Ranking the Top 40 C-Store Chains: A 2020 Update

CHICAGO — Accelerated M&A activity in 2019 has drastically altered the ranks of the convenience-store industry’s top chains by store count since last year.

CSP’s complete 2020 Top 202 list of the largest chains in the U.S. will be released in June, but we offer this early look at the current top 40 based on store counts as of Dec. 31, 2019.

EG America solidified its place in the top 10 with a laundry list of acquisitions, including Fastrac, Certified Oil and 566-store Cumberland Farms. The chain’s growth is another example of foreign-owned companies grabbing a larger piece of the American c-store pie.

U.S.-owned retailers are also growing through acquisitions. Notably, GPM Investments managed to stay ahead of EG America, primarily through its acquisition of more than 300 stores from Riiser Fuels LLC.

Further down the list, BW Gas & Convenience’s integration of Allsup’s into the Yesway brand catapulted the company from No. 43 in 2019 to No. 17 in 2020.

Meanwhile, chains that typically grow through new-construction activity also saw their numbers go up, particularly the Wawa and ExtraMile chains.

Here’s a look at the top 40 U.S. c-store chains by store count as they stand today …

Chain: 7-Eleven

No. of Stores: 9,364

2019 Ranking: No. 1

2020 Ranking: No. 1

Headquarters: Irving, Texas

What’s New: 7-Eleven is among the world’s largest and most widely recognized and iconic retailers, both inside and outside the c-store channel. The company’s Slurpees, Big Gulp soft drinks and fresh-made coffees have helped 7-Eleven grow in North America and in several countries overseas.

The Irving, Texas-based chain grew its U.S. store count by about 100 sites in 2019. It has set a goal of growing to 20,000 U.S. store sites by 2027.

The chain began 2020 with an acquisition bang, announcing it would acquire more than 100 7-Eleven-branded c-stores in Oklahoma from Oklahoma City-based 7-Eleven Stores.

A large majority of 7-Eleven's c-stores are operated by franchisees, while the corporate company owns the properties.

In 2019, 7-Eleven debuted a concept store in Dallas that serves as a launch pad for new ideas for the company. The store features the food concept Laredo Taco Company and a cafe. Inside, consumers can taste signature entrees and sides, made-to-order coffee, juice, aguas frescas and alcohol beverages from an area called The Cooler. The site uses Scan & Pay Technology, through which customers can make non-age-restricted purchases directly by scanning products with their smartphones.

Also in 2019, 7-Eleven launched a new brand of private-label electronic accessories, over-the-counter medications, cleaning supplies, wine accessories and more. 24/7 Life is the new brand on these general merchandise products, while packaged food and beverages will continue to be sold under the 15-year-old 7-Select label.

7-Eleven is in the midst of carefully executing a years-long strategy to update its consumer-facing technology. The long-term project began in 2017 when the chain updated its loyalty program and began testing delivery through the 7Now app in Dallas.

Since then, 7-Eleven has expanded delivery to markets across the United States, implemented scan-and-go checkout capability and improved its delivery offer with 7Now Pins, which allow consumers to have orders delivered just about anywhere.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Circle K

No. of Stores: 5,933

2019 Ranking: No. 2

2020 Ranking: No. 2

Headquarters: Laval, Quebec

What’s New: The largest convenience-store operator in Canada, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is also a major force in the U.S. and global c-store markets, and industry experts have expected it to wrest the No. 1 ranking from 7-Eleven Inc. in CSP’s annual count of U.S. c-stores.

Couche-Tard’s North American retail network consists of 15 business units, 11 in the United States covering 48 states and the District of Columbia, and four in Canada covering all 10 provinces. While it has been rebranding stores to a new global Circle K brand since 2016, the company operates in the United States under the Circle K, Holiday Stationstores and Corner Store (CST Brands Inc.) banners and in Canada under the Circle K and Couche-Tard banners. It also has a retail network in Scandinavia, Ireland, Poland, the Baltics and Russia, and it licenses the Circle K brand in 16 other countries. Its worldwide network consists of nearly 15,000 stores.

Circle K stores offer a wide variety of branded and private-label items and the Simply Great coffee and Polar Pop fountain programs.

In 2019, after a series of asset swaps, Couche-Tard sold fuel distributor and retailer CrossAmerica Partners, which it acquired in 2017 when it purchased CST Brands, to its founder, Joe Topper.

Top 202 totals cross-referenced with Couche-Tard show the company’s U.S. store count declining by more than 2,000 sites in the past year, from 8,389 to 5,993. The change is based on a reclassification of some of Couche-Tard’s stores and not a sale or rebranding.

Couche-Tard Inc. also has invested in Fire & Flower Holdings Corp., an independent Canadian cannabis retailer, and entered into an agreement with Canopy Growth Corp., a diversified cannabis and hemp company, to sell recreational marijuana in Ontario.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Speedway

No. of Stores: 3,900

2019 Ranking: No. 3

2020 Ranking: No. 3

Headquarters: Enon, Ohio

What’s New: This year will be transformative for Speedway, the retail arm of integrated refiner-marketer Marathon Petroleum Corp. In October 2019, Marathon Petroleum announced it would spin off Speedway into an independent, publicly traded company, creating the largest U.S.-listed convenience store operator.

