SAN RAMON, Calif. -- Chevron Global Marketing on Wednesday officially announced the launch of the ExtraMile Convenience Stores in the Seattle market, as reported in CSP Daily News in September. The city and nearby communities are now home to 43 ExtraMile c-stores featuring a fresh look, healthy snacks and premium coffee. Consumers will also have access to chilled waters and energy drinks along with more food-to-go options.
With ExtraMile, we are setting a new standard in convenience store retailing that complements the changing tastes and busy lives [image-nocss] of our customers like many who work and live in Seattle, said Wayne Klahs, vice president of global marketing solutions for Chevron. In addition, we have designed the store to be warm and inviting. With a clean layout, wider aisles, and clearly defined food and beverage displays, we are confident that the ExtraMile convenience stores in Seattle will have customers returning time and time again.
The ExtraMile c-stores opened throughout the city in the summer to develop a potential franchise offering across the company's c-store network, it said. Free food sampling, coupons, radio remotes and giveaways were part of the promotional campaign during the summer months to introduce Seattle to the concept.
Seattle was chosen as the site for the ExtraMile Franchise Pilot Program based on a series of industry market-driven factors, said the company. A city of 573,000 people, Chevron enjoys a strong fuel market share, a relatively even mix of company-operated and retailer-owned and operated sites. No competitors of Chevron currently dominate the c-store business in Seattle, it said, providing an ideal opportunity to determine if the ExtraMile concept can meet the needs of the marketplace.
Chevron's ExtraMile Pilot Program, which includes 31 retailer-operated sites and 12 company-operated locations in the Seattle area, showcases four destination categories designed to attract traditional c-store customers as well as consumers seeking healthier food options.
The new key destination categories featured are:
HydraZone: Includes a variety of energy drinks, waters and vitamin-enriched beverages prominently located in an open cooler with bright graphics near the front door. Coffee: Features Van Houtte-branded stations offering a variety of coffees and assorted hot beverages. Better Choices: Healthy snack alternatives, such as protein bars, nuts, snacks, vitamins and energy foods housed in an attractive display. Food-to-Go: A selection of fresh food and self-serve items, such as muffins and baked goods for breakfast, cold sandwiches for lunch and quality hot foods for evening meals, such as Johnsonville Bratwurst.The concept is also designed to be flexible to fit a variety of store facilities, ranging from 500 to 3,000 sq. ft., enabling Chevron Products Co. to expand ExtraMile to a much-broader cross-section of its fueling network.
After studying several of the options around our c-store offering, our teams at Chevron are working closely with suppliers, retailers and franchising specialists to develop a franchise model with the potential to be deployed at many of our sites worldwide, said Klahs. We envision that the ExtraMile Pilot in Seattle will prove that we have a best-in-class franchise solution for c-stores that can be delivered on a global basis.
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