Dive Brief:
- GoMart is now the official convenience store partner of the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, which hosts a variety of concerts and other entertainment, according to a company announcement last week.
- The partnership, which began on April 20, offers a number of features to customers, including GoMart concession stands at the convention center and the ability to buy GoMart souvenir cups at the West Virginia site.
- GoMart joins c-store peers like Ampm, Wally’s and Yesway in opening sites at nontraditional venues as music and sports arenas continue to be alluring sites for convenience stores.
Dive Insight:
The agreement between GoMart and the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia, not only introduces the chain to the coliseum’s visitors, but also allows it to make its loyalty program more attractive to those patrons. For example, customers will have chances to win tickets to events at the coliseum through the GoMart app.
“This partnership opens up a range of exciting marketing possibilities. We look forward to working with the Coliseum team to develop creative promotions around upcoming events, further enhancing the overall fan experience,” said Ian Stewart, GoMart’s marketing director, in the announcement.
The partnership will include GoMart stands inside the arena’s concourse, which will offer food and drinks. Customers can use their GoMart Rewards cards at these location to earn rewards points inside the coliseum.
Purchasing the souvenir cup at the coliseum entitles the customer to a free drink at any local GoMart store upon presentation, the announcement said.
This isn’t GoMart’s first foray into partnering with entertainment venues. In November 2022, the convenience retailer signed an agreement with the Charleston Dirty Birds, an Atlantic League pro baseball team, to rename its park GoMart Ballpark for 10 years. The retailer also engaged in some creative marketing with this partnership, including a coloring contest which gave winners tickets to a Dirty Birds or Cincinnati Reds game or GoMart gift cards.
Gassaway, West Virginia-based GoMart has 123 stores throughout West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.
