Life has never been more on the go than it is now. We often hear our guests talk about their busy schedules and desperate need for quality convenience options—and we couldn’t agree more.
The United Family recognizes the need for convenience, quality and service in the c-store industry and is proud of the effective solution we have created through the United Express brand.
It didn’t start with United Express, though. The United Family (formerly United Supermarkets LLC) has a long, rich history of providing convenience options for our guests.
In 1997, we opened our first fuel station in Lubbock, Texas, which served as the foundation of all our convenience offerings. Over the years, we’ve built a strong, well-respected name in the retail fuel business; our network eventually expanded to a total of 19 fuel stations at select United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos locations.
Recently, The United Family has undertaken a multiyear effort to grow our convenience offerings at fuel locations through the expansion of those existing kiosks. With the addition of walk-in access to the kiosks, guests now have the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of convenience items, including freshly brewed coffee and iced tea, breakfast burritos, milk, bottled water, fountain drinks, candy, gum and an assortment of other grab-and-go snacks.
The United Family officially entered the business of stand-alone c-stores in December 2006 with the opening of our first A Taste of Market Street in Lubbock. This concept offers many of the same gourmet and specialty items our Market Street stores sell, with a more convenient experience, while operating on the same property alongside a full-size Market Street. There are three A Taste of Market Street locations, all of which will be converted to United Express in 2014 as part of our ongoing rebranding initiative.
Because our A Taste of Market Street concept was so successful, we knew we were on to something big in the world of convenience. From there, we decided to adjust our existing concept and enter the stand-alone c-store market under the name United Express. In May 2011, we opened our first United Express location in Lubbock.
Providing Solutions
Our goal with United Express was to take the offerings and products such as prepared foods, which have been most successful in our A Taste of Market Street stores, as well as on-the-go convenience items, and blend them so guests will see traditional offerings with a unique United Family flair.
We know some days our guests don’t have time to walk through a large grocery store for just a few items. We aim to satisfy all the needs of our guests. If they are busy, we want to make life a little easier for them. By creating convenience stores that offer many of the same things our full-service stores offer, we are providing our busiest guests a solution.
If a guest wants to come in and get a bag of chips and a soft drink, they can do that. But our guests don’t necessarily have to sacrifice their nutrition just because they don’t have time to take a trip to the grocery store. If they are looking for a nice tossed salad or some other quality meal solution, those are available as well. And we’re especially proud of those offerings, because they are items, made fresh daily, you don’t typically find in a convenience store.
Widespread Offerings
At the end of 2012, we revealed our new generation of United Express stores, which host a slew of new offerings designed to meet our guests’ needs and positively affect their shopping experience.
The new United Express locations feature drive-thru windows offering specialty coffee and tea service using our company’s own popular Arriba brand. A full line of made-to-order coffees and teas—including lattés, smoothies and frappes—is available both inside the stores and via drive-thrus. Whether it’s grabbing a hot latté in the morning, or a bag of ice and gallon of milk on the way home, our guests truly enjoy the effortlessness of the drive-thru experience.
In addition to traditional convenience items (fountain drinks, grab-and-go packaged food, propane tank refills, etc.), United Express stores offer a wide assortment of fresh to-go items, including breakfast burritos and hot sandwiches, along with fresh fruit, f’Real milkshakes and other frozen beverages.
United Express stores also include MPDs offering both unleaded gasoline and diesel.
More Than Another Option
Especially in small west Texas cities such as Borger and Dumas, c-stores have the ability to make a huge difference. The residents of these cities need the items United Express offers.
While attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new United Express store this past summer, I had numerous community members approach me and thank me for contributing such value to their city. I knew what United Express offered, but I didn’t entirely realize its significance until community members offered their gratitude.
We are making a difference in our guests’ lives, and that’s a powerful thing. That in itself is enough to continue pushing United Express further toward convenience, quality and service excellence.
With our 26 United Express fuel and convenience locations throughout Texas (including seven stand-alone c-stores), we have established a strong c-store presence. We are committed to serving our guests, so as we see new needs, we will continue to make the necessary changes to satisfy those guests. Three more stand-alone United Express locations are scheduled to open in early 2014: one in Amarillo, in conjunction with the company’s next-generation United Supermarkets location; the second in Hereford, near The United Family’s first “ground-up” Amigos store; and the third in Wichita Falls, at our United Supermarkets location on Jacksboro Highway.
The United Family, focusing on our guests’ and our communities’ needs, has been around for almost 97 years—and we’re still going strong.
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