SAN ANTONIO--Valero Energy Corp. introduced its new Road Runner retail-store concept this past week, opening the company's first 5,500-square-foot Road Runner store in western San Antonio. The new concept is a further refinement of Valero's retail efforts, which have grown in recent years to add more prepared foods as well as the Fresh Choices line of proprietary products.
The new Road Runner stores are larger and brighter than the current Valero Corner Stores, and offer more space for prepared foods and meals to go. About 30% of the floor space [image-nocss] is devoted to fresh and perishable foods.
The Roadrunner store in San Antonio features:
Prepared-food offerings such as fresh/never frozen hot dogs and other transfat-free roller-grill products; ready-to-eat salads, cheeses, dips and meat; breakfast tacos made with homemade tortillas; and fresh-baked kolaches, donuts, pastries and muffins.
A self-serve "topping bar" for sandwiches, hot dogs, baked potatoes and tacos.
New Cibolo Mountain premium roast coffee that's available in several styles, from light roast decaffeinated to medium roasted Columbian to dark roasts of Espresso and French. The coffee is served in a triple-layer paper cup with a built-on sleeve and made with triple-filtered water for the highest quality.
A variety of cappuccino flavors.
A huge Flavors 2 Go fountain-drink area with 30 dispensers of popular fountain drinks, fresh-brewed iced tea, ICEE brand carbonated drinks and a self-serve shake machine. The fountain features both cubed and "chewable" ice. Fountain drinks are made with triple-filtered water and served in cups that fit a car cup holder and don't "sweat" on hot days.
A large icehouse walk-in cooler.
Other general merchandise offerings such as greeting cards, ice chests and automotive goods.
Expanded restrooms, ample parking and 14 fueling positions using new Gilbarco fuel pumps. These include a "Smart Merchandising" feature that allows for advertising in-store products and even printable coupons.
The Road Runner concept is Valero's latest move to meet consumers' demands for larger, brighter and more complete food stores.
In addition to the introduction of the Road Runner brand, a new design of the stores' Fresh Choices label was rolled out. The new Fresh Choices design now not only applies to snacks, soft drinks, spring water, vitamin water, teas and pastries, but also extends to the fresh foods offered in the Road Runner stores.
"Ever since Valero got into the retail business, our focus has been to invest in upgrading our network," said Gary Arthur, Valero's senior vice president of retail and specialty products marking. "Because of this strategy, we have been able to develop items that customers really like, and we think the new Road Runner concept will be just as popular."
The Road Runner stores feature an all-new design that incorporates bright colors and an open, spacious interior that will further differentiate Valero-owned locations as premium destinations for consumers. The 5,500-square-foot floor plan is much larger than the current 3,500-square-foot Valero Corner Stores, and provides for a wider selection and increased inventory of products.
Eventually, as each of the nearly 1,000 Valero Corner Stores across the United States is remodeled and refurbished, they will take on the Road Runner name.
This first Road Runner store will be among the stops on the store tour during CSPs Convenience Retailing Conference 2008 the week of Feb. 11, 2008, in San Antonio. The conference also will include keynote addresses from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney; Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple Computers; and best-selling author Stephen Covey.
For more information about the Convenience Retailing Conference, visit www.convenienceretailing.com.
Valero Energy Corp. is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio, with approximately 21,000 employees and 2006 revenues of more than $90 billion. The company owns and operates 17 refineries throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.1 million barrels per day, making it the largest refiner in North America. Valero is also one of the nation's largest retail operators with approximately 5,800 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean under various brand names including Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar, and Beacon.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.