How Conoco broke the convenience store mold

As the oil industry consolidated in the mid-1990s, Houston-based Conoco faced a major brand challenge. One of the world’s leading energy companies and a prominent petroleum retailer in U.S. markets, Conoco saw an opportunity to accelerate profit growth through the convenience store format. But in order to build a powerful convenience store brand, the company knew that it would have to break away from the generic “mart” approaches adopted by other major petroleum retailers. It also would need to differentiate itself from new offerings, such as upscale coffee bars, that were encroaching on the edges of the convenience store market.

Like this content? Why not share it?