Too Much Good Stuff? ampm Leaves Atlanta

BP gas stations in the metro Atlanta area stripped off their ampm branding last week, marking the end of a four and half year run in Atlanta.  Ampm's parent company BP withdrew the brand from multiple eastern United States' cites including Chicago, Cincinnati  Cleveland and Orlando in addition to Atlanta.  A BP spokesperson said that the eastern withdrawal was a "strategic decision"  so that the company could focus on the western U.S. where ampm was started in 1978. Ampm was purchased, along with its creator Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), by BP in 2008. Currently there is a sale of ARCO to San Antonio, Texas-based Tesoro pending, at which point BP will retail the ampm brand.  

When ampm came to Atlanta in 2008, it replaced BP Connect and the accompanying Wild Bean Cafe in many of the newer locations.  When I spoke to an employee of a local BP over the weekend, I was told that  neither BP Connect nor the Wild Bean Cafe would be returning to Atlanta.  Instead, in many locations, the cafe area will re-branded as Subway, and Krispy Kreme will be brought in to supply doughnuts.

The decisions to sell ARCO and pull ampm from the eastern  U.S. were both made in August, but are now getting closer to reality. The ampm brand should be gone from the eastern U.S. by year end and the ARCO sale is scheduled to close by the second quarter of next year.

Locally, ampm had been a supporter of both the Atlanta Braves and Turner Field.  Their slogan "Too Much Good Stuff" was rather perfect considering the business they were in.

Will you miss ampm in the local area?  Did you like Wild Bean Cafe and want it back?  What food item are you most likely to purchase at a gas station?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

RaceTrac at it Again and Near a QuikTrip Too!

At least two more RaceTrac stations coming soon to the metro

I've done a number of postings about the battle for intown gas station sites, with Atlanta-based RaceTrac trying to play catch-up to Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip.  Now another RaceTrac is in the works.  RacesTrac is constructing a new next generation convenience store and gas station at 7140 Buford Highway, less than two miles from where QuikTrip opened one of their Gen3 stores earlier this year.

Although not directly across the street from the QuikTrip like RaceTrac's upcoming location on Lawrenceville Highway near Northlake Parkway, and planned location on Lawrenceville Highway near North DeKalb Mall, RaceTrac is no longer staying in the burbs.  Another new RaceTrac is planned for 624 Buford Drive in Lawrenceville, but its recent intown projects are most significant.

The new QuikTrip at Clairmont and Briarcliff Roads is scheduled to open early next month, and  their planned Chamblee-Tucker location has apparently finally been approved.  RaceTrac got an unexplained late start on their location near Northlake Parkway, but it should open by early next year.

Some readers have said they don't like both stations dominating and feel it will lead to higher prices while other applaud their arrival in their community.  Where do you stand? Weigh in and share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Georgia Getting New Costco...Kinda

Seattle-based Costco Wholesale is bringing their new Business Center store to the Atlanta area next month.  The new concept store, designed to be more oriented towards small business owners, will open in place of an existing warehouse in Morrow.

This will be the first Business Center on the east coast, and the ninth overall in the company.  There are currently four locations in California, two in Washington and one each in Las Vegas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona.

The Morrow Costco originally opened in 1999 and is one of ten stores the company operates in the state. 

Business Center locations' variety of merchandise is much different than a typical Costco.  Thousands of items, or over 70% of its merchandise, is not carried in normal Costco stores or any other warehouse clubs. The stores specialize in meeting the needs of food service and convenience store owners.  Neither beer or wine, nor clothes or tires are available in Business Center locations. In addition, neither optical nor fresh meats (deli) will be available, yet pharmacy and prepackaged meats will. 

I spoke with an associate at the store recently and she informed me that the store is in the process of transitioning to the new format and that it should be complete by the middle of next month.  The store has not closed for any portion of the transition and is still open, and when finished, it will remain open to all Costco members.

I took note of a few benefits to the normal everyday consumer in our brief conversation.  The store will open at 7am Monday though Saturday, earlier than any other Costco in the area.  The downside is that the store will not open at all on Sunday.  Additionally, the store will cater to the needs of restaurant and C-store owners, but also have items like whisks and bowls, sold by themselves, without the normal bulk buying Costco customers are accustomed to. 

