OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- This edition of New Convenience-Store Roundup features new convenience-store openings, sales, acquisitions and store closings with listings for the month of October 2015.
The unscientifically gathered roundup is by no means complete, but serves as a monthly competitive snapshot of newly opened or closed U.S. convenience stores, gas stations, truckstops and travel centers not previously reported in CSP Daily News.
Many of the stores are owned by independent operators, while others belong to major chains, some part of CSP's Convenience Top 101. Some of them may be your new competitors.
The list has been arranged by state. Click through each item for more details on each store.
Your store not listed? Please send your new-store announcements to Greg Lindenberg at glindenberg@winsightmedia.com.
Alabama
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc. opened a new location in Prichard, Ala., on Oct. 22. The new store offers gourmet coffee, fresh fruit, gift items, name-brand electronics and Subway and Chester’s restaurants. The 24/7 travel stop features seven showers, 73 parking spaces, RFID cardless fueling, CAT scales and a Love’s Truck Tire Care center.
California
A new Circle K convenience store opened in La Mirada, Calif., on Oct. 27. It offers propane, diesel and lottery; the site is also co-branded with Shell fuel. Circle K opened a new c-store in Chowchilla, Calif., on Oct. 30. It offers beer, wine, and lottery.
Connecticut
The new Gulf Gas Station Ridgefield in Ridgefield, Conn., opened on Oct. 17.
Florida
A new Circle K convenience store opened in Ocala, Fla., on Oct. 1. It offers propane, diesel and lottery; the site is also co-branded with Shell fuel. It opened a new c-store in Valrico, Fla., on Oct. 5; the site is also co-branded with Mobil fuel.
Estates Country Stores (also known as E’s) closed its two Golden Gate Estates locations in Naples, Fla., on Oct. 18.
Eli Hage franchised his first 7-Eleven convenience store, which opened in North Lauderdale, Fla., on Oct. 28.
Hawaii
A new 7-Eleven convenience store opened in Haleiwa, Hawaii, on Oct. 21.
Illinois
In early October, Circle K purchased two gas stations in Madison and Belleville, Ill., from Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip.
Waterway Gas & Wash opened in Northbrook, Ill., On Oct. 26. This store is planned as the training center for “a handful” of Chicago-area stores to come, the company said, with possible sites in Lake Forest and Evanston.
Iowa
Kwik Trip opened a 7,500-square-foot Kwik Star convenience store and truck center in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Oct. 8.
A Big 10 Mart convenience store and car wash opened on Oct. 22 in Dubuque, Iowa.
Kum & Go LC opened a new 5,000-square-foot convenience store in Coralville, Iowa, on Oct. 27. The new store offers freshly made-to-order pizzas, baked goods and breakfast and deli sandwiches prepared daily in Kum & Go’s onsite kitchen. Outside, fuel options include diesel, E85 and E15.
Kansas
QuikTrip Corp. opened one of its "Gen-3" stores on Oct. 15 in Park City, Kansas, expanding one of the company's busiest stores.
Maryland
Douglas Development recently bought the Exxon gas station in Bethesda, Md., for $5.8 million.
Massachusetts
Minnesota
SuperAmerica opened a convenience store in Lakeville, Minn., on Oct. 26.
New Jersey
QuickChek Corp. opened new stores in Fairfield, N.J., on Oct. 13, and in the Morganville section of Marlboro Township on Oct. 27. The new stores will be open 24 hours a day and feature the company’s fresh food and beverage program in which consumers use touch-screen technology to create custom-made oven-toasted subs, sandwiches, wraps and salads served up by friendly employees. Q Cafés offer nearly 40 varieties of handcrafted hot and iced cold coffees, iced caramel macchiato, fresh brewed cappuccinos, lattes and espressos, blended-to-order real fruit smoothies and frozen treats. They also offer no-fee ATMs.
New York
On Oct. 2, Stewart’s Shops opened a new convenience store in Clifton Park, N.Y., replacing one nearby. It has added fuel, including diesel and ethanol-free premium gasoline. The new shop also features freshly made pizza and subs.
On Oct. 5, NOCO Energy Corp. held the grand re-opening of a NOCO Express and grand opening of a Tim Hortons in Lackawanna, N.Y., completing a two-month interior and exterior remodel. The store now features a variety of meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tim Hortons offers a selection of coffees, specialty beverages, sandwiches and baked goods both in-store and at the new drive-thru. The store also offers freshly prepared and pre-packaged sandwiches, salads, wraps and snack packs from Nickel City Foods. Through the newly constructed vestibule, there is a brighter and more open layout, including new cooler space for fresh foods, dairy and juice products, frozen foods and craft beers. NOCO also added a completely new pump location, fuel pumps and canopy. Customers have the option to select from new fuels including diesel, E85 and 91-octane conventional nonethanol fuel.
