HOUSTON — The Greater Houston Retailers Cooperative Association Inc. (GHRA), which provides sustainable value to independent convenience-store members and supplier partners, has launched the “Kudos” c-store concept.
The brand, “created to celebrate the everyday hero in all of us,” will differentiate itself by improving local communities through its social and environmental programs, building genuine connections with its customers and offering an exceptional, high-quality food and beverage program, GHRA said.
The inspiration behind the name Kudos speaks to the soul of the brand: gratitude toward our heroes.
“All of our customers are heroes. They are working hard every day to keep our communities moving—from first responders and front-line workers to skilled trade laborers, teachers and truck drivers,” GHRA CEO Brian Trout said. “They are good honest people, and we want to celebrate them and treat them like the heroes that they are. We are determined to make people feel good when they walk into our stores and to improve the communities we serve.”
Trout is a c-store industry veteran who has done stints at GPM, Yesway, Kangaroo Express, 7-Eleven, bp and Thorntons.
In development for more than two years, Kudos will initially roll out in the Greater Houston market. “This has been an extraordinary team effort involving some of the brightest minds in the c-store industry,” Trout said. “We are thankful to our many partners—including Impact 21, Bona Design Labs, CBX, Katz Coffee, Synergy Restaurant Consultants, and WT Group—for bringing this brand to life.”
Established in 1999, the Greater Houston Retailers Cooperative Association is a leading convenience retail cooperative with more than 1,100 members and representing more than 2,000 convenience stores, strives to provide value to its members and improve the communities in which it serves.
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