State Oil, the parent company for the 20-store Qmart chain, told the paper. "You have to go a couple of miles at least to the closest grocery store. So it's really going to be a grocery store fill-in opportunity for the neighbors and save them some time and some money."
Express Convenience Stores, a division of U.S. Oil Inc., Combined Locks, opened a new drive-thru in Ballard in early January, the company said on Twitter.
Please send your store openings and related announcements to Greg Lindenberg at glindenberg@cspnet.com.
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