Dive Brief:
- BP plans to add about 150 strategic convenience sites to its global network through 2025, according to the company’s recent Net Zero Progress Update 2024 report. Between 2025 and 2030, the energy and retail company plans to add another 500 locations.
- The bulk of the initial 150 locations are expected to be developed in Poland, where BP has extended its partnership with grocer Auchan to open more than 100 EasyAuchan locations through 2025.
- Those plans will continue what has been a busy few years of c-store growth, as BP has grown from 1,650 convenience sites in 2019 to 2,850 in 2023, an increase of over 70% in just four years.
Dive Insight:
While it’s unclear if any significant portion of BP’s planned expansion is slated for North America, the company has already used M&A to significantly develop its retail arm in the U.S. BP has made two large acquisitions to boost its store count over the past five years, with the 208-store acquisition of Thorntons in 2021 followed by the 280-plus-site deal for TravelCenters of America in 2023.
BP noted in the report that to be considered a “strategic convenience site” a location needs to have a retail presence, offer BP-supplied vehicle energy in the form of gas or electricity and “have a demonstrable level of differentiation in the market in which it operates.”
The EasyAuchan locations, for example, not only offer a broad grocery assortment, but also incorporate BP’s coffeehouse brand Wild Bean Cafe.
In tandem with growing its strategic convenience presence, BP also reiterated plans to boost its electrical vehicle charging network. The company plans to more than triple the number of global EV chargers available at its sites, from 29,000 in 2023 to 100,000 in 2030.
London-based BP owns a variety of convenience retailing brands across the U.S. and internationally. Besides its own branded stores, BP’s umbrella also includes Thorntons, Amoco, Ampm and TravelCenters of America. Its U.S. headquarters are in Houston.
