9378 US-53, Kabetogama MN 56669
“The Gateway General Store is awesome. Full of unique gifts and all your necessities and also full of the most helpful caring people. We accidentally left a beloved stuffy outside the store. 300 miles later we realized what had happened. We called in hopes that it was still there. It was! And the wonderful caring staff took it upon themselves to make sure it made it back to us. They refused to let us reimburse them the cost to ship it. They just said they were happy to help and to pay the kindness forward. What an amazing place. Highly recommend stopping in to see the store and the staff. Thanks so much!”
12193 Ash River Trail, Orr MN 55771
“Stopped for gas. Pay at pump did not work but they told me to fuel up and then come in to pay on the speaker. No issue. The two men working were nice and provided us with some information about the welcome center locations and things to see in the area. Prices are a little higher but we are in the middle of nowhere! Convince comes at a price. I thought the prices were comparable to other places in the area.”
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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