It is no secret that the convenience store industry is seeing increased consolidation — Couche-Tard bidding for 7-Eleven, Couche-Tard acquiring GetGo, Casey’s adding CEFCO, Nouria buying Enmarket  — the list goes on. Retailers, however, aren’t straying from traditional, new-to-industry (NTI) growth.

Over the past few months, the industry has seen a number of NTI locations pop up across the country as operators continue to grow their store count through organic growth.

Foxtrot

One chain that cannot be ignored is Foxtrot, whose NTI stores are not necessarily “new.” In April of this year, the retailer’s parent company Outfox Hospitality filed for bankruptcy as the chain suddenly shuttered all of its 33 Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market locations across Chicago, Austin and Dallas, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of a difficult decision we have had to make. After much consideration and evaluation, we regret to announce that Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market will be closing their doors starting on April 23, 2024,” the retailer wrote in an April statement. “We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts.”

However, the Foxtrot brand did not go down without a fight. In June, co-founder Mike LaVitola announced that he had started a new business with plans to reopen Foxtrot stores. In September, the first Foxtrot reopened in Chicago’s Gold Coast, with two more Chicago sites reopening shortly after in Old Town and Wicker Park.

Most recently, the retailer announced plans to reopen a Chicago Fulton Market store, marking the fourth location in its impressive comeback.

The company has plans to keep reintroducing Foxtrot stores across its previous operating footprint, namely in Chicago, but also in Texas and Washington, D.C.

Wawa

Another notable retailer in the NTI space is Wawa, which has been seeing “the most aggressive growth in company history,” according to CEO Chris Gheysen. In February, the retailer announced that it would be “spreading its wings and flying to new markets,” and it has not disappointed.

At the time of the announcement, Wawa planned to introduce 280 new stores over the next decade, mainly located throughout Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

The news came as no surprise to the c-store world, as the chain had already been gearing up for growth.

Kentucky

In September of last year, Wawa revealed plans to add 40 stores in Kentucky — a new market for the chain. The first groundbreakings have already taken place in Louisville and Nicholasville, Ky., as of June 6. The stores are expected to open in the third quarter of 2025.

Plans for the expansion include opening 10 locations in 2025, five in 2026 and five each year thereafter. Wawa will invest approximately $7 million-per-store and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners to open the new Kentucky stores.

Ohio

Shortly after the announcement of its Kentucky expansion, the chain doubled down and revealed its plans to add 60 stores in Ohio.

For this expansion, Wawa plans to open approximately 60 stores in the state over the next eight to 10 years.

In September, the chain had more than 16 sites under contract across Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Greene, Hamilton, Miami, Montgomery and Warren Counties.

As of today, Wawa has broken ground on its first Ohio store in Cincinnati, with the store expected to become operational in the first half of 2025.

In a similar fashion to its Kentucky expansion, the chain plans to open up 10 locations that year, 10 additional stores in 2026 and five stores each year thereafter.

North Carolina

Finally, in October 2023, Wawa announced that it will expand to and heavily invest in its North Carolina market. With eight locations already slated to open in the state this year, the chain’s initial phase of expansion includes plans to open approximately 80 stores across the eastern region of the state over the next 10 years.

Wawa broke ground on its first new North Carolina site, located in Hope Mills, with this one slated to open in the second quarter of 2025.

Sheetz

Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz has been active as well. In October, the retailer made known its plans to grow in Ohio and Michigan by beginning construction on a new, 500,000-square-foot distribution facility which will be used to service its stores in the area.

The facility, which is expected to be functional by 2026, aims to lay the groundwork for the chain’s expansion in the region. The site marked the company’s third distribution center in the U.S. with the other two located in Claysburg, Pa., and Burlington, N.C.

Earlier this year, the company opened its very first Michigan store in Detroit — a market that the retailer plans to strengthen going forward, with plans to open more than 50 in the area over the next five to six years.

On top of the Michigan expansion, Sheetz also grew its network in Virginia and North Carolina, opening new stores in Middletown, Va., as well as Asheville, Salisbury and Warsaw, N.C.

The retailer shows no signs of slowing down on the NTI growth as it continues to bolster its already strong network of stores.

Some other notable NTI additions from the past few months include:

Loves

• Delphos, Ohio
• Las Cruces, N.M.
• Valdosta, Ga.
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• Jasper, Mo.
• Wichita, Kan.
• Hattiesburg, Miss.

TravelCenters of America

• Savanna, Okla.
• Pine Grove, Pa.
• Hazleton, Pa.
• Mineral Wells, W.V.
• Atkins, Ark.
• Blaine, Wash.

Yesway

Texas:

• Alvord
• Bowie
• Ennis
• Mount Vernon
• Lubbock
• Keene

New Mexico:

• Eunice
• Las Cruces
• Farmington
• Belen
• Cuba
• Albuquerque
• Los Lunas

Oklahoma:

• Davis
• Atoka
• Elk City
• Kiowa