In 2020, Kwik Chek began its transformation to TXB, or Texas Born. “I didn’t think our old brand was current—it didn’t feel authentic to who I was,” said Kevin Smartt, CEO of TXB, in a 2022 interview with NACS. “I wanted to have a name and concept that I thought really resonated with our customers, with our employees and with myself.” The new brand reflected TXB’s new emphasis on serving fresh food and connected more with the customers of today.

How do we create the brand and the representation and the feeling we want our customers to have when they come onto the parking lot?”

The decision to rebrand is one that retailers should not take lightly, but for those whose offerings have evolved in recent years, a rebrand can be a way to let customers know what to expect now and in the future.

REBRAND REQUIRED?

Not all brands need to refresh right now, but brand evolution is mandatory. “A brand is not stagnant,” said Keith Broviak, chief marketing officer for Coen Markets Inc., during the “Build a Better Brand” educational session at the 2022 NACS Show. “It’s always growing

... and you need to make sure your brand and your logo are [evolving, too].”

At Coen Markets, the impetus to rebrand came about because of customer confusion. “We had a collage of stores—four convenience store brands and four fuel brands,” said Broviak. “Our goal was to figure out how to take all these fuel and convenience store brands and make them into one brand.”

The competitive nature of the industry means retailers must ensure each customer engagement maximizes both experience and profit opportunity.”

Here are four other factors that might motivate a convenience retailer to kick off a rebrand. Declining sales or customer engagement.

If your store isn’t seeing the same numbers in terms of sales and/or traffic, it might be because customers don’t consider your store relevant to them.

Outdated brand image. What worked 10, 20 or even 30 years ago as your logo and brand messaging might not speak to today’s consumer. For example, MAPCO has begun working to bring its brand into the future, starting in 2021 with a rebuilt flagship location in Nashville, Tennessee. The Store of the Future concept is how the more than 300-unit chain is reimaging convenience to bring in younger consumers while keeping its current clientele engaged.

Lack of differentiation. One of the keys to success in a crowded marketplace is to highlight how a store is different from the competition. With the saturation of the convenience store market, it’s crucial for retailers to differentiate themselves from the competition. A rebrand can help achieve this.

For TXB, the rebranding effort started with thinking about where the industry was and where the company needed to go. That launched conversations about how to highlight to customers what made TXB different. Smartt decided to focus on one word: authenticity. “For us, being authentic to our customers, to ourselves. It’s operating with integrity and it’s greeting everybody with hospitality,” Smartt said.

The company asked questions about the future of its stores, such as:

·   How do we continue to evolve our food menu?

·   How do we add more convenience items for the customer?

·   How do we add more value for our customers?

Then they used the answers to craft TXB.

A new shopping experience. C-stores are evolving, offering more fresh food and a new customer experience. A rebrand can both create more evolution and alert customers that changes have already occurred. For MAPCO, a major part of the brand renovation was to add touchscreen fountain machines, new food displays, hot and cold grab and-go options, gondolas with popular snacks and a beer cave to create a better customer experience. “Many convenience brands are completely revamping their shopper experience to offer the best of both convenience and QSR worlds,” said Paul Stippich, director of marketing for Otis Spunkmeyer.

SUCCESSFUL REBRANDING

Revamping your brand involves more than picking a new logo or colors. The retailer should have a clear purpose for the rebrand. This will help customers understand why changes are being made and can increase customer engagement.

Retailers should also ensure the brand is aligned with customer needs. To do that, the branding should be done with the customer experience in mind. “We want TXB to be a lifestyle brand,” Smartt said. “We want it to be a consumer experience. ... When you walk in the door, just from the look, the products, the music, the screens, the whole ambiance—I think people feel good.”

Maintaining brand consistency is also key to a successful rebranding. This extends across all brand touchpoints—signage, packaging, website, forecourt, pumps and store. MAPCO’s Store of the Future design includes an updated interior with modern, large-scale tiles and custom tile backsplashes, and bright, welcoming messaging throughout the store. “Our new slate of modernized stores are just the latest examples of how we go above and beyond to deliver the best customer experience,” said Frederic Chaveyriat, CEO of MAPCO, in a 2022 press release.

The cornerstone of any brand is its logo. Coen Markets created a logo with clean lines and visual interest that would work in large or small formats and in black and white and full color, too. “Your logo is the foundation of your visual identity,” said Dave Bray, agency designer and art director for the Three Sixty Group, which designed the Coen Markets rebranding materials. “The main logo must also work on the sub-brands, such as rewards and loyalty, food, coffee and payment programs.” The TXB brand begins outside the store and flows inside. “How do we create the brand and the representation and the feeling we want our customers to have when they come onto the parking lot?” asked Smartt. That same question applies to the store itself. “The first thing you see [when you walk in] is our brand wall [with] our high-quality TXB items. ... You get that instant connection” to the TXB brand, he said.

“We aspire to be a lifestyle brand that just happens to sell convenience store items, as well as food and apparel and some of the things you might not think of in a traditional convenience store,” said Benjamin Hoffmeyer, TXB vice president of marketing and merchandising, in a 2022 NACS interview. “Convenience is evolving quickly, and it means different things to [different] folks.”

A REFRESHED FUTURE

Rebranding can be a powerful tool for convenience stores looking to remain relevant and appealing to consumers. Retailers who keep in mind the signs that indicate a rebrand is necessary, avoid the potential pitfalls of relaunching a rebrand and pay attention to the top things to consider when rebranding can successfully launch their rebrand and remain at the forefront of the industry.

Done right, a rebrand can give retailers a new way to reconnect with current customers while also bringing in new ones. “The competitive nature of the industry means retailers must ensure each customer engagement maximizes both experience and profit opportunity,” said Stippich. “Convenience retail leaders are successfully combining core shopping needs with QSR-quality food into a single stop and under a cohesive and easily recognizable brand.”