Spinx

Based in Greenville, S.C., the Spinx chain has grown significantly from its single location in 1972 to a statewide presence. Former Shell employee Stewart Spinks expanded his home-heating-oil company and gas station into a chain of convenience stores that was initially clustered in upstate South Carolina but has expanded along the I-26 corridor to Columbia and Charleston. The independent, family-owned company has plans to continue to expand its footprint.

In January 2015, Spinx announced a partnership with Shell Oil Co., whereby Spinx will brand 13 of its fueling stations with the Shell pectin. This partnership will allow these newly co-branded sites to be redemption locations for the popular BI-LO fuelperks! program.

Spinx has also recently added a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at a store in Anderson, S.C. The CNG fueling station will be open to the public for use by commercial fleets and individual vehicles. Several years ago, Spinx added electric-vehicle charging stations at four of its South Carolina stores, making it the first c-store retailer in South Carolina to have the outlets.

From a technology perspective, Spinx remains on the cutting edge; it released phase 2 of its mobile app in February 2015. The latest version of the app includes real-time Spinx fuel prices. App users can manage their Spinx Xtras loyalty card, redeem gas discount rewards at the pump and pay for purchases at the store via mobile payment.