ALTOONA, Pa. -- In the first such project allowed by the airport and the first retail offer at Raleigh-Durham International Airport's (RDU) Aviation Station, Sheetz Inc. has opened a 5,000 sq.-ft. convenience store in Morrisville, N.C.
The new facility (pictured in an early stage of construction) is situated right at one of the main entrances to the airport.
"This is one of the most exciting store openings for us at Sheetz because it's something new for us to partner with the air travel industry," said Louie Sheetz, executive [image-nocss] vice president of marketing for Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz Inc. "The people of North Carolina have been very good to us and we appreciate the loyalty we have built in those communities. We hope the unique setting of an airport brings us new opportunities to offer our brand of convenience to as many new customers as we can."
Aviation Station is owned by the airport and will serve highway travelers, RDU travelers and local commuters as well as the local employment base surrounding RDU. The new Sheetz store sits in the perfect high-traffic area of this new development.
This 335th store in the chain is the second Sheetz location in Durham and the first at RDU, bringing the total number of Sheetz stores in North Carolina to 14.
While the store opened to the public last Wednesday evening, employees will host a community grand opening celebration on Tuesday, July 10, with a ribbon cutting set for 3:00 p.m. that day. As part of the July 10 festivities, the company will present $2,500 to the First Tee of Wake County.
The new store at Aviation Station features the chain's Made-To- Ordermenu, including cold and toasted subs, freshly made salads, along with hot fries, onion rings, chicken fingers and burgers. It also has Sheetz Bros. Coffeez, with a full-service espresso bar staffed by a trained barista. Customers can order handmade coffee drinks including lattes, cappuccinos and mochas, hot, frozen or iced. It also offers frozen fruit smoothies. And Sheetz offers new premium brewed self-serve coffees made from 100% Arabica beans in many flavors such as Breakfast Blend, Serious Dark Roast, 100% Columbian and Vanilla Nut Cream. Self-serve milkshakes and self-serve bakery items are all available at the new store as well.
Customers place their food and specialty coffee orders at touchscreen order kiosks located both inside the store and at the gasoline island.
Another new feature for Sheetz customers is a full-service automatic car wash.
Sheetz operates more than 330 convenience locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.
[See related story in this issue of CSP Daily News for details on Sheetz's new Debitz card program.]
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