ACWORTH, Ga. -- RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. has opened a new convenience store in Acworth, Ga., that company leaders say will serve as the prototype for all new RaceTrac stations, according to a report by the Cherokee Tribune.
At 6,000 square feet, the new store is one-third larger than the typical RaceTrac station and includes new features such as free wireless Internet, indoor and outdoor seating, expanded food and beverage offerings, a frozen yogurt bar and a walk-in beer cave.
On the outside, the store looks "vastly different" from a typical gas station, said the report, with such features as stone columns and stacked-stone accents.
Click here to see a picture of the new store on the Cherokee Tribune's website.
"It's really something you've never seen in a convenience store," RaceTrac spokesperson Sherri Scott told the newspaper. She compared it to a mini grocery store. "The whole goal is to take you back to the idea of a neighborhood store versus a traditional gas station."
Scott said the company chose the city of Acworth as the launching pad for the newly designed station based on neighborhood demographic research. Acworth has one other RaceTrac location, the report said.
"We've made our bread and butter over the years by offering people great gas at a value, and that's never going to change," Scott said. "But our audience has told us they want more of a convenience to them. Value is more than just a price. They want to be able to get gas, but also be able to pick-up dinner, lunch, a snack or their paper."
The new store will employ at least 20 employees, the report added. Construction on the station began last June.
Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood, who attended the store's opening yesterday, said his fast-growing city of 21,000 is a great place for such a prototype. In 2011, about 50 businesses opened in Acworth, he said. "We've been a great test market because we do so well at everything we do. And now we've got literally the biggest RaceTrac ever built in America," he told the paper.
RaceTrac will host a grand opening event at on January 21 that will include giveaways featuring a grand prize of $2,500 in RaceTrac gift cards. Other prizes will include free frozen yogurt and free coffee for a year.
The Atlanta-based company operates more than 300 gas stations in four states.
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