Grand Opening: SunStop Rises in Thomasville

THOMASVILLE, Ga. —Southwest Georgia Oil (SGO) Co. has grown aggressively over the past half-dozen years, leaping from just over 20 convenience stores in 2015 to 76 units in Alabama, Florida and Georgia since then.

And with its newest c-store design, the Bainbridge, Ga.-based company not only plans to continue that growth but also anticipates healthy sales boosts in coming years.

“We are about to open our third prototype store in Mexico Beach, Fla., and have six others under construction,” Chief Operating Officer Glennie Bench told CSP in August. “We have an aggressive growth strategy because this SunStop design has proven itself to outpace our own sales projections. … This round of growth will bring us to around 85 stores by the end of 2023.”

STORE STATS

SunStop

• Size: 5,350 square feet
• Address: 16375 U.S. Hwy 19 S., Thomasville, Ga.
• Opened: July 2021

Notable Details:

• SGO’s own Inland fuel brand
• Eight gasoline pumps
• Two separate diesel lanes
• Beer cave
• Proprietary Eat’s Southern Cookin’ foodservice concept

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The second SunStop concept store, pictured here, opened in July 2021 in Thomasville, Ga. At 5,350 square feet, it stands out as larger than most c-stores in the market.

“This size advantage gives us the opportunity to offer a greater variety of merchandise, a better shopping experience, larger restrooms and a seating area,” Bench says. “It also allows us to offer a nicer work environment for our team members.”

Highlights of the store, designed with architects at Atlanta-based Antista Fairclough, include a modern exterior, diesel fuel dispensers, foodservice, 12-head fountain, seating areas and large, modern restrooms. All of it is intended to reflect SGO’s goals of top-notch customer service.

“Our mission is to ‘Brighten Every Moment,’ ” Bench says. “SunStop is the perfect name for a company whose goal is to just make every customer’s day a bit brighter. We want our Beam Team members to follow our customer-service motto and Bring Everyone Amazing Moments (BEAM).”

Outside, the forecourt, branded with SGO’s Inland fuel, includes eight gasoline pumps and two separate diesel lanes offering in-line DEF. The exterior of the building aims for a modern look with tiled walls at the bottom for durability and ease of cleaning, Nichiha plank siding “and lots of glass.” The bright yellow SunStop signage includes the store name and sun icon, intended to express the chain’s “Brighten Every Moment” mission.

Entering the store, customers are greeted by an open floor plan and ceiling, including a clerestory roof in the center for additional natural light, polished concrete floor and quartz countertops. Wall finishes include large custom graphics, shiplap and wood paneling, both stained and brightly painted.

“The design has many high-end elements that make the customer experience special,” Bench says. “Offering such an experience to our customers, while maintaining our competitively priced merchandise, sets us apart.”

Store amenities include a beer cave, 12-door cold vault (including SunStop-branded bottled water) and prepackaged foods in an open-air cooler. Restrooms are fully tiled with high-end, touchless fixtures. At the checkout, waterfall racks and a beverage cooler offer customers a last-minute opportunity to grab a treat. A seating area of individual tables and a dwell bar invite customers to hang around for a while.

While several SunStop stores include branded foodservice concepts—including Moe’s Southwest Grill, Planet Smoothie, as well as Noble Roman’s and Hunt Brothers pizza concepts—the focus in the Thomasville store is on SGO’s trademarked proprietary offerings, including Eat’s Southern Cookin’, SunBean coffee and Chillin’ on Ice frozen beverages.

“We are proud of the freshly prepared foods we can offer because of our state-of-the-art kitchens,” Bench says.

Eat’s Southern Cookin’ is a made-to-order restaurant catering to truck drivers and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast menu includes breakfast plates, bowls, cinnamon rolls and build-your-own sandwiches and wraps. Lunch and dinner include fried chicken, pork chops, meatloaf, daily specials and more.

“Truck drivers love our Eat’s Southern Cookin’ delis,” Bench says. “Our hot breakfast becomes a community favorite as soon as we open. Our biscuits, grits and bacon, breakfast sandwiches and cinnamon rolls have a loyal following.”

The SunBean coffee offer includes bean-to-cup dispensers that deliver a variety of coffee drinks and styles. The Thirst Stop beverage center includes a 12-head fountain, Chillin’ on Ice frozen beverages and fresh-brewed tea, “a must in the South!” Bench says.

Building a sense of community is important to Southwest Georgia Oil, says Bench (pictured). With each new-store opening comes an outreach to drive traffic and build a neighborhood feel.

“We always start by joining the local chamber of commerce. [That’s] a great way to connect with engaged community members,” she says. “We then make a point to support a variety of nonprofit and civic organizations wherever we have stores.” These include school organizations, local festivals, charities, veterans’ groups and health-focused organizations.

“From an economic standpoint, we try to use local contractors when building a store, and we offer quality employment opportunities for local men and women interested in joining our team.”

And the company will need to add quite a few employees as it continues its aggressive growth. A third ground-up store similar to the Thomasville site opened in September in Mexico Beach, Fla. And the chain has six other stores—either new-to-market or raze/rebuild—underway in Tallahassee, Lake City, Panama City, DeFuniak Springs and Wildwood, Fla., some with hand-dipped ice cream, outdoor seating areas and other additional amenities. Meanwhile, renovations are underway at stores in Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

Through it all, SGO uses store design and layout to create a site that is easy to maneuver and takes advantage of a “less-congested market,” Bench says. “The friendly and welcoming design and store layout make our customers feel at home, building on famous southern hospitality. The product offerings—from petroleum products to store merchandise to food and beverage—are familiar, but with our own unique touch.”

• Southwest Georgia Oil Co. ranked No. 91 on CSP's2022 Top 202 list of the largest convenience-store chains in the United States.