North Carolina
A 24-hour Kangaroo Express convenience store in Mount Holly, N.C., reopened Oct. 23 as the Mount Holly Pantry under new owner Nick Patel. New hours will be from 5 a.m. until midnight.
North Dakota
Kum & Go opened a new 5,000-square feet convenience store in Williston, N.D., on Oct. 16. The new store offers freshly made-to-order pizzas, baked goods and breakfast and deli sandwiches prepared daily in Kum & Go’s onsite kitchen. Outside, fuel options include diesel and E85.
Ohio
Thorntons Inc. opened a new convenience store in Hamilton, Ohio, on Oct. 8 and held the grand opening of a new convenience store in Cincinnati on Oct. 19.
Pennsylvania
A Turkey Hill gas station and convenience store opened on Oct. 12 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Rhode Island
Cumberland Farms held a grand opening for a new convenience store in Warwick, R.I., on Oct. 5. It held the grand opening on Oct. 17 for a new convenience store in Woonsocket, R.I.
Tennessee
B Investment & Development Inc. sold a Covington Pike gas station in Memphis for $1.3 million. Texas-based Noorallah and Yasoo Dharani bought the convenience store, built in 2014, according to the Shelby County Assessor of Property. It is 4,446 square feet and appraised at $481,300.
Texas
Love's opened a new location in Hungerford, Texas, On Oct. 1. The new store offers gourmet coffee, fresh fruit, gift items, name-brand electronics and McDonald’s and Chester’s restaurants. The 24/7 travel stop features seven showers, 83 parking spaces, RFID cardless fueling, CAT scales and a Love’s Truck Tire Care center. And Love's opened a new location in Italy, Texas, on Oct. 29. The new store offers gourmet coffee, fresh fruit, gift items, name-brand electronics, a Carl’s Jr. restaurant and more. The 24/7 travel stop features seven showers, 97 parking spaces, RFID cardless fueling, CAT scales and a Love’s Truck Tire Care center.
Stripes Convenience Stores opened new convenience stores in Texas in Plainview on Oct. 2, San Marcos on Oct. 12, Eagle Pass on Oct. 12, Laredo on Oct. 26 and Bryan on Oct. 26.
Pilot Flying J opened a Pilot Travel Center in Vega, Texas, on Oct. 21.
Virginia
A new Circle K convenience store opened in Berryville, Va., on Oct. 23. It offers propane, diesel and lottery; the site is also co-branded with Exxon fuel.
Miller Oil Co. held the grand opening of a Millers convenience store in Hampton, Va., on Oct. 30.
West Virginia
Quick Grabs, a new convenience store, opened in mid-October in Fairmont, W.Va.'s Bellview area.
Sheetz Inc. opened a new convenience store in in South Charleston, W.Va., on Oct. 22.
Wisconsin
Ed and Miranda Merchant are the new owners of the Taylor General Store & Cafe gas station, convenience store and café in Taylor, Wis., and have renamed it Merchant Mart & Cafe. It closed Oct. 12 and re-opened Oct. 14. A county senior citizens meal site operates within the café, which is open to the public for breakfast and lunch. “At some point, we’ll try dinner a couple nights a week,” Merchant said. “Maybe a Friday night fish fry or a pizza night.” They also plan to expand the grocery and ready-to-eat hot and cold foods selections at the c-store and add more fresh produce and will expand the selection of meats from Falls Meat Service in Pigeon Falls. It also sells fresh-baked goods from Myers Bakery in Arcadia, as well as some of its own baked items such as cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, turnovers, doughnuts and cookies.
Kwik Trip opened a new convenience store in Altoona, Wis., on Oct. 1. It also opened new convenience stores in Stevens Point and Plover, Wis., on Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, respectively--these stores are “large footprint,” which is between 5,000 and 6,000 square feet, and both sites will have two diesel and one E85 gasoline dispensers, with five registers in the store, while the Stevens Point location will have a car wash. And on Oct. 29, it opened a new 24-hour, 5,000-square-foot convenience store and gas station in Wausau, Wis., with 11 dispensers: eight with regular fuel, two with diesel and one with E-85.
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