LAS VEGAS -- Convenience store retailing can seem like a fairly pedestrian business, but the retailers highlighted in this year's Ideas 2 Go at the 2014 NACS Show in Las Vegas all demonstrate the incredible amount of creativity inherent in the industry.
Some of the retailers have paired up their traditional convenience store with complementary businesses--sometimes surprisingly so--that truly differentiate their site. For example, LA Food Store & Deli has built a large wine business within its c-store, selling more than $3 million worth of wine per year. The store also features a bakery, and will soon be expanded and remodeled so that that outside of the site matches the impressive offer inside.
At Sampson-Bladen Oil's Co.'s Han-Dee Hugo's convenience store in Duck, N.C., a gourmet seafood restaurant had found a good spot to set up shop. Cravings Steaks & Seafood offers everything from lobster rolls to seafood pots in its bustling restaurant beside the store, enjoying twice the volume it would see in a traditional dining room setting, according to its owners.
And WagsPark Shell in Newtown, Ohio, has married its convenience store with a dog park and spa. Besides plenty of room to run around and a pond, the dog park features an outdoor bar where owners can drink a beer from the store's tap while watching Fido play.
Meanwhile, Brew-Thru, a five-store operation based in Outer Banks, N.C., has broken the mold entirely with its drive-through convenience store that specializes in t-shirts and beer. Customers drive in and are served by a "car-tender," who brings them not only c-store items such as Brew-Thru's private-label bottled water, but also souvenir shirts. In fact, 40% of the retailer's sales come from shirts, with the other 40% from beer.
Other players show that convenience stores can be more than a place to fill up. RaceTrac's new RT6K format features vibrant colors, full coffee offer and large frozen-yogurt bar that features 10 flavors and 40 toppings. To bolster community ties, RaceTrac has a week-long Coffee for a Cause promotion twice each year that donates all coffee sales to a charitable program.
And to show its appreciation of employees, the retailer runs the famous Sledge Hammer Challenge, where staff at the convenience store with the greatest growth in sales get to take the day off while company execs man the store. It is steps like these that have helped stretch average store manager tenure from only 36 days--a low from 20 years ago--to more than five years today.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.