297 US-70, Bylas AZ 85530
“I was recently stranded in Bylas, AZ on my way to Safford, AZ for the annual New Year's weekend hot air Balloon Festival. I'm new to AZ and take public transportation to get around, so I took a Greyhound bus to Bylas and was told that Apache transit was running a shuttle bus to Safford, which turned out to not be running December 31st. The lady, and the young man, that were working in the store that day were so helpful to me! My phone went out of communication, as my phone carrier didn't seem to have any connections in the area! I wish I could remember the lady's name, she let me use her hotspot so I could attempt to schedule an Uber ride, which turned out to not have any drivers available! I was told that there were no taxi services in Bylas either! She even attempted to find someone to give me a ride, which was very kind of her. Anyway, I made it to Safford with the help of a kind lady, and her family, named Althea and spent my two nights in Safford. I was hoping to make it back to Bylas to thank the kind staff in whatever monetary way I could, where I was to catch my return Greyhound bus. Unfortunately I was stranded by the Apache transit shuttle bus again and ended up, after many hours of stress, cancelling my departure ticket from Bylas to Thatcher instead. I won't ever forget the kind people of Bylas!”
The Iowa retailer, the third-largest convenience store operator in the country, built its new three-year plan around three priorities: store growth, food and beverage expansion, and kitchen technology upgrades. The company plans to add 120 stores during the current fiscal year. Its previous plan, launched in 2023, delivered more than 500 new stores and earned the company a spot in the S&P 500.
Read the postLove's Travel Stops is starting 2025 with ambitious growth plans, adding 20 new stores and updating 50 current locations across the country. The truck stop company will upgrade its stores through its Strategic Remodel Initiative, which started in 2022. This includes the modernization of its recently acquired turnpike location in Stroud, Oklahoma. By 2035, over half of Love's 655 stores will be either new or updated.
Read the postFood service giant Sodexo plans to open nearly 100 "Food Hive" locations on campuses nationwide by 2026. The company has already started the process, aiming to launch about 30 new college convenience stores during the current 2024-25 academic year.
Read the post7-Eleven is going big on food and "frictionless shopping." The convenience store giant plans to open 500 new "food-forward" locations across the U.S. from 2025 to 2027. The expansion builds on 7-Eleven's "Evolution" store concept, first launched in Dallas in 2019. These larger-format stores feature in-store restaurants, premium products like craft beer and cigars, and an emphasis on fresh, grab-and-go meals.
Read the postAmazon has quietly opened a new type of grocery store in downtown Chicago. Called Amazon Grocery, the 3,800-square-foot store is a testing ground for Amazon's latest experiment in brick-and-mortar retail. The first Amazon Grocery location shares a building with a Whole Foods Market, which Amazon purchased in 2017.
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