Dive Brief:
- Fresh Stop convenience stores opened its first location in Arkansas on March 29, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- The store — a former SQRL Service Station — is located in Lonsdale, a small town about 38 miles southwest of Little Rock. It’s the first of four Fresh Stop c-stores set to open in Arkansas, according to the retailer’s website.
- This marks Fresh Stop’s fourth c-store overall, the spokesperson said. The company debuted its first three locations in Florida within the past few months.
Dive Insight:
According to its LinkedIn page, Fresh Stop owns about 30 convenience stores across Florida, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Most of them are listed as “coming soon” on the retailer’s website. In total, Fresh Stop’s portfolio includes 15 c-stores in Florida, 10 in Texas, four in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma.
Fresh Stop also shared news of its first Arkansas store opening via a LinkedIn announcement Thursday morning, noting that it “can’t wait to serve many new faces.”
It’s unclear what amenities Fresh Stop’s c-stores offer, although images of each of its four open locations show numerous fuel pumps in the forecourts.
Although it’s a young company, each member of Fresh Stop’s executive team has decades of c-store industry experience. Its president, Stanley Storti worked with South Carolina-based Spinx for nearly two decades in roles including president, executive vice president and CFO. Several other leaders — including its COO and VP of operations and facilities — came from c-store consultancy Impact 21, which was acquired last year by W. Capra.