It made the move after a strategic review and pressure from New York-based shareholder Elliott Management for Marathon Petroleum to split into three independent businesses: refining, midstream and retail. The independent Speedway will consist of Marathon Petroleum's nearly 4,000 company-owned retail store operations, while Marathon Petroleum will keep its direct-dealer business. Speedway’s spinoff is slated to be complete in fourth-quarter 2020.

Over the past year, Marathon Petroleum had pegged $500 million for investing in its retail segment in 2019, with a focus on rebranding stores from a series of acquisitions, growth in existing and new markets, dealer sites, commercial fueling/diesel expansion, store remodels and acquisitions. Most recently, the rebranding effort has included 33 NOCO Express sites acquired from NOCO Inc. in April 2019, and 285 SuperAmerica sites that came with Marathon Petroleum’s 2018 acquisition of Andeavor. This is as Speedway’s leadership has shifted from longtime president Tony Kenney, who retired in late 2019, to Timothy Griffith, its former CFO.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Casey’s General Stores

No. of Stores: 2,181

2019 Ranking: No. 4

2020 Ranking: No. 4

Headquarters: Ankeny, Iowa

What’s New: With almost 2,200 c-stores in the Midwest, Casey’s General Stores is a well-established chain of c-stores built on the premise that small towns are a good place to do business. This vision has led Casey’s to be a hub in many of the towns where it operates, acting as c-store, restaurant and community gathering place of choice. Casey’s offers a wide range of prepared foods and beverages in addition to the traditional selection of snacks, grocery items, retail goods and gasoline.

The hallmark of its in-store offerings is its expansive pizza program, which has evolved over the years to include delivery and online ordering. It is the fifth-largest seller of pizza in the United States.

Last year, Casey’s revamped its website and mobile app to allow for a more seamless ordering process. Most recently, Casey’s rolled out its new loyalty program, Casey’s Rewards, which allows customers to earn points and redeem them for fuel discounts or a donation to a local school of their choice.

Casey's generally grows through new construction and small acquisitions. Over the past three years, Casey’s has acquired 67 stores and built 189. For its 2020 fiscal year, which ends in April, Casey’s forecasted it would build at least 60 sites and acquire 25.

Casey’s will get an additional boost to its new-store efforts in the near future when it opens a third distribution center in Joplin, Mo., in the southern portion of the company’s operating territory. The new facility will initially serve 400-600 of the company’s more than 2,100 stores.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chains: Admiral, Apple Market, Baltus, BreadBox, E-Z Mart, Fas Mart, Jetz, Jiffi Stop, Jiffy Stop, Li’l Cricket, Mad Max, Next Door Store, 1-Stop, Roadrunner Markets, Rstore, Scotchman, Shore Stop, TownStar, Village Pantry and Young’s

No. of Stores: 1,734

2019 Ranking: No. 6

2020 Ranking: No. 5

Headquarters: Richmond, Va.

What’s New: GPM Investments LLC is an aggressive acquirer of convenience-store chains large and small. This year, it moves up to No. 5 on CSP's Top 202 after it grew by more than 300 sites, all via acquisitions, in 2019. These included the purchase the Riiser convenience-store chain of 63 c-stores in Wisconsin from Riiser Fuels LLC, Wausau, Wis. That acquisition brought the RStore, Mad Max and Jetz brands into the GPM fold and marked the company’s entry into Wisconsin. And GPM got an extra bonus: Before the deal was completed, Riiser Fuels purchased Marshfield, Wis.-based Baltus Oil Co.’s eight Bread and Butter Shop c-stores in Wisconsin. These stores also join the GPM portfolio of brands.

Also in December, GPM signed an agreement to acquire the wholesale fuel distribution operations and retail assets of Empire Petroleum Partners, Dallas. Empire Petroleum distributes fuel under multiple brand in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest and Midwest. The deal includes 77 retail sites and 225 controlled locations.

GPM opts to maintain most of the retail brands it acquires to take advantage of the brands' reputations in their markets.

GPM’s Fas Mart brand features a notable foodservice offering, including fried chicken, panini sandwiches and fresh grab-and-go items.

Its retail brands also include Shore Stop, Scotchman, BreadBox, Young's, Li'l Cricket, Next Door Store, Village Pantry, Apple Market, Jiffi Stop, Admiral, Roadrunner Markets, Jiffy Food Marts, E-Z Mart, 1 Stop and TownStar.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chains: Cumberland Farms, Turkey Hill, Loaf ‘N Jug, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb, Quik Stop

No. of Stores: 1,679

2019 Ranking: No. 8

2020 Ranking: No. 6

Headquarters: Westborough, Mass.

What’s New: In just a short three years, EG Group, now EG America, has made its way into the Top 10 rankings in CSP’s list of c-store chains by store count, making one of its initial significant acquisitions in the United States when it closed on its purchase of Kroger Co.’s 762 c-stores in April 2018. The international retailer, with global headquarters in Blackburn, U.K., has continued to acquire U.S. chains since. The company also established its first U.S. headquarters in Cincinnati after acquiring the Kroger c-stores.

