Ever since it closed its billion-dollar acquisition of TravelCenters of America last year, BP has expanded its investment in the U.S. convenience store industry at lightning speed.
At the start of the year, BP began rebranding TA’s forecourts to its own banner and the Amoco brand, then touted plans to bring new-and-improved food items to its locations and debuted a fresh loyalty program and mobile app. BP also revealed this year that it aims to add about 150 company-operated sites to its global network through 2025 and 500 more by 2030.
BP’s focus on its U.S, c-store network continued last week when it publicly revealed its new Epic Goods private label assortment for the first time.
The company tested the line back in March “with just a handful of products,” then last quarter, increased the number of items in the assortment by 50%, Lisa Blalock, vice president of U.S. convenience and mobility for BP, said in a media conference Friday. Blalock said BP expects to double that increase at the end of this year.
As of today, Epic Goods is available in about 1,500 of BP’s company-operated locations across its Ampm, TA and Thorntons brands, Blalock said. The line is not yet available in TA’s franchised Petro convenience stores.
Epic Goods currently features several different kinds of regular and sour gummy candies; a variety of nuts, such as almonds, pistachios and peanuts; cold-pressed juices; and bottled water.
Although it’s prioritizing food and beverage products right now, Blalock said BP intends to expand Epic Goods to the general merchandise aisle, where it will offer items such as branded motor oil and various electronics.
“We have a whole plan over the next couple of years to introduce a significant number of new products,” Blalock said, adding that BP will do a “consumer-facing launch” of its Epic Goods line in the first fiscal quarter of 2025 that will feature “a lot of consumer marketing.”
BP developed the program based on data analytics and consumer research and insights. The latter included speaking to consumers and customers about their needs, Blalock said. She added that this type of guest engagement will continue as BP looks to grow its private label assortment.
“We're investing significantly around the private brand and look forward to our consumer launch next year,” Blalock said.
Although inflation continues to ease, consumers remain price-sensitive, giving private label products the runway to get ahead of national brands. Total private label dollar sales during 2023 hit $236.3 billion — an increase of about $10 billion from 2022 and an all-time high, according to data from the Private Label Manufacturers Association.
BP isn’t the only notable convenience retailer that’s gone all-in on proprietary brands this year. 7-Eleven, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Loop Neighborhood Market and others have either revamped their existing private label offerings or launched proprietary programs.
