Convenience Stores Grow More Elaborate in Contest for Rushed Shoppers

Competition among convenience store chains has heated up, as retailers vie to win over consumers by redefining and expanding “convenience.”

Chains such as 7-Eleven, Wawa and Royal Farms are rushing to build new stores, remodel existing ones, boost assortments of meals to go and, more often than not, sell gas out front.

Maryland-based Royal Farms, a 151-store chain in four states, opened a dozen new locations and rebuilt six last year. Known for its fried chicken, it is building nine new stores this year.

The chain is bolstering its home front against the likes of a larger and rapidly expanding Wawa and a newly aggressive 7-Eleven. Wawa is opening close to 50 new stores this year in a six-state area, about a third more than last year. And 7-Eleven launched a national push into urban areas, with plans to open up to a dozen new stores a year in the Baltimore area alone.

All three aim to serve time-crunched consumers, who are turning more and more to large-format convenience stores not just for milk and candy, but for a fill-up and dinner.

“People want more convenience, and it just continues to escalate,” said Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “The reason that you’re seeing growth of convenience stores is … people are continually redefining convenience. It used to be all that meant was extended hours of operation, then it became about convenient locations.”

Today, it’s all of that plus offering a single spot to fill the tank, withdraw cash and grab a meal, Lenard said. The new convenience stores are seen as more than a last resort to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner, he said.

“It’s gone from desperation to destination,” Lenard said. “More (stores) are in the food service business, and you know you can get a good meal. You’re seeing where people expect some of the best places to possibly eat can be at a gas station.”

Royal Farms trades on its chicken and Western-cut fries, Wawa on its built-to-order hoagies. 7-Eleven has moved beyond Big Bite hot dogs, with an expanded array of ready-to-eat foods. (But don’t worry, the dogs are still on the rollers.)

“We’re expanding and improving our brand, depending on where real estate is available and where it makes sense for us to expand our footprint,” said Ed Stronski, Royal Farms’ marketing manager.

The chain is building about 10 to 12 new stores a year, all of them offering gasoline on a busy road. The stores range in size from 4,000 square feet to 5,600 square feet. It’s also remodeling older stores and improving its food service offerings.

It’s all with an eye toward staying ahead of the competition, as Royal Farms goes head to head with drugstores, grocers, fast-food outlets, and coffee and doughnut shops, as well as other convenience stores such as Wawa.

Fast-growing Wawa operates 570 stores in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and is moving into Florida.

“We’re constantly looking for new sites and ways to serve communities we’re not serving,” said Lori Bruce, a Wawa spokeswoman.

Some newer Wawa stores feature the chain’s latest design, with a larger kitchen area and emphasis on fresh food such as its made-to-order sub sandwiches and espresso-based drinks, Bruce said. The chain tries to differentiate itself, she said, with a variety of food offerings ranging from its hoagies and quesadillas to soups, salads and fruit.

“We think that our offerings really distinguish us in that retail set,” Bruce said.

In the past dozen years, the number of convenience stores nationwide jumped 25 percent to more than 149,000, including both single operators and chains, according to the convenience store association. That far exceeds the number of U.S. supermarkets, drugstores and dollar stores.

An average of 1,100 customers a day walk through the doors of any given convenience store that also sells gas, according to the association. They spend less than four minutes, on average, from the time they leave their car to the time they return, Lenard said. But in that short amount of time, they spend money.

Convenience stores’ $700 billion in sales last year edged past the total sales of restaurants and supermarkets and jumped well above drugstore sales, according to the association. Sales rose 2.2 percent in the stores and 2.9 percent at the gas pumps compared with 2011.

Gasoline sales are increasingly important, helping to draw customers into the stores. Just a few decades ago, gas stations sold most of the nation’s gas. Now, convenience stores sell 80 percent of all fuel sold in the United States.