Notably in 2018, EG Group acquired TravelCenters of America’s 225 stand-alone Minit Mart c-stores in September, further growing its U.S. store count. Then in 2019, EG Group acquired 54 Fastrac locations, 69 Certified Oil locations and 566 Cumberland Farms locations. The company also in 2019 announced it would move its headquarters to the offices of Cumberland Farms in Westborough, Mass.

EG Group was founded as Euro Garages in 2001, when it acquired a single gas station near Manchester, U.K. Euro Garages continued to acquire sites over the next decade until it was merged with European Forecourt Retail Group, with more than 1,100 sites split between Belgium and France, in 2014. The combined companies became EG Group.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chains: Murphy USA, Murphy Express

No. of Stores: 1,489

2019 Ranking: No. 5

2020 Ranking: No. 7

Headquarters: El Dorado, Ark.

What’s New: Serving about 1.6 million customers per day, according to the company, Murphy USA operates more than 1,400 stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express banners. Murphy USA stations are typically located near a Walmart store, while Murphy Express stores are stand-alone gas stations and c-stores. Murphy USA stations tend to be smaller, kiosk-format stores, while Murphy Express stations are larger, traditional convenience-store formats.

In 2019, Murphy USA initiated a loyalty program, drawing in 6.5 million participants in just a few weeks. Executives say they are beginning to gather shopper data that will help them improve inside sales and fuel volumes.

Murphy USA’s competitive advantage is its high-volume, low-cost operations at its kiosks, which are positioned in the marketplace as a destination for fuel and cigarettes, offering competitive pricing and speed of service.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: ampm

No. of Stores: 1,017

2019 Ranking: No. 7

2020 Ranking: No. 8

Headquarters: La Palma, Calif.

What’s New: BP America’s national convenience-store brand is ampm, a fully franchised banner on the West Coast. The brand is looking to attract millennial and Gen Z consumers, which is reflected in its testing of bitcoin-enabled ATMs, stocking of CBD snacks and topicals, and its social-media savvy. The ampm brand’s key focus is foodservice, with a program that emphasizes coffee, bakery, fresh sandwiches and hot prepared foods. A large fountain program offers up to 24 varieties of soda and proprietary drinks. Stores have an open floor plan, with some featuring open-air refrigerated cases carrying a selection of fresh sandwiches, fruit and yogurt.

In 2018, BP formed a joint-venture partnership with ArcLight Capital Partners to acquire the privately owned Thorntons Inc. c-store chain. Since then, the newly renamed Thorntons LLC has grown to 200 stores, all retaining the Thorntons store and fuel brand. It operates independently from the rest of BP’s retail network.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: ExtraMile

No. of Stores: 942

2019 Ranking: No. 10

2020 Ranking: No. 9

Headquarters: Pleasanton, Calif.

What’s New: ExtraMile Convenience Stores LLC (EMCS) is a joint venture franchising company for the ExtraMile convenience store offer. Structured as a 50-50 business that is split in ownership and governance between Chevron USA and Jacksons Food Stores, EMCS LLC has its sights on growing the ExtraMile c-store brand within the existing Chevron- and Texaco-branded network.

Consumers can now find ExtraMile stores in six Western states: Utah, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Idaho. As it continues to expand across more of the Western United States, EMCS plans to grow to 1,500 ExtraMile sites by 2027.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Wawa

No. of Stores: 880

2019 Ranking: No. 9

2020 Ranking: No. 10

Headquarters: Wawa, Pa.

What’s New: Wawa Inc. is one of the nation’s leading c-store chains, particularly when it comes to foodservice. In addition to a slew of fresh foods and beverages, Wawa also sells a wide selection of private-label products such as bagged Wawa coffees, Wawa dairy products and Wawa teas.

The company launched a hiring campaign to hire 1,000 employees in Florida and began a 40-store growth initiative in Northern Virginia in 2019.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: QuikTrip

No. of Stores: 820

2019 Ranking: No. 11

2020 Ranking: No. 11

Headquarters: Tulsa, Okla.

What’s New: QuikTrip Chairman and CEO Chet Cadieux was named CSP's Retail Leader of the Year in 2019, exactly 12 years after his father received the same honor. Chet has built his reputation on a people-first strategy that has made QT a desirable place to work and an admired part of the c-store industry.

QuikTrip grows almost entirely through new store construction. It added 33 new sites in calendar year 2019 to maintain its spot as the 11th largest c-store chain in the United States, with stores across 11 states.

In fiscal year 2020, which ends in April, QuikTrip will have opened 30 new-to-industry stores, including expanding into two new markets—San Antonio and Austin, Texas—and eyeing another major market: Denver.

QuikTrip is growing with its Gen3S store, a design slightly smaller than the previous more than 5,000-square-foot Generation 3 model.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Pilot Flying J

No. of Stores: 750

2019 Ranking: No. 12

2020 Ranking: No. 12

Headquarters: Knoxville, Tenn.

