Ampm

Last updated

ampm
Company type Private (subsidiary of BP)
Founded1978;46 years ago (1978)
Founder Atlantic Richfield Company
Parent BP
Website ampm.com

ampm (rarely "am/pm") is a convenience store chain with branches located in several U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and in several countries such as Costa Rica and Brazil. The brand pulled out of the Eastern United States in 2012, but returned a decade later.

Contents

The ampm brand is owned by BP America, Inc., [1] a subsidiary of BP, which acquired its founding owner, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), in 2000. In the United States, the stores are usually attached to an ARCO or BP-branded gas station. The first location opened in Southern California in 1978. [1]

History

1978–2007

ampm is owned by a subsidiary of BP, which acquired its founding owner, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), in 2000. The first ampm location opened in Southern California in 1978. [1] The chain would also have a presence in the Northeastern United States at ARCO locations until ARCO spun those operations off into Atlantic Petroleum in 1985, with those stores being rebranded as A-Plus. A-Plus remains owned by Sunoco (which acquired Atlantic in 1988), though all the company-owned stores were sold to 7-Eleven in 2018.

The Japanese chain was originally established by Kyodo Oil Company (later Japan Energy) in 1989; many of its stores are located within Kyodo Oil (later JOMO) filling stations. It remained under Japan Energy control until it was sold to Reins International Inc, an operator of Korean-style restaurants in Japan, in 2004. [2]

2008–2011: BP Connect branding

In spring 2008, U.S. branches of the BP Connect brand of convenience stores rebranded to ampm, which also brought the brand under the BP banner after exclusively being under the ARCO banner. The decision saw markets with a large BP presence, such as Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Orlando, and Pittsburgh, face rebranding as ampm stores and TV ads. [3] In August 2008, BP announced its decision to sell the majority of its retail operations in the Orlando area to Apopka-based Medallion Convenience Stores. Also in 2008, the Indianapolis stores were sold to Ricker Oil, which began operating them under the BP/Ricker's identity; those stores are now owned and operated by GetGo. [4] The Pittsburgh area stores were sold to 7-Eleven; the stores alongside 7-Eleven's later acquisition of ampm spinoff A-Plus supplemented 7-Eleven's legacy locations in the area usually branded with Exxon or Gulf. The Columbus, Ohio, locations were sold to locally-based Duchess Shoppe in 2010. [5] In November 2009, FamilyMart announced its acquisition of am/pm Japan. [6] All ampm stores in Japan then subsequently rebranded as FamilyMart. [7]

2012–2023

An ampm store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil AmPm Rio 01.jpg
An ampm store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In 2012, in Costa Rica, both ampm and Fresh Market stores were owned by the same company. By the end of that year, there were 38 ampm locations in the country. [8] In August 2012 it was reported that BP had divested, or was planning to divest, all ampm operations East of the Rockies. [9] In 2012, BP announced it would withdraw ampm stores from the eastern US by the end of that year, naming specifically Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Orlando. At the time, there were 200 ampm convenience stores in BP fuel outlets in the eastern US, with 900 locations in the western US alongside BP and ARCO outlets. This occurred around the same time that BP divested ARCO itself to Tesoro Corporation and licensed the ARCO name from Tesoro for the Pacific Northwest and Northern California while retaining ownership of ampm. As of 2021, BP franchises ampm to independent ARCO owners in the Southwest United States, [10] though company-owned ampm stores in the area converted to Speedway following Marathon Petroleum's purchase of ARCO in 2018.

