Sampson-Bladen Oil Co.

The policy of treating customers like neighbors gives the company and its Han-Dee Hugo's a competitive advantage.

Sampson-Bladen Oil Co. Inc. operates 77 of its Han-Dee Hugo convenience stores throughout North Carolina. The company's main market is the Research Triangle: Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C. Sampson-Bladen Oil Co. also delivers fuel to more than 50 dealers but is strictly a supplier and doesn't make any in-store purchasing decisions for the dealers. Han-Dee Hugo stores at one time were co-owned with partner United Energy. United Energy no longer exists, and the stores are solely owned and operated by Sampson-Bladen, a longtime family-owned and -operated company. The company's logo features a distinctive freckled-face boy with a red and blue oval background. A store in Duck, North Carolina, has a gourmet seafood restaurant adjoining. Sampson-Bladen is evaluating a loyalty program, but has not made a decision, and social media is not a priority.

Source: Convenience Digital Resource Library, Technomic