What’s New: In early 2020, Pilot Flying J, owner and operator of the Pilot and Flying J travel center networks, changed its name to Pilot Co. on the corporate level. While the separate retail brands will remain, the company intends the new name to serve as an umbrella for the total portfolio of brands as it continues to expand its retail and energy operations.

The move follows the 2017 acquisition by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. of a growing equity stake that will make it the majority shareholder by 2023.

In 2019, Pilot Flying J opened 26 units, six in West Texas alone, and it is planning to open 20 to 25 units in 2020, targeting California, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The company also launched the One9 Fuel Network, a nationwide fueling network for smaller fleets, in 2019. The company expects the One9 network to include 250 locations by the end of 2020.

Also in 2019, Pilot Flying J added six-week, paid, gender-neutral parental leave to its benefit package for full-time and part-time employees who have at least one year of service and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months.

And in late 2019, the company partnered with drugstore chain CVS on health and wellness kiosks in 50 travel centers.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Kwik Trip

No. of Stores: 701

2019 Ranking: No. 13

2020 Ranking: No. 13

Headquarters: La Crosse, Wis.

What’s New: Kwik Trip added 42 stores in 2019, including its Kwik Trip, Kwik Star and Tobacco Outlet Plus locations. The retailer announced a $300 million expansion plan in November 2017, and the project was expected to create more than 300 jobs in the La Crosse, Wis., area over the next five years.

In 2019, the company introduced its new fresh fried chicken take-home meal program as a whole meal solution for its customers. It also released its own beer, Glazer Bean, to its Wisconsin stores. The chocolate coffee stout was made with Kwik Trip’s signature Cafe Karuba dark roast coffee and inspired by its Glazer doughnuts, said Kim Jenks, category manager of alcohol beverages and tobacco for Kwik Trip.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Sheetz

No. of Stores: 598

2019 Ranking: No. 14

2020 Ranking: No. 14

Headquarters: Altoona, Pa.

What’s New: At the end of last year, Sheetz, which operates 598 stores in six states, revealed plans to install 24 new sites, six rebuilds, 18 remodels and nine refreshes in 2020. Each of the 24 new stores will span either 5,000 or 6,000 square feet, will have six to eight multipump dispensers (MPDs) and 40 to 45 parking spaces.

The company also had a big 2019 in terms of food and beverage innovation. In May, the company partnered with brewer Rusty Rail Brewing Co. to create its first-ever craft beer, Project Coffee Hopz. The beer is a coffee bean IPA that was released as an LTO in 55 Sheetz stores across Pennsylvania. By the end of the year, Sheetz also had launched the plant-based Beyond Burger in all of its 597 locations, joining only a few other c-store chains that are on the plant-based meat bandwagon.

Sheetz also rolled out a line of cannabidiol (CBD) products at more than 140 of its stores across Pennsylvania last year. The items included topical rubs and patches, tinctures, vape pens, oral pouches, capsules, pet products and more.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: RaceTrac

No. of Stores: 555

2019 Ranking: No. 16

2020 Ranking: No. 15

Headquarters: Atlanta

Note: Due to its different business model, RaceTrac Petroleum’s RaceWay store brand appears separately. See No. 31.

What’s New: After going through “tremendous” growth, RaceTrac changed its top leadership structure in 2019 to focus more on its expansion. The chain added 36 new stores in the past year, along with three locations that were relocated or rebuilt. RaceTrac also entered the Nashville market and opened four additional locations in middle Tennessee, with more planned, according to Megan Shannon, communications manager for RaceTrac. The chain will open 40 new RaceTrac locations in 2020 in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, she said. The new stores are bright, welcoming and conveniently located, Shannon said. Inside, RaceTrac offers a wide selection of on-the-go food and beverages, including favorites such as its Swirl World frozen desserts station and its signature Crazy Good Coffee.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores

No. of Stores: 508

2019 Ranking: No. 17

2020 Ranking: No. 16

Headquarters: Oklahoma City

What’s New: Love’s opened its 500th store in 2019 and has plans in 2020 to open 40 stores. “We enter 2020 with lots of momentum that we’ll continue through customer-experience enhancements, product offerings and the best value on the road,” said Love’s President Shane Wharton. “We’ll open stores from coast to coast, continue to provide products and services that our customers depend upon and enhance our reputation as the company known for highway hospitality.” Highlights of Love’s 2020 plan include expanding the store’s fresh food offerings, enhancing the Love’s Connect mobile app and opening new compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas, solar and hydrogen stations. Love’s prides itself on its numerous types of stores and services, including its Country Stores, Travel Stops, a growing interstate hotel business and storage facilities.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Yesway

No. of Stores: 421

2019 Ranking: No. 43

2020 Ranking: No. 17

Headquarters: West Des Moines, Iowa

What’s New: BW Gas & Convenience Holdings joined the convenience-store industry in late 2015 with ambitions of operating up to 1,000 stores. It first acquired 10 Country Store sites in late 2015, then added 21 sites purchased from Kum & Go. The chain has slowly accumulated stores through acquisition ever since, most recently in July 2018 with the Fresh Start chain. In March 2018, it acquired the In & Out BP Travel Plaza in Marshalltown, Iowa. And in February 2018, it acquired five Rip Griffin Travel Centers in Texas and one State Line Convenience store in Missouri.

