“It’s providing the opportunity to serve an additional 200-600 customers per day. The potential increase for in-store sales offers substantial growth in gross profits for each location,” says Mansfield’s vp of retails sales and operations.
Mansfield Oil Co. has signed a five-year agreement with Greyhound Lines Inc., a provider of intercity bus transportation in North America.
Under the multi-year contract, Mansfield and Greyhound plan to work together to relocate Greyhound Agencies to retail convenience store locations found on major thoroughfares and interstates throughout the U.S. 
“As our national demographics have changed, the need for affordable and convenient public transportation outside of the city center has increased,” said Mansfield Vice President of Retail Sales & Operations Rick Cosmer. “For Greyhound’s customers, this partnership puts agent counters at the convenience store right off the highway making bus travel more accessible than ever before. For our retail convenience store customers, it’s providing the opportunity to serve an additional 200-600 customers per day. The potential increase for in-store sales offers substantial growth in gross profits for each location.”
Mansfield, a provider of end-to-end fuels and fuels services, has served customers in the retail convenience store business since the company opened its doors in 1957. Leveraging Greyhound’s 18 million riders per year, this partnership is expected to drive a new generation of customers to participating retail locations throughout the U.S.
Greyhound has been an icon of American travel for almost 100 years. With more than 3,800 destinations across North America, the company is poised to capture an even larger audience with its new, state-of-the-art buses and more convenient locations offered through the partnership with Mansfield. With this partnership, Mansfield plans to assist Greyhound as they research and determine new locations for their agents within a convenient store off an active highway or interstate exit rather than within a city-center.
There are currently 85 locations being evaluated for relocation with many more to follow. Mansfield has a sales team in place dedicated to seeking and developing new Greyhound sites with the potential for several hundred locations nationwide.
“The Greyhound-Mansfield partnership is incredibly beneficial for everyone involved,” said Pete Patel, owner/operator of SR 82 Truck Stop in Tifton, Ga. “It helps bring in more than 300 customers to our location daily and the majority of those riders are spending $6 apiece in our store. They’re able to relax, have a drink and get something to eat. It’s made the Greyhound experience more enjoyable for the riders, and I’ve seen an increase in in-store sales of at least 25-30% on merchandise and 30-35% on food. It’s a win-win situation.”
Mansfield is the only energy company with the capability to consult on and implement this type of partnership nationwide. Through its Preferred Vendor Services program, Mansfield provides individual convenience store operators the buying power of a large store chain. A few of the vendors included in this program are Coca Cola, Chester’s Chicken, Nathans’s Famous Hot Dogs and grocery programs like Core-Mark and US Foodservice. The Greyhound-Mansfield partnership plans to offer store operators consultative services on top of built-in customers through Greyhound’s ridership.
“As the largest provider of intercity bus travel, Greyhound is constantly looking for innovative ways to improve the customer experience,” said Greyhound President and CEO Dave Leach. “Mansfield has the strong retail relationships that we needed to complement our nationwide reach. This partnership provides us with a growth strategy to provide greater access to communities that may have limited transportation options.”
Operators adopting the Greyhound program also have the option of adding a fuel supply agreement for gasoline and diesel and have the opportunity to offer renewable fuels such as E85 and Biodiesel, as well as alternatives like compressed natural gas. Mansfield’s solutions allow retailers to create a cohesive branding message from the fuel in the ground to the food on the shelves. The company offers seven major brands as well as its own brand, Solo.
Utilizing more than 900 supply points nationwide, Mansfield provides store operators with the access to its fuel supply network, as well as in-store expertise. Greyhound’s Area Managers and Mansfield’s Territory Marketing Managers will also provide stores with ongoing operational support to handle the growing Greyhound ridership and to improve the overall profitability of a convenience store.
For more information about the Greyhound-Mansfield Advantage Program, contact Rick Cosmer at (678) 450-2120 or [email protected].
