Convenience store name change looks to reflect the chain’s commitment to healthy and fresh foods.
Enmark Stations is embarking on a new imaging and branding this week, changing its convenience store banner to ‘enmarket.’
The new imaging and branding will be unveiled at store #10, located at 14000 Abercorn St. across from the Savannah Mall. Enmarket re-imaging is expected to be complete within one year.
The brand change aims to showcase the company’s commitment to broader fresh food and health and its expertise in driving the innovations needed to shape the future of the convenience store industry.
“Enmark has always been recognized as a brand of friendly employees and as the market leader in competitively priced premium quality, double-filtered, fuel, and none of that will change. But with the simple addition of two letters, we’ve included the word ‘market’ within our name, and that is more indicative of the type of stores we operate,” said Houstoun Demere, vice president, enmarket. “The name was sitting there in front of us the whole time. When we realized it, it didn’t take us long to embrace the idea to make the change. It seemed like a natural progression for our brand.”
The company has also changed the look associated with the brand. Matt Clements, director of marketing at enmarket, said, “We softened up the logo and made some color modifications that better represent the current identity of our company. We also added a couple of leaves to the logo to accentuate the fresh and healthy elements of our brand.”
Enmarket’s mission statement is to “Enrich lives in the communities we serve.”
Demere explained the change of branding was inspired by the evolution the company has experienced over time. Demere said, “The organization looks much different now than it did when the Enmark name first appeared in the 1980’s. We’ve maintained the core values that the company was founded upon, but have morphed into something different with some significant changes in how we go to market.
Most of these changes have occurred inside the walls of Enmark over the last few years- both in the stores and in the office. We felt that it was time to make some external modifications to better reflect these internal changes. This starts with our name and logo, the first thing you see when you ride by one of our stores.”
Enmarket will continue to offer the same core products Enmark has always carried with additional product lines being added to several areas. Eleven of their current stores are now preparing fresh food on site. Also, the company has added a whole new line of healthy snacks with more all-natural, organic, gluten free, and non-GMO options for customers. “We’ve increased our delivery frequencies for products like fresh salads, sandwiches, and produce so that we are able to keep the freshest possible products on our shelves all week long. We’ve also added take home casseroles from Miss Sophie’s, rotisserie chickens, and other take home meal solutions for the customer on the go,” Demere said.
With the rebranding efforts, enmarket plans to change more than just their name. Many stores will see interior remodels and re-imaging. Employees will receive new uniforms reflecting the transformation. In-store technologies will be upgraded for quicker transactions as well. Continued growth is planned by the company, by way of both acquisitions and new builds.
Many enmarkets will feature The Eatery, enmarket’s own food concept. The Eatery features fresh prepared foods such as burritos, sandwiches, salads, premium coffee and lattes, smoothies, rotisserie chicken and more. All items are made to order. The Eatery also features new ordering technology that allows a customer to place their order on a self-service kiosk. This improves order accuracy and allows The Eatery cooks to prepare orders in less time. After submitting their order, customers can finish purchasing any other merchandise and pick up their order at the counter within a few minutes.
“Moving forward, look for us to expand new offerings to more of our stores, and look for us to continue to find ways to make it more convenient for our customers to make healthy lifestyle choices,” said Demere. “When people are healthy, they are generally happier, less likely to become ill, more productive at work, and eager to grow and learn. So we’ve simply tried to make it easier for consumers to make healthier choices at our stores while still giving them the option to make a more indulgent purchase if they choose.”
Enmarket will continue to sponsor events such as the Savannah Bridge Run and the Encourage Health lunch series to promote healthy lifestyles and to further increase health and wellness awareness in the community. Enmarket has also added bicycle service stations at two locations with heavy bike traffic, with more stores to be added in the future. A new website,www.enmarket.com, will be debuting soon.
Q&A with Matt Clements
Why did you decide to change the name and logo?
The organization looks much different now than what it did when the Enmark name first appeared in the 1980’s. We’ve maintained the core values that the company was founded upon, but have morphed into something different with some significant changes in how we go to market. Most of these changes have occurred inside the walls of Enmark over the last few years—both in the stores and in the office. We felt that it was time to make some changes outside of the walls to better reflect these internal changes. This starts with our name and logo, the first thing you see when you ride by one of our stores.
What does the new name and logo represent? Why was it selected?
The new name embodies the 52 years of our corporate history by keeping the name “Enmark” within the new name, enmarket. Enmark has always been recognized as a brand of friendly employees, quality fuel, and inexpensive gas and merchandise. But with the simple addition of two letters, we’ve included the word “market” within our name, and that is more indicative of the type of stores we operate. The name was sitting there in front of us the whole time, and when we realized it, it didn’t take us long to embrace the idea to make the change. It seemed like a natural progression for our brand. We softened up the logo and made some color modifications that better represent the current identity of our company. We also added a couple of leaves to the logo to accentuate the fresh and healthy elements of our brand.
How long will the rebranding take? We will have all enmarket reimaging completed within one year.
Will you be offering the same products or change due to the rebranding? First, we will still offer the same core products that we’ve always carried. But there are certainly some additional product lines that we’ve begun to offer over the last couple of years. We’re now operating eleven stores that prepare fresh food on site. We’ve added a whole new line of healthy snacks with more all-natural, organic, gluten free, and non-GMO options for our customers. We’ve increased our delivery frequencies for products like fresh salads, sandwiches, and produce so that we are able to keep the freshest possible products on our shelves all week long. We’ve also added take home casseroles, rotisserie chickens, and other take home meal solutions for the customer on the go. Moving forward, look for us to expand these offerings to more of our stores, and look for us to continue to find ways to make it more convenient for our customers to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Moving forward in 2015 what other changes with the customers experience?
We’re changing much more than just our name. Many stores will see interior remodels and reimaging. We’ll be adding prepared foodservice to several locations. We’ve already begun upgrading technology to make transactions quicker for our customers. We’ll be upgrading some of the product offerings that have been a part of our business for many years. New builds are on the horizon. You’ll begin hearing music in more of our stores, something our employees really appreciate. Employee uniforms will change. There’s much more happening, but that’s a sample of what customers will see.
Why is health such an important focus for Enmark?
We believe that we all benefit when the collective population is healthy. When people are healthy, they are generally happier, less likely to become ill, more productive at work, eager to grow and learn… the list goes on. The ripple effects are felt throughout the economy and society. So we’ve simply tried to make it easier for consumers to make healthier choices at our stores while still giving them the option to make a more indulgent purchase if that’s the kind of mood they are in. We don’t limit our focus on health to products in our stores, though. Events like the Savannah Bridge Run and the Encourage Health lunch series promote healthy lifestyles, so we’re happy to sponsor them to further increase health and wellness awareness in our community.