In 2019, Yesway acquired Clovis, N.M.-based Allsup’s and its 304 stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, catapulting the chain into the 2020 top 20.

The company is an affiliate of Beverly, Mass.-based Brookwood Financial Partners, a real-estate and private-equity investment and asset management company with more than $2.6 billion in holdings. Brookwood Financial Partners LLC formed BW in 2015 and announced its c-store brand—Yesway—in summer 2016.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Kum & Go

No. of Stores: 398

2019 Ranking: No. 18

2020 Ranking: No. 18

Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa

What’s New: In 1959, W.A. “Bill” Krause and T.S. Gentle formed a partnership and created the beginnings of the now large convenience-store chain Kum & Go. The two, a father-in-law and son-in-law, created Hampton Oil Co. in Hampton, Iowa, which soon became the Krause Gentle Corp., and later Kum & Go LC.

In May 2018, Tanner Krause succeeded his father, Kyle Krause, as president of Kum & Go LC. Kyle transitioned to chairman and CEO. Three months later, CSP honored Kyle as its 2018 Retail Leader of the Year during a formal dinner in Las Vegas.

In November 2019, the company announced it would expand its site count in the Denver market by 13 stores within a year.

Kum & Go has long been dedicated to the communities it serves, sharing 10% of its profits with charitable causes. For four generations, the family-owned convenience store chain has focused on providing exceptional service and delivering more than customers expect.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: United Pacific

No. of Stores: 365

2019 Ranking: No. 21

2020 Ranking: No. 19

Headquarters: Long Beach, Calif.

What’s New: United Pacific offers motor fuels products under the 76, Conoco, Shell and United Oil flags, and convenience items through the We Got It! Food Mart, My Goods Market and Circle K store brands. United Pacific operates its retail and wholesale businesses in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. As a force in metro markets such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, the chain’s stores are known to have competitive pricing on gas, tobacco and energy drinks.

Fortress Investment Group created Long Beach, Calif.-based United Pacific from the purchase of United Oil Co. in 2015. United Pacific is now owned by SoftBank Group Corp., a Tokyo-based telecom holding company and investment firm, which acquired it from New York-based Fortress in 2017.

With a presence on Facebook, United is using social media to reach new customers, showing photos and location information, as well as highlighting products that are on promotion. Social-media marketing enables the chain to be more aggressive with its signage, especially at the point of purchase. Social media is also United Pacific’s most prominent employee recruitment tool.

In October 2018, United Pacific acquired 39 convenience-store properties from Macland Investments, a Ventura, Calif.-based company with diversified gas station, c-store and car-wash holdings and real-estate investments. The deal included seven car washes and five quick-service restaurants.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Unbranded

No. of Stores: 360

2019 Ranking: No. 29

2020 Ranking: No. 20

Headquarters: Doral, Fla.

What’s New: Sunshine Gasoline Distributors Inc., owned by Cuban-American Maximo Alvarez, its president, is one of the largest gasoline distributors in Florida, supplying 515 gas stations and owning 360 of them. Its brands include Shell, Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, Marathon and CITGO. Most of the convenience stores are unbranded, and some are open 24 hours a day, while others close as early as 6 p.m. or are closed on Sundays. Some stores have outdoor eating areas.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chains: Kwik Fill, Red Apple Food Marts, Country Fair

No. of Stores: 349

2019 Rank: No. 20

2020 Rank: No. 21

Headquarters: Warren, Pa.

Warren, Pa.-based United Refining Co. is an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products and the parent company of convenience stores in Pennsylvania and portions of Ohio and New York. The company operates gas stations, convenience stores, truckstops, restaurants and garages. The c-stores are branded Kwik Fill, Red Apple Food Marts and Country Fair. Each is a separate retail division, operated independently, with separate company headquarters and management staffs.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chains: MAPCO Express

No. of Stores: 345

2019 Ranking:No. 21

2020 Ranking:No. 22

Headquarters: Franklin, Tenn.

What’s New: Owned by Compania de Petroleos de Chile (COPEC), a Chilean retail and fuel giant, MAPCO operates c-stores in the United States under several banners. Stores stock a standard mix of c-store items such as cigarettes, snacks, packaged beverages and beer. Foodservice also gets play, with touchscreen ordering terminals and interior seating setting the stage for a program that includes proprietary made-to-order meals or a branded quick-service restaurant partner, depending on the location.

MAPCO saw a change in leadership in late 2019, when Hal Adams left as CEO. Frederic Chaveyriat, executive vice president of the board, took over as interim CEO. When hired in early 2018, Adams had been tasked with establishing a company culture and driving growth in the c-store chain’s various business units. Sources tell CSP that Chaveyriat will take the helm officially.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Maverik

No. of Stores: 342

2019 Ranking:No. 23

2020 Ranking:No. 23

Headquarters: Salt Lake City

What’s New: Maverik, which calls itself “Adventure’s First Stop,” has more than 340 convenience stores in 11 states. The chain targets young adventure seekers and outdoor enthusiasts by establishing itself as a “base camp” for activities such as off-roading, biking, canoeing and mountain climbing and incorporating them into the stores’ concept and decor.

