BP America Inc./Thorntons

bp showed a reinvigorated interest in embracing its retail sector in 2022. The Chicago-based company owns convenience-store brands ampm, based in La Palma, California, and Thorntons, Louisville, Kentucky, which it acquired in August 2021.

The ampm brand expanded to the East Coast in August 2022 with a store opening in New York City. The brand's key focus is foodservice, with a program that emphasizes coffee, bakery, fresh sandwiches and hot prepared foods. A large fountain program offers up to 24 varieties of soda and proprietary drinks. Stores have an open floor plan, with some featuring open-air refrigerated cases carrying a selection of fresh sandwiches, fruit and yogurt.

Since it acquired the chain in 2021, bp has been integrating Thorntons into its business. The legacy the Thorntons family established was one of the reasons why the chain was attractive to bp, and the minimal number of changes made to the stores in the last few years was by design, Greg Franks, senior vice president of mobility and convenience for the Americas, told CSP. Franks says the company has been going through an incorporation process to tweak and integrate ampm and Thorntons, along with bp's legacy bp and Amoco dealer business, to make the businesses scalable.

As the Top 202 goes to press, bp is negotiating the purchase of the TravelCenters of America chain (No. 29). bp is also moving to redefine its relevance as a provider and enabler of mobility through a strategic repositioning that has seen the company investing aggressively in convenience, delivery, electric-vehicle (EV) charging, self-checkout and more as it implements the new tagline and strategy: Reimagining Energy.

For benchmarking purposes, store counts are as of Jan. 1, 2023.