He said the company has succeeded largely due to its base in Texas.

Susser operates 630 retail convenience stores, primarily under the Stripes brand, throughout Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Susser, the company's chairman, president and CEO said his company is the 11th largest convenience store in the U.S. In a presentation to investors earlier this year, Sam L. Today, it has about 175 of the new super stores. Susser officials have said they want Stripes to compete with supermarkets and major discount chains for customers.Įssentially, Stripes is trying to shake up gas station convenience stores the same way CVS and Walgreens have tried to develop a higher-end, more pleasant experience for pharmacies. The company is catering to its customers by building a 'big box' style of convenience store that measures around 6,800 square feet, almost triple the usual store size. In a presentation earlier this year, the company noted that Hispanics are more frequent convenience store shoppers than non-Hispanics, and they're more likely to buy grocery foods at convenience stores as well. It's no accident that today, as the stores have expanded, the highest concentrations of Susser's stores are also in the parts of the state with the largest portions of Hispanic residents. Susser, head of Susser Holding Corp., gave a new name to old convenience stores his company already operated under well-known brands like 7-Elevan and Circle K. More than 70 percent of the time someone makes a purchase at Laredo Taco Company, they buy something else at a Stripes store that usually has higher profit margins. The company estimates it's sold more than 227 million tacos since 2002. But they can afford (a) $0.99 breakfast taco and another $0.99 for a good cup of coffee.' 'We kind of think of ourselves as the Starbucks of South Texas,' Sullivan said, according to a transcript of her presentation. In a presentation to investors earlier this year, Susser's chief financial officer, Mary Sullivan, said company research shows that people who eat at Laredo Taco Company tend to visit Stripes stores more than 4 times per week.

Last year the taco business did about $243 million in sales, and that figure has been rising every year. More than two thirds of transactions at Stripes stores don't involve gasoline, according to the company. Stripes stores are well-known in parts of Texas where it has a bigger footprint as the home of Laredo Taco Company, Stripes' in-store taco shop that company officials say helps make customers extremely loyal. Energy Transfer Partners acquired Sunoco in 2012.Īs part of the deal, both retailers will eventually be moved into Houston-based Susser Petroleum Partners. 'We think this combination make sense, both strategically and geographically,' said Bob Owens, president and CEO of Sunoco, another gas station retailer, in a conference call with investors.

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