Maverik’s most recent acquisition was its purchase of four Best Stop convenience stores in Utah and Idaho in September 2018. Earlier that year, the chain made a three-year commitment to the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), a nonprofit that helps increase access to healthier food options. As part of its involvement with PHA, Maverik is working healthier packaged and made-to-order options into its offer and growing its selection of healthier dispensed and packaged beverages.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Stewart’s Shops

No. of Stores: 336

2019 Ranking:No. 22

2020 Ranking:No. 24

Headquarters: Ballston Spa, N.Y.

What’s New: Stewart’s has more than 330 stores in upstate New York and southwestern Vermont. While mostly owned by the family of chairman William Dake, employees also own approximately 40% of the company through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

Stewart’s is known regionally for its milk, ice cream, coffee, food to go, gasoline and other convenience items. The company has an extensive production, distribution and warehousing network that supplies its stores. As a result, the chain is unique in the number of products it produces in its own facilities, including 20-ounce “refresher” teas and dairy drinks. It also offers a private-label craft beer.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Rebel

No. of Stores: 300

2019 Ranking: 31

2020 Ranking: 25

Headquarters: Upland, Calif.

What’s New: Anabi Oil has a portfolio of 300 sites with gasoline and stores, an increase of about 50 stores. At the beginning of 2020, the chain ranked No. 25, up from No. 31 last year. Anabi Oil is a family-owned and -operated business that has been working with independent retailers since 1991 to provide fuel and help them operate successful convenience stores, gas stations and car washes. The company sells and delivers Shell fuel throughout the state of California. Growth in the past year has been driven by an increase in station operators seeking branding and guidance from Anabi, including the addition of more branded foodservice options.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Alltown Fresh, Xtra Mart

No. of Stores: 287

2019 Ranking:No. 30

2020 Ranking:No. 26

Headquarters: Waltham, Mass.

What’s New: Global Partners, which operates nearly 290 stores in the Northeast, had an active 2019. In January, the company sold 24 convenience stores with gasoline: 12 in New York, five in Connecticut, four in Maryland, two in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. Later that month, Global Partners opened its first Alltown Fresh store in Plymouth, Mass. The concept aims to provide a clean eating alternative to the traditional c-store model.

In April, the company adopted PayByCar—a tool that lets drivers purchase gas from their car without using cash, a credit card or a mobile app—at one of its Alltown Fresh convenience stores in Westborough, Mass. When a car equipped with PayByCar enters the station, PayByCar recognizes the transponder and sends a text to the consumer’s smartphone. The customer replies with the pump number and PayByCar automatically activates that pump, registers the transaction, charges the card and sends an email receipt with retail offers for the visit.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: TravelCenters of America, TA Express

No. of Stores: 264

2019 Ranking: No. 29

2020 Ranking:No. 27

Headquarters: Westlake, Ohio

What’s New: TravelCenters of America (TA) operates more than 260 stores in 43 U.S. states and one Canadian province. The company had a busy 2019: In January, TA acquired 20 travel-center properties it was leasing from its principal landlord, Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT), for $308.2 million. A month later, TA signed an agreement with Heinz Inc., operator of the Coffee Cup Fuel Stops, to convert four of its Coffee Cup locations to the TA Express brand.

In May, the company’s board of directors approved a plan to convert from a Delaware limited liability company, or LLC, to a Maryland corporation. The move was intended to refocus the company on its core business and to reposition it financially.

In June, TA signed a franchise agreement with Amin Alibhai, a real estate investor and owner of Nizar Alibhai investments Inc., Atlanta, to open a TA-branded travel center in Huntington, Ore. Three months later, TA opened its second TA Express franchise in Hot Springs, S.D.

Finally, in December, the company appointed Jonathan Pertchik as CEO and managing director, succeeding the retiring Andrew Rebholz.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: 7-Eleven licensee, DK

No. of Stores: 260

2019 Ranking:No. 27

2020 Ranking:No. 28

Headquarters: Brentwood, Tenn.

What’s New:Delek U.S. Holdings is the largest 7-Eleven licensee in the United States, with locations in central and West Texas and New Mexico. The retail c-store business has launched a new convenience-store brand, DK, and will rebrand all of the 7-Eleven stores by the end of 2021.

Delek U.S. Holdings is a diversified downstream energy company with assets in petroleum refining, renewable fuels, asphalt, logistics, wholesale marketing operations and convenience-store retailing. The refining system consists of four locations.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: GetGo

No. of Stores: 258

2019 Ranking:No. 28

2020 Ranking:No. 29

Headquarters: Pittsburgh

What’s New: In 2020, Giant Eagle will continue its westward expansion from Pennsylvania with a doubling of its new GetGo Cafe and Market store count and an acceleration of new store builds. The retailer is looking for land with room for the stores' large, foodservice-focused footprint and a car wash, Polly Flinn, executive vice president and general manager of GetGo Cafe and Market, told CSP in late 2019. Acquisitions are also on the table, with a preference for assets that can provide a food-first experience and a cultural fit, Flinn said.

