Family Express sets its sights on development plan.

Family Express Corp. of Valparaiso, Ind., has entered a new market in suburban Indianapolis.

“This will include the development of sites under contract in Carmel, Zionsville and Whitestown, Ind.,” said Gus Olympidis, president and CEO of Family Express. The Carmel site will be featuring a unique architectural style in Art Deco, as mandated by the local community.

Family Express is poised to deliver this year the most ambitious development schedule in its 40-year history, by opening five stores in 2018. The company is on schedule to deliver two additional stores, currently under construction, before Christmas.

With its new 5,500 square-foot prototype, Family Express has been projecting a strong emphasis on its proprietary Cravin’s To Order restaurants. The CTO menu features fresh made-to-order pizza, boneless wings, pretzels, breakfast bowls and breakfast sandwiches, with interior and exterior seating for 28. Cravin’s To Order restaurants are replenished daily by the Family Express Central Distribution Center.

All new stores also feature a Pet Wash and the ability to sell a Car Wash code that would be digitally redeemable at any Family Express Car Wash.

Family Express is a chain of convenience stores and fueling centers. In 2015, FE was awarded the most prestigious award in the Convenience Store Industry, by being named Convenience Store Decisions’ Chain of the Year. In a 2016 independent survey, the Company was ranked at the top among Convenience Store Entities and Customer Service. Family Express was founded in Valparaiso in 1975, and it operates stores throughout Northern and Central Indiana. The Company recently opened its second state-of-the-art Learning Center in Lafayette, Ind.