New Convenience-Store Roundup for June 2023

This edition of CSP’s New Convenience-Store Roundup features new-to-industry (NTI) c-store openings, as well as closings, that took place in June 2023.

Texas again had the most new stores for the month, with the opening of four c-stores, followed by Florida, Indiana, Nevada and Pennsylvania, each with three locations. In Nevada, a new player, roam ‘n stop, opened all three of the new c-stores. Casey’s opened eight new stores in a total of five states.

The unscientifically gathered roundup—gleaned from company announcements, websites, email, social media and newspapers around the country, among other sources—is by no means complete, but it serves as a monthly competitive snapshot of newly opened or closed U.S. c-stores, gas stations, truckstops and travel centers.

• Click here for new c-store roundups from previous months, along with other grand opening and new-store coverage. And click here for coverage of convenience industry mergers-and-acquisitions activity.

Many of the stores listed here are owned by independent operators, while others belong to major chains. Some are part ofCSP’s Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by size. Some of the owners and operators are new entrepreneurs, and some are industry veterans.

Unless otherwise noted, these NTI locations offer the food, snacks, beverages, tobacco, merchandise, services and amenities found in most c-stores. Most offer fuel. ...

Pilot Co. opened a new travel center in Rialto, California, in June. It has 14 gasoline fueling positions and eight diesel lanes with biofuel and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), 91 truck parking spots and a CAT scale. It offers an Arby’s quick-service restaurant (QSR) with drive-thru; a Cinnabon unit; fresh-made pizza, homestyle meals and grab-and-go food offerings prepared on site daily, including salads, sandwiches, burgers, fruit cups and an array of hot and cold snacks;  premium coffees, including bean-to-cup selections and cold brew; a selection of name-brand products, electronics, gifts and gear; seven showers; a public laundry; a drivers lounge; and full-service and self-checkouts.

Net new stores*: 1

*Represents new-to-industry stores opened minus stores closed in this state for the month of this count only. Other c-stores not captured by this count may have opened or closed in the state. The roundup does not include raze-and-rebuild, remodeled or replacement stores.

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores opened a new location in Parachute, Colorado, off Interstate 70 at Exit 75, on June 29. It adds 50 truck- , 65 car- and eight RV-parking spaces (and RV dump), with seven diesel bays and a CAT scale. The more than 14,000-square-feet store features Chester’s Chicken and McDonald’s quick-service restaurants (QSRs), and the chain’s own Fresh Kitchen foodservice concept, as well as bean-to-cup coffee. It has five showers and also laundry facility. There is also a Mobile to Go Zone with GPS, headsets and smartphone accessories. 

Net new stores: 1

Ahmed Sedda and his six brothers opened All City Fresh Mart in Fairfield, Connecticut, in mid-June.

GPM Investments opened a new Pride c-store in South Windsor, Connecticut, on June 30. The 4,860-square-foot store includes Chester’s Chicken and proprietary Pride Kitchen food offerings. Pride Kitchen features a breakfast menu all day, grilled-to-order burgers, quesadillas, hot dogs and “create-your-own” sandwiches and wraps at lunch and dinner. The new location also includes indoor and outdoor seating, a drive-thru window, six multiproduct gasoline dispensers (with 12 fueling positions). two diesel dispensers (with four nozzles), five high-flow diesel dispensers (with 10 fuels pumps) and parking for 40 cars and 12 diesel trucks.

Net new stores: 2

Wawa opened new c-stores in Lantana, Florida, and Hollywood, Florida, in June.

Alimentation Couche-Tard opened a new Circle K in Clearwater, Florida, on June 23.

Net new stores: 3

Casey’s General Stores opened new c-stores in North Aurora, Illinois, on June 8 and Villa Park, Illinois, on June 22.

Net new stores: 2

Casey’s General Stores opened a new c-store in Elkhart, Indiana, on June 8.

Box Market, a new c-store, opened in Carmel, Indiana, on June 12.

A Lucky Mart c-store opened for business on June 11 in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Net new stores: 3

K-VA-T Food Stores, also known as Food City, opened a new Gas ’N Go Express c-store in Pikeville, Kentucky, on June 27.

Net new stores: 1

Big Y Foods opened the first Big Y Express Fresh Market, a new small-format store concept on June 1 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The large c-store-sized store represents the company’s fifth retail banner. The 10,000-square-foot location occupies a space on the ground floor of the 28-story Tower Square building in downtown Springfield. The tower anchors a mixed-use complex including office, hotel, retail, dining, service, education and community space. The new location is much larger than Big Y Express convenience stores—which top out at around 2,000 square feet, with some legacy stores a bit smaller—but significantly smaller than a conventional Big Y supermarket, which runs about 55,000 square feet. Offerings include prepared meals and sandwiches and natural and organic products and everyday staples, with more than 250 fresh produce items. A sushi chef also is on-site preparing fresh sushi daily. In addition, it has fresh-baked bread and cake, “bean-to-cup” coffee and hot breakfast sandwiches.

Net new stores: 1

A bp gas station in Minneapolis closed on June 1. The property owner would not sell the land to the station owner. The lot needs significant work, which isn’t financially sound unless he owns the property, he said.

Casey’s General Stores opened a new c-store in Waconia, Minnesota, on June 22.

Net new stores: 0

Casey’s General Stores opened new c-stores in Lone Jack, Missouri, and Chillicothe, Missouri, on June 8.

Net new stores: 2

roam ‘n stop opened three new c-stores in Las Vegas on June 6, 7 and 8.

Net new stores: 3

Rusty Lantern Market opened a new c-store in Loudon, New Hampshire. The 4,200-square-foot location includes a full kitchen and seating area, an outdoor seating area, a variety of specialty hot and cold hand-made beverages served from a barista counter, as well as a self-serve beverage area of coffees, frozen drinks, juices and teas. Outside on the fueling forecourt there are 10 fueling points, including two pumps under a larger canopy for boats, trucks motor homes and other large vehicles. It offers Irving-branded gas and diesel products.