Giant Eagle has rebranded the exterior of all 56 Indianapolis-area Ricker’s sites it acquired in October 2018 to GetGo Cafe and Market; inside the store, the original branding remains, with Ricker’s Pop fountain beverages. The aim was to bring an overall brand strategy and “ecosystem” of format and offers to the former Ricker’s sites, while acknowledging the power of the Ricker’s brand, but this may not be the strategy for all acquisitions.

“It’s pretty much brand strategy 101,” said Flinn, pointing out that the company would weigh “the equity the [existing] brand has, what role it plays and how much investment it would take, and what value for shareholders it would provide to keep the existing brand or rebrand it.”

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Jacksons Food Stores

No. of Stores: 254

2019 Ranking:No. 32

2020 Ranking:No. 30

Headquarters: Meridian, Ohio

What’s New: Parent company Jackson Oil operates a national chain of Jacksons Foods Stores that in 2017 announced it would enter into a joint-venture partnership with San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron Corp. to franchise and grow the oil company’s ExtraMile c-store brand. Jacksons said it would rebrand about 60 of its own Jacksons c-stores (all its locations that are currently under a Chevron canopy) to ExtraMile (No. 9). In 2019, Jacksons converted 22 of its stores in southwestern Idaho to the ExtraMile brand.

Jacksons Food Stores Inc., a private company, manages its own stores, while the new joint-venture entity, called ExtraMile Convenience Stores, oversees its ExtraMile locations as a franchisor.

The company’s retail network includes a mix of c-stores, travel centers and car washes. Jackson Oil is a jobber for more than 800 dealer sites in nine Western states, delivering fuel brands 76, Chevron, Conoco, Exxon, Mobil, Phillips 66, Shell and Texaco.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: RaceWay

No. of Stores: 245

2019 Ranking:No. 30

2020 Ranking:No. 31

Headquarters: Atlanta

What’s New: RaceWay added one new location in 2019. It operates as a franchisor, with each location owned by parent company RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. (No. 15). RaceWay’s locations average 2,900 square feet and are spread out across the Southeast. In the RaceWay network, operators pay a commission per gallon of gasoline sold, with inside inventory and sales being the responsibility of the operator. All the stores sell the company’s proprietary gasoline brand.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Timewise

No. of Stores: 225

2019 Ranking: No. 32

2020 Ranking:No. 33

Headquarters: Houston

What’s New: Landmark Industries operates 225 Timewise stores in Texas, all around Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Laredo. While the company’s store count didn’t change in the past year, the company hits the list at No. 32, up a notch from No. 33 last year. Partner Marshall Dujka said there are two new stores under construction at the beginning of 2020. One in LaMarque, Texas, is due to open in late February. Another in Tomball, Texas, is scheduled to open in late March.

The company debuted the Timewise retail brand in 1982 with one store in Hempstead, Texas.  The company also has a wholesale division that distributes several fuels brands, including Shell, Chevron, Exxon, Texaco and Valero. Timewise stores offer a broad array of national-branded merchandise, as well as fresh food and car washes. The company contributes to the communities it serves through Landmark Charities, which was established in 2012 to support nonprofit groups with funds raised in stores and at events. The company has raised and distributed more than $1 million to groups in its markets, including the Westview School for children with autism and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Royal Farms

No. of Stores: 222

2019 Ranking: No. 37

2020 Ranking:No. 33

Headquarters: Baltimore

What’s New: Royal Farms owns and operates more than 220 convenience stores in five states. The company most recently added 15 new stores in 2018, including its 200th location, a new build in Oxon Hill, Md., in the National Harbor waterfront district.

The chain sells gasoline under the Royal Farms brand. It also offers a network of DC fast chargers, as well as some Level 2 electric-vehicle chargers. In April 2019, Royal Farms added higher ethanol blends to its 12th location in partnership with Protec Fuel Management, an ethanol marketing and solutions company. Specifically, Royal Farms added E15—branded as Regular 88—and E85 to its 200th store.

Royal Farms’ foodservice program is centered around its flagship fried chicken. The company offers family-size meal deals at a special price, as well as Thanksgiving meals anchored by its fried chicken.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Meijer

No. of Stores: 217

2019 Ranking:No. 35

2020 Ranking:No. 34

Headquarters: Grand Rapids, Mich.

What’s New: Meijer is a family business, started in 1934 by Fred Meijer as a supermarket chain. Meijer firmly believed that retail is all about the customer, espousing that Meijer thrives by meeting the customers’ needs and exceeding their expectations. The company is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in the 1960s and today has about 80,000 employees and revenue of $19 billion. About half of the company’s stores are in Michigan, with its corporate headquarters in Grand Rapids. The other stores are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin. The Meijer portfolio includes more than 200 Meijer Gas Stations with convenience stores. The stations promote fuel savings for customers who us a Meijer credit card and business customers using a Meijer Fleet card. Convenience stores are open 24 hours a day and offer coffee, fountain drinks and snacks, as well as fresh foods.

In late summer 2018, Meijer opened a new convenience store and gas station situated adjacent to the retailer’s headquarters. The 5,500-square-foot convenience store was the first Meijer gas station to include a separate full-service Starbucks. It also included elements of design first debuted in 2016, such as a large seating area with free Wi-Fi and phone charging stations, and an expanded assortment of freshly prepared foods, fresh produce and protein-based snacks, wraps, fruit and organic items, as well as grab-and-go meals prepared locally by Superior Foods.

