Maverik to enter California

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Maverik to enter California

Post by storewanderer »

So far new locations are planned in:
Sacramento- Power Inn Road at 14th (interesting location choice...)
Sacramento- Elk Grove Florin Road
Anderson
Oroville
Rocklin - Sunset and Lonetree (this is a kind of quiet spot- maybe future development will happen)

All locations will be new construction.

Nice to see someone else bringing nice large gas station/larger format c-store sites that are the quality of those in the rest of the US, to California. Maverik isn't the best operator by any stretch (they are no Quik Trip) but they build a really nice station and c-store. Nice physical facility, usually pretty clean restrooms and pumps while other things like the floors and counters seem filthy. Not operated very well, horrible pay at the pump system, slow checkout, and often understaffed.

This won't be the first time an operator from Utah tries to bring its larger format business into higher cost of operating California. Hopefully they will do enough sales volume, to make this work.

California gaining Speedway could have been a positive as Speedway's new build sites are also very nice (similar to these newer Maverik sites, but perhaps a bit nicer inside, and Speedway is a much better operator than Maverik is) but so far Speedway has only opened 1-2 new builds in CA both of which were demolish/rebuild of old pre-existing stations (so, not large format, due to lack of space) and I am not counting on them opening any more with the 7-Eleven merger.

Maverik absolutely crushes 7-Eleven when they compete head to head. It is no contest.

Also, have read Circle K is building a new corporate site in American Canyon along the highway that goes to Napa. This site will have about 10 pumps and a 5k square foot c-store. This is the first new build store Circle K corporate after going to Couche Tard has built in NorCal, ever (unless you count one in Salinas a decade ago but that only has 4 pumps and a usual 3k or so square foot store). This should be an excellent location.

At this rate along with the few new build AM PMs that have happened in the past couple years (like Gridley and Oliverhurst), NorCal may soon have close to 10 gas station/c-stores that are physical sites with the size, design, and amenities at a level of the quality c-store chains in the rest of the US. I guess you have to start from somewhere.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by arizonaguy »

storewanderer wrote: December 30th, 2020, 12:17 am So far new locations are planned in:
Sacramento- Power Inn Road at 14th (interesting location choice...)
Sacramento- Elk Grove Florin Road
Anderson
Oroville
Rocklin - Sunset and Lonetree (this is a kind of quiet spot- maybe future development will happen)

All locations will be new construction.

Nice to see someone else bringing nice large gas station/larger format c-store sites that are the quality of those in the rest of the US, to California. Maverik isn't the best operator by any stretch (they are no Quik Trip) but they build a really nice station and c-store. Nice physical facility, usually pretty clean restrooms and pumps while other things like the floors and counters seem filthy. Not operated very well, horrible pay at the pump system, slow checkout, and often understaffed.

This won't be the first time an operator from Utah tries to bring its larger format business into higher cost of operating California. Hopefully they will do enough sales volume, to make this work.

California gaining Speedway could have been a positive as Speedway's new build sites are also very nice (similar to these newer Maverik sites, but perhaps a bit nicer inside, and Speedway is a much better operator than Maverik is) but so far Speedway has only opened 1-2 new builds in CA both of which were demolish/rebuild of old pre-existing stations (so, not large format, due to lack of space) and I am not counting on them opening any more with the 7-Eleven merger.

Maverik absolutely crushes 7-Eleven when they compete head to head. It is no contest.

Also, have read Circle K is building a new corporate site in American Canyon along the highway that goes to Napa. This site will have about 10 pumps and a 5k square foot c-store. This is the first new build store Circle K corporate after going to Couche Tard has built in NorCal, ever (unless you count one in Salinas a decade ago but that only has 4 pumps and a usual 3k or so square foot store). This should be an excellent location.

At this rate along with the few new build AM PMs that have happened in the past couple years (like Gridley and Oliverhurst), NorCal may soon have close to 10 gas station/c-stores that are physical sites with the size, design, and amenities at a level of the quality c-store chains in the rest of the US. I guess you have to start from somewhere.
Millbrae near SFO airport is another nice newish AM/PM (although it wasn't built as an AM / PM but rather a store called The Market and was built in the late 2000s). I was actually shocked that it was an AM/PM as the ones in Arizona are stuck in the 1980s / 1990s so I didn't realize that AM / PM could produce such a nice store.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by jamcool »

Most of the AM/PMs in NorCal are still owned by BP-who licenses the ARCO brand from Marathon. The AM/PMs in SoCal and Arizona are a master franchise (Treasure Marketing-owned by Marathon), who offers franchises to others. That is why there is so much variation in AM/PMs in SoCal and AZ (mostly C-grade sites).

It will be interesting if Maverik reenters Phoenix (they had 1 location here until the 80s), as they have 1 store in Maricopa County-in Wickenburg.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by storewanderer »

jamcool wrote: December 30th, 2020, 7:37 pm Most of the AM/PMs in NorCal are still owned by BP-who licenses the ARCO brand from Marathon. The AM/PMs in SoCal and Arizona are a master franchise (Treasure Marketing-owned by Marathon), who offers franchises to others. That is why there is so much variation in AM/PMs in SoCal and AZ (mostly C-grade sites).

It will be interesting if Maverik reenters Phoenix (they had 1 location here until the 80s), as they have 1 store in Maricopa County-in Wickenburg.
Maverik has been attempting to enter Denver for quite some time, but so far only has a dozen stores or so there. Denver is rather crowded as it is. Circle K has a heavy corporate presence there (not real great sites), Kum N Go has built a number of new locations there (all first class sites), 7-Eleven has built a number of new locations there (but you really can't tell a new one from one built in 1980), and now Quik Trip is building in Denver. This in addition to the various pre existing gas stations there (mostly Conoco/66 sites with a scattered lot of Sinclairs- real variable quality sites, some are quite nice) Now that Quik Trip has claimed Denver, I will be curious to see how much further expansion Maverik does in Denver. Quik Trip executes so much better than any other c-store operator, they are really tough to beat.

