CHICAGO -- Bob Juckniess is counting his blessings: six of the cream-of-the-crop ampm c-store and petroleum-retail sites from BP's selloff of stations in several key markets, including Juckniess' turf on the outskirts of the Windy City. Juckniess, president of RWJ Management Co. Inc., Oak Brook, Ill., told CSP Daily News the sites were "great locations with high volumes, the crème de la crème."
The purchase, completed for an undisclosed price, brings his total number of stores to 13, all in the Chicago metropolitan area. He said he had bid on more sites, but Houston-based [image-nocss] BP had taken several off the market to package them for a subsequent bid aimed at distributors.
Juckniess believed that the company's move to hold properties for a second round of bidding was a way to provide incentives for wholesale distributors to buy into the BP fuel contracts. His intent is to bid again on those contracts and properties.
BP did not comment on this story by press time.
According to the NRC Realty Advisors LLC website, all but five of the 36 locations up for sale in the Chicago area are under contract. Chicago-based NRC is handling a bulk of the property sales for BP.
As BP rolled out the ampm brand in Chicago and Atlanta beginning earlier this year, the billboards, television and radio ads have had a powerful effect, according to Juckniess, who had the company's original Wild Bean Café program prior to the ampm transition. "Since the ad blitz, we've had substantial increases in sales," he said. "At some of our stations now, sales for the food offer have eclipsed Wild Bean."
He said the ampm advertising is accomplishing the goal of educating consumers as to what they can find in the store. Juckniess said BP "hit the target on the head" with its advertising program.
"The [in-store] offer is customizable," he said. "They can go to the condiment bar and get the dressings they want or go to the fountain and mix drinks. That's what customers want."
In terms of operational growth, Juckniess said he's been lucky in that the people working at the newly purchased sites are eager to work for his company. Earlier this spring, his company won two ampm franchisee awards, one for operational excellence and another for the largest increase in foodservice sales.
"We've got a good reputation," he said. "The people who currently work in the stores say they want to work for us."
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