St. Paul, Minn.-based CHS Inc., a leading energy and grain-based foods company, operates 70 Zip Trip convenience stores in the Spokane, Wash., area offering the company's Cenex fuel brand. All are known as Cenex Zip Trip, with marketing headquarters in Spokane.
Zip Trip prides itself on great customer service. The company goal is to lead boldly and be viable by making sure stores sell products the way customers want them. That means SKU rationalization is important, and the chain goes through a rationalization exercise every two years with resets about every six months on average. A testament to the chain's emphasis on customer service came in the form of a 5th place showing in CSP's 11th-annual Mystery Shop competition in summer 2015.
Managers say the stores are not the least expensive, or the most expensive. The goal is to do things right, be consistent and be predictable, to satisfy customers. The chain's typical shopper is male, aged 20 to 38.
| Headquarters: | Spokane Valley, Washington |
|---|---|
| No. of Stores: | 70 |
| Average Store Size: | 1,000-2,500 sq. ft. |
| Rank: | 94 |
| States of Operation: | Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming |
| Website: | http://www.chsinc.com |