Maverik also entered Las Vegas a while ago and only has 5 stores there. Compared to Reno area they entered around the same time and are up to 15 stores. Not sure why the lack of activity in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is another spot that I think would make real sense for Quik Trip.

I am curious Maverik has chosen to enter northern California rather than expand into adjacent territories like Phoenix or Denver further. Maverik must have identified how lousy the gas stations and c-stores in CA are and thought expanding in there would be easy pickings once they could get the sites up and running (that'll be the hardest part in CA). I hope it works out for them in a profitable manner that enables them to stay in business there and grow their presence.

It kind of seems like Maverik tries markets out with a few stores and sees how they do before deciding to build additional stores and penetrate in a market. They have chosen to penetrate in my market in Reno and it seems to work very well for them.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by storewanderer »

Maverik now has "self checkout." No cash accepted. This is interesting in a convenience store environment given the number of transactions with alcohol/tobacco. Also this Maverik self checkout can't do a fuel prepay. The cups for drinks have barcodes so I guess you can scan those. Seems semi useless, but I guess it works if you are buying a candy bar or bottle of water.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: January 4th, 2021, 11:39 pm Maverik now has "self checkout." No cash accepted. This is interesting in a convenience store environment given the number of transactions with alcohol/tobacco. Also this Maverik self checkout can't do a fuel prepay. The cups for drinks have barcodes so I guess you can scan those. Seems semi useless, but I guess it works if you are buying a candy bar or bottle of water.
Convenience stores tend to have mostly small transactions. I can't think of a time where I paid in anything other than cash at one. I see a lot of potential for trouble with this in a convenience store setting.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: January 12th, 2021, 9:37 am

Convenience stores tend to have mostly small transactions. I can't think of a time where I paid in anything other than cash at one. I see a lot of potential for trouble with this in a convenience store setting.
The worst part of this is they actually removed the normal registers for this self checkout set up. There is only one normal register now and they 3 other counters that had a normal register now have a self checkout. The checkout area is a U set up (with a wall at the "top"). I went to the self checkout at the top of one side of the U, found out you can't do a fuel prepay, then the employee had to come all the way over (she was cleaning coffee equipment) and directed me to the one counter with the regular register (which was at the opposite side of the U). Maverik's pay at the pump is terrible, I've largely given up even using it if the location doesn't have the tap feature on the pump, and this one doesn't have the tap feature on its pumps yet (I think it's about the last one around without the feature). Easier to walk in and pay.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by bryceleinan »

Dayton is in the middle of its remodel right now… it’s supposed to be like Fallon. I wonder how well they’ll compete with Loop stores in CA - the one near Bass Pro in Rocklin seems pretty decent.
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by storewanderer »

bryceleinan wrote: February 12th, 2021, 10:30 pm Dayton is in the middle of its remodel right now… it’s supposed to be like Fallon. I wonder how well they’ll compete with Loop stores in CA - the one near Bass Pro in Rocklin seems pretty decent.
Maverik is also remodeling the location on Prater Way in Sparks right now.

I've been in a few Loops including that one near Bass Pro in Rocklin. Loop looks promising but looks are about where it stops. Loop would be a complete afterthought in a market with any legitimate c-store competitors (frankly, AM PM is far more effective than Loop at moving c-store items) and does not move much c-store product. Their prices are extremely high even for a c-store. They are trying to be a "healthy" c-store. C-stores make money selling snacks, cigarettes, and soda as the people who consume those items on a regular basis visit convenience stores often. Loop is trying the same failed strategy Pacific Convenience and Fuels (former operator of what was the CA/OR/WA/CO corporate 76/Circle K sites) was trying with their "My Goods" format before they ran into financial problems, hastily debranded most of their Circle Ks but didn't rebrand them to anything, then sold out to United Oil (who did ultimately rebrand most of them to My Goods, but not the My Goods format PC&F was trying to use). Folks who want "healthy" snacks like Loop focuses on may say in a focus group they visit c-stores often but in reality they do not visit nearly as often as the group described above.

The main things Maverik has to worry about in CA are AM PM, 7-Eleven, and Circle K. To a lesser degree Extra Mile, but the CA Extra Miles are very uneven as some are corpoate Chevron and some are franchise. I think they already know how it goes with those "competitors" and that is probably a big reason why they are comfortable moving into California.

Wal Mart is also starting to build some gas stations in California. They are adding one to their store in South Sacramento but it will only have a 1,600 square foot store (that is about room for 1 aisle).
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Re: Maverik to enter California

Post by bryceleinan »

storewanderer wrote: February 12th, 2021, 11:54 pm
bryceleinan wrote: February 12th, 2021, 10:30 pm Dayton is in the middle of its remodel right now… it’s supposed to be like Fallon. I wonder how well they’ll compete with Loop stores in CA - the one near Bass Pro in Rocklin seems pretty decent.

Wal Mart is also starting to build some gas stations in California. They are adding one to their store in South Sacramento but it will only have a 1,600 square foot store (that is about room for 1 aisle).
I went to Idaho last year and was quite pleased with the Walmart gas station in Boise, and it was pretty well stocked, very similar to the Aisle 1 stores Raley’s owned. They crammed a lot of stuff into a smaller building.
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