GoMart Inc.

With its store count at 122, officials with GoMart say they intend to add more stores toward the end of this year. The chain's legacy goes back to the early 1900s, when Fred, Charles and Rod Heater begin supplying fuel to gasoline-powered paddleboats on the Little Kanawha River in West Virginia. They formed Heater Oil Co. in the 1920s to distribute petroleum products. In 1970, Heater Oil installed West Virginia's first self-serve gas pumps, the company said, naming the stations Go Tron.

In 1971, the company opened the first GoMart store: a two-bay garage located in Gassaway, West Virginia with four gas pumps and a small store with various grocery items. The store's name was chosen through an employee contest. GoMart operates convenience stores primarily in West Virginia, with some in Ohio and Virginia. Its mascot is Marty the GoMart Gopher, featured frequently on social media. The chain's size has remained constant, with the stores averaging 2,000 to 4,000 square feet and offering a variety of products, including locally made artisanal goods, live bait and West Virginia University apparel. They offer limited-service, self-service and quick-service restaurant formats for foodservice. Some locations feature GoMart's proprietary foodservice, consisting of breakfast pastries and sandwiches, chicken, subs and salads. Others have a Sub Express/Pizza Primo restaurant, and some have Subways. Gas brands include BP and Sunoco.

For benchmarking purposes, store counts are as of Jan. 1, 2025.