Dive Brief:

• BP has opened its first Ampm convenience store in the Bronx, New York City, marking the California-based c-store chain’s first location on the East Coast.
• The c-store will feature Ampm's food menu, which includes a grocery section with fruit and dry goods, as well as a hot deli. Customers can also order Ampm’s food for delivery via DoorDash.
• BP said it intends to leverage its large footprint to expand Ampm on the East Coast, with three other store openings already scheduled. 

Dive Insight:

While BP’s own branding is featured throughout the fuel experience on the outside of the store in the Bronx, the company notes Ampm is modeled after Kentucky-based c-store Thorntons, which places a heavy emphasis on its kitchen offerings. 

Ampm may not yet be a direct competitor with supermarkets and restaurants, but its food selection, snacks and drinks provides shoppers with a key desire: convenience. Consumers are able to grab both a hot meal and grocery items from an array of selections. 

Staples of Ampm’s menu include sausage, egg and cheese croissant breakfast sandwiches; chicken, spicy chicken and rib sandwiches; fruit; salads and more. It also has a bakery section where customers can purchase banana bread, coffee cake and cookies. 

BP’s newest Ampm c-store advances the company’s convenience and mobility strategy, which aims to nearly double its global earnings by 2030 and increase the number of strategic convenience sites in its global network from around 2,000 today to more than 3,000 by 2030. 

"As BP transitions toward becoming a net zero company, convenience will play a huge role in delivering our integrated strategy,” said Dave Lawler, chairman and president of BP America. “The experience customers feel at our retail sites will be key to attracting them in and ensuring they return. Because New Yorkers are always on the go, the Empire State is a perfect fit for this expansion.”

London-based BP has a variety of retail models across the U.S., ranging from company-owned retail stores, strategic partnerships, brand licensing, wholesale, business-to-business, dealer-owned and franchise-owned locations. Besides its own branded stores and those of the Ampm arm, BP’s mobility and convenience brands in the U.S. include Amoco and Thorntons.