In 2014, the brand was focusing on food such as "coffee, bakery, fresh sandwiches and hot foods, along with an extensive condiment bar," as well as fountain drinks and refrigerated display cases. It had a value line, "ampm Good Stuff." ampm had 950 stores overall, with headquarters in La Palma, California, and operations in five states: Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington. [11] ampm was nearing its 1,000th location by November 2017. [12] In early 2019, BP had "recently opened its first new-to-industry ampm site" in 12 years, marking the company's 1,000th ampm location in a BP outlet. [13] In May 2019, Ipiranga was operating ampm stores in Brazil, with 2,500 ampm stores at gas stations in the country. [14]

In 2019, BP acquired an ownership stake in rival chain Thorntons LLC, and in 2021 announced it would acquire full ownership from partner ArcLight Capital Partners. The deal would make ampm and Thorntons sister chains, though BP plans to keep operations separate. With Thorntons being primarily in the Midwestern United States and Florida, the two chains do not overlap geographically. [15]

In August 2022, BP opened their first East Coast ampm convenience store in the New York City borough of The Bronx. It also marked the first time the West Coast chain had a presence in the Eastern United States since pulling out in 2012. [16] A second New York City location opened in Queens in 2023.

Dispersion

With the division of ARCO between BP and Tesoro, West Coast franchising rights were split between BP (Washington, Oregon and Northern California) and Tesoro subsidiary company Treasure Franchise Company LLC (Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Southern California).[ citation needed ]

Franchised and BP-owned units of ampm are also found in parts of Mexico, usually co-located with a Pemex (which is the main provider of gas in the country) and in Brazil usually, with an Ipiranga station. In Argentina they could be found in YPF/ACA stations. [ citation needed ] In Chile they formerly operated on Petrobras stations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobil</span> American petroleum brand owned by ExxonMobil

Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convenience store</span> Small store that stocks a range of everyday items

A convenience store, convenience shop, bodega, corner store or corner shop is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as tea, coffee, groceries, fruits, vegetables, snacks, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery tickets, over-the-counter drugs, toiletries, newspapers and magazines.

7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas and owned by Japanese company Seven & I Holdings through Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. After Ito-Yokado, a Japanese supermarket chain and the parent company of Seven-Eleven Japan, acquired a 70% stake in the company in 1991, the company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan in November, 2005.

ARCO is a brand of gasoline stations owned by Marathon Petroleum. BP, which formerly owned the brand, uses it in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States and Mexico.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., or simply Couche-Tard, is a Canadian multinational operator of convenience stores. The company has 14,302 stores across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Japan, China, and Indonesia. The company operates its corporate stores mainly under the Couche-Tard, Circle K, and On the Run brands but also under the affiliated brands Mac's Convenience Stores, go!, 7-jours, Dairy/Daisy Mart, Becker's and Winks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circle K</span> American chain of convenience stores

Circle K Stores, Inc. is an American chain of convenience stores headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc., based in Laval, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1951 in El Paso, Texas, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1990 and went through several owners, before being acquired by Alimentation Couche-Tard in 2003. As of February 2020, Circle K has 9,799 stores in North America, 2,697 stores in Europe, and an additional 2,380 stores operating under franchise agreements worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speedway (store)</span> American convenience store and fuel station chain owned by Japanese Seven & I Holdings

Speedway is an American convenience store and fuel station chain headquartered in Enon, Ohio, with locations primarily in the Midwest and the East Coast regions of the United States wholly owned and operated by 7-Eleven. Speedway stations are located in 36 states, up significantly from its core seven-state region in the Midwest since 2012. Prior to 2021, the company was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Marathon Petroleum Corporation. It is the largest convenience store chain in central Ohio.

SuperValu, Inc., was an American wholesaler and retailer of grocery products. The company, formerly headquartered in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, had been in business since 1926. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Natural Foods (UNFI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawson (store)</span> Japanese convenience store chain

Lawson, Inc. is a convenience store franchise chain in Japan. The store originated in the United States in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, but exists today as a Japanese company based in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company has its headquarters in East Tower of Gate City Ohsaki in Ōsaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FamilyMart</span> Japanese convenience store chain

The FamilyMart Company, Ltd. is a Japanese convenience store franchise chain. It is Japan's second largest convenience store chain, behind Seven-Eleven Japan. There are now 24,574 stores worldwide in Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its headquarters is on the 17th floor of the Sunshine 60 building in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo. There were some stores in Japan with the name Circle K Sunkus under the operation of FamilyMart.

