ALTOONA, Pa. -- Sheetz Inc. will break ground in the coming months in Beckley, Raleigh County, W.Va., Sheetz real-estate site selector Errin Hensley told The Register-Herald. In addition to the location in Beckley, the town of Beaver has been selected as another store, said the report. It is not scheduled for construction until next spring or summer.
"Traffic is the top thing we look at," Hensley said. "We look at demographics and area. [The new store] is the main artery in and out of Beckley. We felt it's a good location. Same with Beaver."
Hensley said [image-nocss] Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz is looking to expand more in the southern part of West Virginia, with locations already under construction in Fayetteville and Summersville.
"We're looking to grow in that area," he told the newspaper. "[We're] looking at the Princeton area, as well. We'd like to have four to five locations round the Beckley area."
Monica Jones, Sheetz public relations manager, told the paper that all stores offer Made-To-Order (MTO) food with a menu including hot and cold deli sandwiches, salads, wraps, burgers, burritos, grilled chicken sandwiches and fajitas. The items can be completely customized using a touchscreen ordering system.
Full-service espresso and smoothie bars are a staple to the Sheetz brand. They offer everything from hot, cold and frozen lattes to smoothies that come in nine flavors, including lemonade, strawberry banana and wildberry.
Meanwhile, a new Sheetz c-store opened in Johnstown, Pa., in mid-July, and another store is under construction in Kernville, Pa., reported The Tribune Democrat.
The company has been at the location since 1989, but Sheetz is demolishing the old store and has acquired an additional parcel to build a larger store, said the report.
Sheetz administrators say it is a significant upgrade, with more square footage, more employees, two additional gasoline-pumping stations and more parking.
Larger stores allow Sheetz to dedicate more square footage to food sales, David Hazelet, Sheetz real-estate director, told the newspaper."A big piece of this new store is in freezer space and food-preparation space," he said, adding that the company's food sales have "grown significantly" every year.
"Other than gas, prepared food is the biggest-selling category," he added.
Hazelet said he expects the new store to open by late fall.
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