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Next Generation C-Store Progress + New Competition?

Atlanta-based RaceTrac and Tulsa,Oklahoma-based QuikTrip are both adding new, next genration locations in the metro area. 

RaceTrac, which had a 75 year head start building out its network of locations in Atlanta, is finally getting closer to the prized ITP locations that QT has monopolized for years.  More after the jump.

Next Generation RaceTrac

I visted a new RaceTrac in Acworth this past January and then a new QuikTrip in Doraville this past April.  Both stores offer a wider variety of food options than their typical respective stores, and as a result, are larger in square footage.  QuikTrip offers soft serve ice cream, whereas RaceTrac offers a frozen yogurt product from Portland-based YoCream (a division of  Dannon), the same company that supplies Yogli Mogli and Menchie's, among others.  Both stores feature various coffee options and an enhanced coffee station for add-ins. Both stores also offer a wider variety of food options such as sandwiches and pizzas.  I wouldn't say there is a clear winner between the two, but they sure to make it tough on BP and others that have stumbled with their food options. 

BP's Wild Bean Cafe/BP Connect concepts were removed from all metro area locations in early 2008, and replaced with the ampm branding.  Ampm was started in early 1970 in California and was brought to Atlanta by way of eventual owner BP. BP and Shell are among the largest multi-national oil companies represented in Atlanta. 

In April, RaceTrac opened another new location, this on the East West Connector, not far from the company's Cumberland headquarters.  Another location, planned for Spring Road and said to be the company's flagship, is still in limbo, pending neighborhood approval. 

QuikTrip, meanwhile, opened new locations in Suwanee and Doraville and has others in development, including one in College Park and another at Clairmont and Briarcliff Roads. 

RaceTrac is fast at work expanding it metro presence with the (planned) additions of a new location at Northlake Parkway and Lawrenceville Highway and another on Lawrenceville Highway near North DeKalb Mall. The location near Northlake Parkway just started to show signs of progress, evidenced by the fact that the two existing structures (a former Pike Family Nurseries and Starvin Marvin gas station) were both demolished.  A RaceTrac representative tells me the new location is currently scheduled to open November 21st.

The proposed location near North DeKalb Mall, on the other hand, is being met with fierce neighborhood opposition.  Many neighbors are calling on RaceTrac to rethink their placement and look elsewhere for a new location.  Interestingly, one location many neighbors have suggested is a former Shoney's restaurant site that burned down a few years ago.  RaceTrac is building another new location on Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur on the site of a former Shoney's along with an adjacent parcel, something the Lawrenceville Highway location does not offer.  

Both proposed RaceTrac locations on Lawrenceville Highway are basically across the street from existing QuikTrip locations. The Northlake Parkway location is making use of dilapidated structures on commercial land, whereas the North DeKalb parcel is currently just an empty piece of greenspace, close to single family homes. 

QT is well underway with its new 16-pump Gen 3 location at the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads, just off I-85.  The new QT is opening on land previously home to a rundown grocery store most recently known as Food Universe.  Currently, I'm told QT hopes to have it's new location open by late September. 

Gen 3 QuikTrip

While RaceTrac and QuikTrip duke it out in Atlanta for petroleum powerhouse, two noteworthy competitors are getting closer to (a possible) entry into Georgia.

Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz and Wawa, Pennsylvania-based Wawa are both expanding further south, adding new locations in North Carolina and Florida respectively. 

Bob Sheetz founded Sheetz in 1952 and the chain is still owned and operated by the Sheetz family but its store count has ballooned to over 450 locations across six states. 

Grahame Wood founded Wawa in 1964 and today the company has nearly 600 locations across five states.  The company once had locations in New York and Connecticut but abandoned those markets in the late 90s, citing their overly competitive landscape.

Like QuikTrip and RaceTrac, and even Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, both Sheetz and Wawa are privately owned and both still have original founding family members involved in the business.

Where is your favorite place to fill up?  Do you go out of your way to go to a certain brand or a certain location?  Do you think WaWa and Sheetz will enter Atlanta sooner rather than later? 

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