HOUSTON — BP opened its first ampm convenience store in New York City this week, expanding the seventh largest c-store chain from its West Coast roots. The store, located in the Bronx, is the first opening for the convenience brand on the East Coast. The location is BP owned and operated and is one of four scheduled store openings on the East Coast.
“As BP transitions toward becoming a net zero company, convenience will play a huge role in delivering our integrated strategy. The experience customers feel at our retail sites will be key to attracting them in and ensuring they return. Because New Yorkers are always on the go, the Empire State is a perfect fit for this expansion,” said Dave Lawler, chairman and president BP America, Houston.
The store will feature BP branding throughout the fuel experience and ampm’s food menu, including a hot deli and grocery with fresh fruit and extensive dry goods. The entire customer-centric experience is modeled after Thorntons, the Louisville, Ky.-based fuel and convenience retailer that BP took full ownership of in 2021.
The first ampm store opened in Southern California in 1978. Today, there are more than 1,000 stores throughout the West Coast, serving more than 3,500 different products.
BP has different retail models across the United States, ranging from company-owned retail stores, strategic partnerships, brand licensing, wholesale, business-to-business, dealer-owned, and franchise-owned locations. Its U.S. mobility and convenience brands include BP, Amoco, ampm and Thorntons, which includes more than 200 owned and operated locations across six states: Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Florida.
- BP is No. 7 on CSP’s 2022 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by company-owned store count.
“This store sets the stage for us to maximize the large BP footprint along the East Coast,” said Greg Franks, senior vice president mobility and convenience for the Americas. “We know that residents of The Big Apple will love the craveable food, snacks and drinks that make ampm the destination of Too Much Good Stuff. We also know our dealers will be excited to share the ampm brand with their consumers in the future.”
The expansion advances London-based BP’s convenience and mobility strategy, which aims to nearly double global earnings from about $5 billion in 2019 to $9-10 billion by 2030 and deliver 15% to 20% returns.
This strategy is supported by a commitment to putting the customer at the center of its business model, the company said. BP aims to increase the number of convenience sites in its global network from around 2,000 today to more than 3,000 by 2030.
Watch for an exclusive look at BP's reinvestment in the c-store industry in the September issue of CSP magazine.
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