Western Refining (Giant, Howdy's)

Continuing its expansion into retail, Western Refining operates more than 200 convenience stores, including nearly three dozen New Mexico Howdy's locations acquired in fall 2011 and 19 stores in Tucson, Ariz., taken over from Loma Catalina earlier that year. In late 2013, Western Refining took over management of seven Barney's c-stores in Yuma, Ariz., and rebranded to Giant with the 76 fuel brand.

The Western Refining retail family of brands includes Giant, Mustang, Sundial and Howdy's. A number of locations feature the fuel brands of Conoco, Chevron, Shell, Texaco and Phillips 66, while others have the private label Giant.

Among its most important initiatives is the company’s propriety loyalty program called Express Rewards. Launched in early 2009 in partnership with vendor Outsite Networks, Express Rewards topped more than 1 million members as of midyear 2013. Users receive points for each gallon of fuel and each dollar of merchandise purchased.

The company is implementing a social media marketing strategy, including Facebook, Twitter and a mobile application tied in with Express Rewards. The company contracts with Outsite Networks for its loyalty solution.