Dive Brief:
- Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores has launched a new private label merchandise brand at 450 of its convenience stores and travel centers in the U.S., according to a company announcement this week.
- The line, Traverse Travel Gear, features a mix of road trip essentials and comfort items. Products include a neck pillow, a regular blanket and a smaller, lightweight throw blanket, all of which are available for between $14.99 and $19.99.
- This marks Loves’ first private label launch announcement since the convenience retailer said in January that it planned to grow its portfolio of proprietary products as part of its broader 2024 growth targets.
Dive Insight:
At the beginning of the year, Love’s revealed plans to add 20 to 25 new stores, refresh 35 to 40 existing locations and completely rebuild four others across its network in 2024. That agenda also included plans to debut more private label items and augment its fresh food offering.
With the launch of its new Traverse Travel Gear line, Love’s now offers more than 400 private label products, the company said in its announcement. The company curated the new offerings based on customer feedback, which resulted in the new items having minimal packaging and being geared toward emergency situations
Love’s said it plans to roll out more products in this new line in the months ahead. It will debut a Traverse Travel Gear 3-in-1 backpack as well as the Traverse Pro Series, which includes tactical flashlights and cooling gel seat cushions, in September.
“Our customers recognize Love's as the heart of the highway and look to us for premium alternatives at a value,” said Eddie Burt, chief supply chain officer at Love’s. “We’re proud to make our products available to customers as they traverse our network of 600-plus stores nationwide.”
Founded in 1964, Oklahoma City-based Love’s operates more than 640 locations in 42 states.