Ipiranga Produtos de Petróleo S.A, commonly shortened to Ipiranga, is a Brazilian fuel company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is a subsidiary of Ultra. It is the second-largest Brazilian fuel distribution company, and the largest in the private sector.

APlus is an American convenience store chain owned and operated by Energy Transfer Partners, with some stores currently owned by Seven & I Holdings (7-Eleven). APlus is also the convenience store chain used by Sunoco.

Uni-Mart was a Pennsylvania-based company that owned, operated and franchised numerous convenience stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States (US). In 2008, the company operated 283 convenience stores and gas stations in the US states of Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, and, as of 1995, its annual sales totaled $327.01 million. Henry Sahakian was Uni-Mart's founder and, as of 1997, the company consisted of 2,700 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Petroleum</span>

Atlantic Petroleum was an oil company in the Eastern United States headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a direct descendant of the Standard Oil Trust. It was also one of the companies that merged with Richfield Oil Corporation to form the "AtlanticRichfield Co.", later known as ARCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becker's</span> Canadian convenience store chain

Becker's is a Canadian chain of independent convenience stores selling products of Alimentation Couche-Tard company. The original Becker Milk Company was founded in 1957 in Toronto, Ontario. The chain grew from 5 to 500 stores and was sold in 2006 to Alimentation Couche-Tard. The company converted the company-owned stores to Mac's Milk and later to Circle K, leaving a remnant of affiliate Becker's stores. Starting in 2013, Alimentation Couche-Tard began expanding the affiliate program. There are now over 40 stores in Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorntons LLC</span> American convenience store chain based in Kentucky

Thorntons LLC, formerly Thorntons Inc., is a gasoline and convenience store chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It operates 200+ locations which vary from traditional fuel and convenience stores, stores with expanded kitchen formats and Travel Centers. Thorntons stores are located in six states: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Founded in 1971 by James Thornton, it is a subsidiary of BP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Gasoline</span>

U Save Automatic is an American oil company which operates in the United States. It was founded as Skypower Gasoline by Peter Moller and his sons Poul, Finn and John and changed the name to USA Gasoline in 1968. USA Gasoline operated in 10 states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It became a subsidiary of Tesoro Corporation in 2007, later renamed Andeavor in 2017, which was, in turn, acquired by Marathon Petroleum in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Get to know ampm: History". BP America Inc. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Gyukaku operator to buy controlling stake in am/pm". Japan Times. 10 July 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "AM/PM Brand Heads East, Fueled By Owner BP’s Sponsorships", IEG Sponsorship Report (21 April 2008)
  4. ↑ "Ricker rebranding 17 Indianapolis convenience stores". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Dan Gearino. "Family-owned company gobbles up BP stores". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  6. ↑ "FamilyMart Acquires AMPM Japan", Japan Times (30 December 2009)
  7. ↑ "International News: Japan's FamilyMart to Buy Out Rival am/pm Japan". Convenience Store News. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "Modern Convenience Stores are Displacing Pulperias in Costa Rica", Jaime Lopez, The Costa Rica Star (1 June 2012)
  9. ↑ "Lights Out for BP's ampm". CSPnet.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "BP ampm Exits Eastern U.S.", Author, CStore Decisions (29 August 2012)
  11. ↑ "BP AMERICA (AMPM)", CSP Daily News (2014)
  12. ↑ "It's All About 'Mojo' for BP's ampm Division", Melissa Kress & Danielle Romano, CS News (13 November 2017)
  13. ↑ "Amoco Returns for an Encore", Peter Romeo, CSP Daily News Peter Romeo, (18 January 2018)
  14. ↑ "Can Backseat Snacks Help Uber Take Brazil?", Julie Walmsley, Forbes (20 May 2019)
  15. ↑ "bp to grow mobility and convenience presence in America, integrating convenience leader Thorntons | News | Home". United States.
  16. ↑ "Bp expands ampm convenience brand to US East Coast | News and insights | Home".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.