A refining behemoth that became a retail giant as well, Valero Energy Corp. spun off its retail segment into CST Brands Inc., debuting on the New York Stock Exchange on May 1, 2013. Since then, CST Brands has been focused on the Corner Store brand, building new sites and acquiring convenience stores, growing its footprint in the Northeast, Texas and Arizona. It has added more than 1,400 employees, totaling about 13,500.
The company built a few dozen new stores in the United States and Canada in 2015. It also announced it will acquire Flash Foods (No. 52). The deal, closed in February 2016, after CSP’s Top 101 went to press, added another 164 sites. New stores were opened in several Texas markets (Waco, Austin, Stockdale and El Paso) and in Phoenix.
In 2014, CST acquired the general partner of CrossAmerica Partners LP (formerly Lehigh Gas Partners) and then jointly acquired 32 Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes in New York, and Erickson Oil of Wisconsin and its 64 Freedom Valu stores. CST Brands also picked up 22 Timewise stores in Texas from Landmark Industries and 41 company-operated One Stop convenience stores based in Charleston, W.Va., along with four commission agent sites, nine dealer fuel-supply agreements and one freestanding franchised quick-service restaurant.
CST Brands has company-operated convenience stores and gas stations in the United States and Canada and more than 5,000 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. More than half of CST's U.S. Corner Stores are located in Texas. Most of the U.S. company-operated stores do business under the name Corner Store and most sell Valero fuel, but the company is emphasizing the Corner Store brand rather than the fuel brand.
CST's network of convenience stores offer a broad array of merchandise, beverages, snacks and fresh food. In the United States, CST Corner Stores sell private-label products, such as Fresh Choices baked and packaged goods, U Force energy and sport drinks, Cibolo Mountain coffee, FC Soda and Flavors2Go fountain drinks. U.S. stores are known for kolaches and whoopie pies. In Canada, CST is the exclusive provider of Ultramar fuels and its Depanneur du Coin and Corner Stores sell signature Transit Cafe coffee and pastries.
| No. of Stores: | 1318 |
|---|---|
| Average Store Size: | 2,500-4,000 sq. ft. |
| Rank: | 5 |
| Rank Last Year: | 4 |
| States of Operation: | Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec |
| Website: | http://www.cstbrands.com |