Net new stores: 1

QuickChek, a unit of Murphy USA, closed a c-store in West Long Beach, New Jersey, in late June after 40 years.

Wawa closed a c-store in Collins Lake, New Jersey, in late June after 53 years in operation.

Net new stores: -2

Royal Farms opened a new c-store in Greenville, North Carolina, in mid-June.

Net new stores: 1

Par Mar Oil opened a new c-store in Lucasville, Ohio, on June 16.

Net new stores: 1

Casey’s General Stores opened new c-stores in Oklahoma City on June 2 and in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on June 26.

Net new stores: 2

Wawa opened a new c-store in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, on June 1. It also opened a new c-store in Hatfield Township, near Lansdale, Pennsylvania, on June 2.

Sheetz opened a new, 4,900-square-foot c-store in mid-June in Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania, that includes a restaurant-style experience with self-service kiosks and additional seating inside and outside along with eight fuel positions.

EG Group closed a Turkey Hill c-store in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, in mid-June.

Net new stores: 2

Global Market, a new c-store, liquor store and gas station, opened in Florence, South Carolina, in early June.

QuikTrip opened a new remote travel center in Dillon, South Carolina, on June 15. It features a larger lot and a more spacious store than the company’s traditional units. The site has room to service 20 cars for gas and five diesel bays for trucks. It has an expanded QT Kitchens, offering fresh, made-to-order food, premium specialty drinks and frozen treats, as well as fresh, made-to-order “snackles,” as well as fresh food delivered daily through its bakeries and commissaries. It also offers coffee and fresh-brewed QTea, as well as its complete menu of grab-and-go items like fresh donuts, salads, wraps, QT’s signature pizza by the slice and roller grill items. QT Kitchens customer favorites include warm soft pretzels, pizzas, custom breakfast tacos, hardwood smoked BBQ sandwiches, cold brew coffee and frozen treats such as QT’s QuikShake.

Net new stores: 2

bp opened a new Thorntons c-store in Antioch, Tennessee, on June 9. The 4,400-square-foot facility is set on 1.23 acres and has 20 auto fueling positions; self-checkout; LED lighting for customer and team member safety and energy efficiency; freshly made burritos and sandwiches prepared throughout the day in the store’s onsite kitchen; a variety of top-of-the-line beverages, including fresh bean-to-cup coffee and cold fountain beverages with nugget ice.

Buc-ee’s Ltd. opened its 46th c-store on June 26 in Sevierville, Tennessee. The store’s 74,000-square-foot floor plan makes it the largest c-store in the world at the time of its opening. It is located at “The 407,” the gateway to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Dollywood; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Buc-ee’s built the store in partnership with Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which owns The 407: Gateway to Adventure, a destination featuring shops, restaurants and cabins. Kituwah LLC purchased the 200-acre parcel for $13.5 million in 2019, and Buc-ee’s portion encompasses about 30 acres of that land. Along with a c-store, the Buc-ee’s location has 120 gas fueling positions and a car wash, and it features the chain’s clean restrooms. The store offers Buc-ee’s favorites including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries.

Net new stores: 2

Foxtrot opened a new c-store in Austin, Texas, on June 5.

H-E-B opened its second H-E-B Fresh Bites c-store on June 19 in Lytle, Texas.

TravelCenters of America opened TA Express Huntsville in Huntsville, Texas, in June, off Interstate 45, Exit 118. In the forecourt, the new location consists of 10 gasoline and six diesel fueling stations, all with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). It has 90 truck parking spaces and 55 car parking spaces. Primo Taqueria is the location’s full-service restaurant, along with a few quick-service restaurant (QSR) options. It also features a travel store, three showers, laundry facilities, a drivers lounge, a truck wash, a dog park and an ATM.

Pilot Co. opened a new travel center in Odessa, Texas, in June. It has 16 gasoline fueling positions and six diesel lanes with biofuel and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and 39 truck parking spots. It offers fresh-made pizza, homestyle meals and grab-and-go food offerings prepared on site daily, including salads, sandwiches, burgers, fruit cups and an array of hot and cold snacks;  premium coffees, including bean-to-cup selections and cold brew; a selection of name-brand products, electronics, gifts and gear; four showers; a public laundry; and full-service and self-checkouts.

Net new stores: 4

Wawa opened a new c-store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on June 9.

Net new stores: 1

Amazon closed an Amazon Go cashierless c-store in Seattle on June 16.

In late June, Maverik opened a new c-store in Terrace Heights, Washington, in the Yakima Valley. The store features pizza, hot sandwiches, breakfast burritos and other ready-to-eat items at its BonFire grill, and these items are either made-to-order or made fresh daily. It also features self-serve frozen yogurt, milkshakes, slushies and soft drinks. Other fresh and packaged food, a wide variety of beverages and various convenience store items also are available at the store, which is open 24 hours a day. Outdoor seating is available on the east side of the store. Besides the self-serve pumps in front of the store, there are six fuel stations with high overhead clearance for trucks and RVs directly west of the store.

Net new stores: 0

Par Mar Oil opened new c-stores in Kistler, West Virginia, on June 25, and Beckley, West Virginia, on June 28.

Net new stores: 2

NEW STORES OPENED IN JUNE 2023: 40

STORES CLOSED IN JUNE 2023: 5

NET NEW STORES IN JUNE 2023: 35

TOTAL NET NEW STORES IN 2023: 159

To be sure your locations are listed in upcoming roundups, please send new-store announcements and other news to Greg Lindenberg at glindenberg@winsightmedia.com.