Speedway LLC, based in Enon, Ohio, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Findlay, Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corp., which was formed in July 2011 as an independent energy company. A big point of difference between Speedway and other major oil companies is that it has differentiated its retail business—Speedway—from its distribution brand, Marathon. Marathon brand gasoline is sold through more than 5,100 independently owned locations across 18 states.
Speedway acquired Hess Retail Holdings LLC in 2014 and its more than 1,200 Hess locations along the East Coast and WilcoHess sites in the Southeast. The deal closed Sept. 30, 2014, bringing the Speedway store count to more than 2,700 company-owned and -operated locations in 22 states. Nearly half of the former Hess stores had been rebranded by mid-summer 2015, including the majority of those in Florida.
Tony Kenney, Speedway president and CSP’s 2015 Retail Leader of the Year, says the acquisition makes Speedway the largest company-owned and -operated c-store chain in the country based upon revenue and the second largest by store count.
Culture is important at Speedway. Glenn Plumby, senior vice president operations, says having a confident presence from employee attitude to store selection helps customers know the chain is serious about convenience and value. It might surprise some to know that Speedway has "swagger classes" for employees, teaching them to be confident and know their job is to make customers happy.
Speedway differentiates its stores with highly competitive fuel prices, as well as an emphasis on fresh foods. While the target customer has been the industry-standard 18- to 45-year-old male, Speedway has made strides in reaching female customers through its electronic loyalty program, called Speedy Rewards, and its take-home meals and fresh, healthy foods.
Speedway stores typically feature fresh coffee during all hours of operation, as well as specialty drinks such as hot chocolate and cappuccino; a variety of fountain drinks; a deli case for prepared subs/sandwiches; and a roller grill for on-the-go hot foods, including hot dogs. Most stores also have a hot-foods merchandiser, where breakfast and lunch offerings are available during high-traffic day-parts.
The chain serves 3.7 million customers per day. Annually, in-store sales total $4.88 billion, and the chain pumps more than 6.04 billion gallons of fuel. The chain sells the highest volume of 20-ounce Mountain Dew beverages in the United States.
| Headquarters: | Enon, Ohio |
|---|---|
| No. of Stores: | 2770 |
| Average Store Size: | 2,500-4,000 sq. ft. |
| Rank: | 3 |
| Rank Last Year: | 3 |
| States of Operation: | Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Website: | http://www.speedway.com |
