TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Most people in Tallahassee saw Suwanee Swifty as an old, dilapidated convenience store with no gas pumps. But Dean Dorminey, president of D&D Energy Group, saw potential and a chance to leverage the newest tool in his tool kit: the VP Racing Fuels brand. After a year of construction and a total remodel, the newly christened Victory Lane Food Mart has the pedal to the metal right out of the starting gate, showing a profit in its very first month, despite all the capital improvements, labor and other expense invested in its makeover.
Less than a month since it opened, the station moved 120,000 gallons and recorded $110,000 in inside sales, according to Dorminey. “When we computed revenue per square foot for this little 1,800-square-foot site, it blew up the computer,” he said.
Dorminey said there are three key factors behind the location’s early success, starting with the VP brand. “What VP brings is an attractive new image and a reputation that appeals to race fans and performance enthusiasts who are familiar with the exceptional quality of VP performance products,” he said. “In particular, carrying 5-gallon pails of VP’s off-road race fuels makes the site a destination for drag racers, motorcycle riders and racers of all types, many of whom drive from two to three hours away to find the fuel they need.
“Race fuel represents a new profit center for the station along with VP’s other branded products, such as VP apparel and VP’s 5-gallon plastic Sportsman’s Containers, which are selling really well,” Dorminey said. “Interestingly, the most popular VP container colors are ‘camo’ for all our outdoorsman customers and pink, which appeals to our female customers and promotes Breast Cancer Awareness.”
Working with the VP brand also allowed Dorminey to get aggressive with pricing, which also helped boost gas volumes. “With VP’s program, we’re able to shop daily for the best price among all suppliers,” he said. “Together with VP’s low credit-card rates, this saves considerable expense and increases our margins.”
Dorminey also said that all aspects of the store were critical to early success, including hot food offerings. “We’re serving up home-made breakfasts and the best steakburgers in town,” he said. “In today’s market, you can’t just get by with conventional food items.”
The third factor is one that’s often overlooked: customer service. “The service provided by our staff at Victory Lane is extraordinary, and the consumer response to it and all the other factors has been phenomenal,” said Dorminey. “You can see the impact just looking across the parking lot at the branded station next door. While we’ve been growing, it’s lost traffic and been relegated to overflow parking for customers who come to our place to eat!”
“I’ve been in this industry for many years and have to say VP Racing Fuels’ program is one of the most exciting models I’ve come across,” he said. “We’ve got three ground-up sites in Georgia we’ll be branding VP, and we’re talking to several jobbers who each serve multiple sites and want to convert to VP. With the benefits of VP’s program and the manner in which it puts control of the business back in the hands of the station owner, it’s a real game-changer.”
Click here for more information about VP Racing Fuels’ retail branding program.
This post is sponsored by VP Racing Fuels