New Convenience-Store Roundup for September 2019
By Greg Lindenberg on Oct. 13, 2019CHICAGO — This edition of New Convenience-Store Roundup features new c-store openings, closings and more that took place in September 2019.
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. convenience stores, gas stations, truckstops and travel centers not previously reported in CSP Daily News.
- 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. Many are part of CSP’s new 2019 Top 202 list of c-store chains by size. Some of the owners and operators are new entrepreneurs, and some are industry veterans.
Unless otherwise mentioned, the new locations offer the food, snacks, beverages, tobacco, merchandise, services and amenities found in most c-stores. Most offer fuel.
Click through for a state-by-state breakdown …
California
Winemaker and restaurateur Joel Gott, owner of the Gott’s Roadside food chain, opened The Station, a restaurant and c-store in St. Helena, Calif., in early September at a Napa Valley Petroleum gas station. It sells flowers, fruit, flip flops, ice cream and local winery products. Fresh-baked breakfast items include almond croissants, doughnuts and banana bread with chocolate-hazelnut spread. The service bay doors roll up to unveil the food counter. The food is prepared in the former Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. The menu features breakfast sandwiches and egg tacos. For lunch, it offers baguette, focaccia and egg salad sandwiches and grain bowls. Sightglass Coffee provides beans for espresso, macchiatos, lattes, cold brew and more. It also has chai, matcha latte and kombucha on tap.
Net new stores*: 1
*Represents 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. It also does not include store openings previously reported in CSP Daily News.
Connecticut
Florida
Wawa opened new c-stores in Hudson, Fla., on Sept. 10; Casselberry, Fla., and Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 12; Lady Lake, Fla., on Sept. 18; Seffner, Fla., on Sept. 19; and Belleview, Fla., on Sept. 26.
7 Eleven opened a new c-store in Bokeelia, Fla., on Pine Island on Sept. 12.
Net new stores: 7
Illinois
Pilot Flying J opened a new Pilot Travel Center and Truck Care Service Center in Marshall, Ill., in mid-September. It has 12 gasoline fueling positions and eight diesel lanes. In-store, it features a Taco Bell restaurant and PJ Fresh pizza and grab-and-go offerings prepared on-site daily, including salads, sandwiches, burgers, fruit cups and hot and cold snacks; Pilot’s Best Gourmet Coffees, including bean-to-cup selections and cold brew; five showers; laundry; Western Union; CAT scale; and 64 truck parking spaces.
Net new stores: 1
Indiana
The Logansport Convenience Store opened Sept. 21 in Logansport, Ind., in a former PNC Bank building. The bank’s drive-thru has been adapted to sell store merchandise. It does not sell beer or alcohol. The location does not offer gasoline, but owners Has and Bob Patel said they are looking into adding fuel sales.
Net new stores: 1
Kentucky
Lyons Greenleaf BP, a full-service gas station and automotive repair shop in Danville, Ky., closed its doors in September after 29 years. Owner Floyd Lyons leases the property from fuel supplier Little Oil, which has no plans for the property. “We’re just going to leave it open and either find another tenant or tear it down and build something else,” Doug Little said.
Net new stores: -1
Maryland
Wawa opened new c-stores in Rosedale, Md., on Sept. 25, and Eldersburg, Md., on Sept. 26.
Net new stores: 2
Minnesota
Kwik Trip opened new c-stores in Waseca, Minn., in early September, and Worthington, Minn., on Sept. 19.
Casey’s General Stores opened a new c-store in Onamia, Minn., on Sept. 19.
Esko Self Serve, a gas station in Esko, Minn., closed Sept. 20. Owners Dennis and Julie Day decided to close the family business after trying to sell the store for more than a year with no success. Manager Beth Belden, daughter of the owners, said the store has struggled with the influx of several new c-stores in the Cloquet area.
Net new stores: 2
New Jersey
QuickChek opened a new, 5,504-square-foot c-store in Cranford, N.J., on Sept. 10. It also opened a new, 5,496-square-foot c-store in Shrewsbury, N.J., on Sept. 24. Both locations offer the chain’s Fresh to Go design, with more than 50% of the store dedicated to fresh food and beverages.
