Marlborough, Mass.-based Yatco has its sights set on growth this year. Recently, the retailer opened the doors to its largest c-store to date in Worcester, Mass. This marks Yatco’s fifth location in Worcester and 14th company-operated store overall.
Standing at 6,000 square feet, the flagship site serves both as a resource to the Worcester community, but also as a sign of Yatco’s commitment to modernization and expansion.
The new store, according to Hussein Yatim, vice president, Yatco, gives customers a preview of what to expect in future Yatco locations. After acquiring the land in 2023, the location was built from the ground up with this in mind.
“It’s the first site in our next generation brand and experience,” Yatim told CStore Decisions. “ … When I joined the company about four years ago, (I knew we had) good, nice stores, but there was no rhyme and cohesiveness to them for a consumer.”
To fix this, Yatco partnered with a design firm to modernize and unify the stores under one cohesive brand. According to Yatim, the stores will come in all different shapes and sizes, but the “look and feel” of each store will be consistent.
Adding Amenities
A notable aspect of the new Worcester, Mass., site is its electric vehicle (EV) capabilities. Customers can find eight Tesla EV chargers in the forecourt, which, Yatim noted, have already proven to be popular since the site is home to Worcester’s only Tesla hub.
While EV drivers are charging up, they will also find two quick-service-restaurant (QSR) options — Coffee Connections and a Slice pizza shop. The QSRs feature high-end, quality foodservice options, ranging from espresso drinks, avocado toast and danishes at Coffee Connections, to wraps, subs and chicken tenders from Slice.
The store, which is open 24 hours a day, also includes indoor seating for QSR customers. Come spring time, the location will open up its outside patio for additional seating.
Aggressive Growth
Yatim mentioned that Yatco has plans to open seven new stores throughout Massachusetts in 2025, mostly focused on new-to-industry growth. As of now, the retailer has four new-to-industry sites in development, with one that could open in Leicester, Mass., as soon as next week.
Each new store will feature QSR options and the company’s new, open floor plan.
As its store count begins to rise rapidly, the company is also increasing its hiring efforts to reflect the change.
“We’re really going to be growing our footprint over the next five years. There’s been more focus on our strategy behind that,” said Yatim. “We’re building out our back office and people infrastructure, hiring more people as we’re on this growth journey. What you see in Worcester — that’s a flagship, but it’s really no different from what customers will be seeing (in the future).”