Stores have continued to build out fresh food offerings. The chain also sets itself apart with its private-label “Meijer made” products, which include popcorn and potato chips, as well as frozen snacks and fresh-made guacamole and potato salad. The gas station/convenience store division is expanding, with five new stores under construction and scheduled to open in March 2020. They are in Grand Rapids and Battle Axe, Mich.; Manitowoc, Wis.; Kent and Lorain, Ohio; and Sycamore, Ill. The newest stores are prototypes, with an oven and frozen pizza program.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chains: Stripes, Cal’s Convenience

No. of Stores: 207

2019 Ranking:No. 36

2020 Ranking:No. 35 (tie)

Headquarters: Frisco, Texas

What’s New: Cal’s Convenience entered into a commission-agent agreement with Sunoco to own and operate 207 Stripes c-stores in April 2018. Jack Whitney, former vice president of retail operations for Sunoco and Stripes, is now president and CEO of Cal’s Convenience.

Whitney previously was vice president of store operations for CEFCO Convenience Stores (No. 35), Temple, Texas, and was a division vice president for The Pantry before it was acquired by Alimentation Couche-Tard (No. 2).

The stores are spread across West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Through the commission-agent agreement, Stripes LLC has granted Cal’s a sublicense to use the Stripes and Laredo Taco Company brands, pursuant to Stripes’ license agreements with 7-Eleven Inc.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: CEFCO

No. of Stores: 207

2019 Ranking:No. 34

2020 Ranking:No. 35 (tie)

Headquarters: Temple, Texas

What’s New: After closing some stores in the past year or two that didn’t meet company standards, CEFCO added three new-to-industry stores in 2019 to bring its total to 207 by year-end. Another eight NTI sites are scheduled for 2020, along with two rebuilds. The CEFCO portfolio also includes 27 franchised restaurants.

Clarence Edison Fikes opened a single Texaco station in his hometown of Cameron, Texas, in 1952. Fikes, known as C.E., expanded his fuel business and opened his first convenience store in 1979. Son James joined the business and is CEO today. He grew the CEFCO chain of stores mainly by acquisition, taking the first venture out of Texas and into Mississippi and Alabama. Operations now include stores in six states: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. The first site in Florida was a new build in 2014.

Parent company Fikes Wholesale Inc. is a supplier of branded and unbranded gasoline and diesel fuel to retail and commercial locations throughout the Southeast U.S. CEFCO and Fikes Wholesale support their communities through donations and volunteering to organizations such as the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The company’s C.E. Fikes Endowed Scholarships program provides funds to help students with college tuition.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: Sam’s Food Stores, DB Mart, Smoker’s Discount World

No. of Stores: 185

2019 Ranking:No. 39

2020 Ranking:No. 37

Headquarters: Rocky Hill, Conn.

What’s New: Sam’s Food Stores operates locations across New England, with many sites in Connecticut. The business includes the convenience-store chains Sam’s Food Stores and DB Mart, gas station chain Ravi Petro and the tobacco specialty shop Smoker's Discount World, plus other sites that are branded by fuel. Sam’s Food Stores has a handful of company-operated stores, with the rest leased to independent operators.

Sam’s Food Stores range in size from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet and operate in both heavily populated towns and smaller communities.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: United Dairy Farmers (UDF)

No. of Stores: 175

2019 Ranking:No. 40

2020 Ranking:No. 38

Headquarters: Cincinnati

What’s New: The core differentiator for United Dairy Farmers is arguably right in its name. This privately owned, regional chain, founded 80 years ago, specializes in hand-dipped ice cream, which it crafts into sundaes, ice cream floats and sodas, shakes and malts right in the store. UDF is so renowned for its dairy treats that it ranked 8th on Food & Wine magazine’s list of the top 22 c-store chains by foodservice in 2019.

Beyond ice cream, UDF made another big step in 2019 with the construction of a “fresh foods” production facility near Cincinnati, where it is frying up a new, proprietary line of square doughnuts.

UDF also is driving growth and store traffic with its U-Drive Fuel Rollback loyalty program, which offers cents off per gallon of gasoline for purchases of coffee, milk and other c-store staples, and a new loyalty app that offers a digital connection to the loyalty program as well as coupons and special deals.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.

Chain: QuickChek

No. of Stores: 160

2019 Ranking: No. 41

2020 Ranking: No. 39

Headquarters: Whitehouse Station, N.J.

What's New: In 2019, QuickChek earned a spot in Food & Wine magazine's list of the top convenience-store chains for foodservice. The magazine said the Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based chains earned its spot on the list because of its full sandwich bars, array of coffees and comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese, empanadas and french fries.

Privately held QuickChek added three new stores in 2019 to grow to 160 sites in New Jersey and New York, including 84 with fuel. With other changes on CSP's Top 202 list, that's enough to move the chain into the Top 40, from No. 41 in 2019 to No. 38 this year.

Source: CSP. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.