Net new stores: 2
New York
Stewart’s Shops opened a new c-store in Brunswick, N.Y., on Sept. 16. The new store was built where the Snyder Hahnemann Howe House once stood. The historic house, built in the 1850s, was in disrepair and not capable of being restored, according to the state of New York. The store embodies some of the architectural elements of the house. The exterior of the shop is yellow in honor of the yellow house. It is topped with an original weathervane taken from a nearby barn. The window dressing above the sign was taken from the house. A plaque hangs inside in recognition of the house and tells its story. Stewart’s Shops worked closely with the town historian to gather the history and photos to incorporate into the interior sign.
Stewart’s Shops also closed a 1,450-square-foot c-store in Hudson Falls, N.Y., because of space limitations, preventing it from adding more sandwiches, soup and grab-and-go items.
Net new stores: 0
Oklahoma
QuikTrip opened a new c-store in Tulsa, Okla., on Sept. 5.
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores opened a new location in Big Cabin, Okla., on Sept. 12. The more than 8,000-square-foot store features a Carl’s Jr. restaurant, Fresh Kitchen foodservice concept and bean-to-cup coffee. It offers seven showers, laundry facilities, a Mobile to Go Zone for electronics and a dog park. It has eight diesel bays, 79 truck parking spaces, 47 car parking spaces and two RV parking spaces, a Speedco truck service location and a CAT scale.
Net new stores: 2
Pennsylvania
Royal Farms opened a new c-store in Spotsylvania, Pa., on Sept. 3.
A Speedway gas station in Swatara Township near Harrisburg, Pa., closed Sept. 11. The location previously was a Hess gas station.
Wawa opened a new c-store in Collingdale, Pa., on Sept. 12.
Rutter’s opened a new, 10,257-square-foot c-store in Leesport, Pa., on Sept. 18. It offers 16 fueling positions and five high-speed truck diesel fueling lanes with in-lane diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Fueling options include flex fuel, unleaded 15 and ethanol-free gasoline, along with the standard options of regular, midgrade, premium gasoline and auto diesel. For trucks and commercial vehicles, this location will provide high-speed truck diesel and in-lane DEF. Rutter’s plans to add a video gaming terminal room, pending application review.
Sheetz opened a new c-store in Washington, Pa., on Sept. 18.
Net new stores: 3
South Carolina
Parker’s opened c-stores in Moncks Corner, S.C., and Summerville, S.C., on Sept. 19. Both Parker’s Kitchen stores feature the company’s Charleston, S.C.-inspired architectural design with Lowcountry-style brick, metal roofs, twin entrances and indoor and outdoor seating. The Summerville store, located in the revitalized Knightsville Crossing Shopping Center, has a mansard-style fuel canopy and is the first Parker’s Kitchen with a “green screen” of Confederate jasmine that will create verdant walls of greenery on both sides of the fuel canopy. Both stores offer regular, midgrade, premium, diesel and marine fuel. The Moncks Corner location also features diesel truck service and tractor-trailer parking.
Net new stores: 2
Texas
Virginia
Wawa opened a new c-store in Fredericksburg, Va., on Sept. 12.
Sheetz opened new c-stores in Bealeton, Va., on Sept. 27, and Thornburg, Va., on Sept. 30.
Net new stores: 3
Washington, D.C.
Wisconsin
Kwik Trip opened a new c-store in Weston, Wis., on Sept. 10.
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores opened a new location in Elkhorn, Wis., on Sept. 12. The more than 8,000-square-foot store features a Hardee’s restaurant, Fresh Kitchen foodservice concept and bean-to-cup coffee. It offers seven showers, laundry facilities, a Mobile to Go Zone for electronics and a dog park. It has seven diesel bays, 102 truck parking spaces, 87 car parking spaces and three RV parking spaces, a Speedco truck service location and a CAT scale.
Net new stores: 2
TOTAL NEW STORES FOR SEPTEMBER 2019: 30
TOTAL NEW STORES FOR 2019: 188
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.