By Shawn Foucher
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is an excerpt of a current article from Convenience Store Decisions magazine.
A partner at Pennsylvania-based LMA Architects, Jim Dodrill had been approached by Consumers Petroleum to help create a corporate brand for the company's dozen or more convenience stores in Connecticut. Consumers Petroleum had acquired a handful of existing convenience stores in the state, but preserved the original brands from each of the stores since it never developed a collective identity to use for the entire portfolio.
"The owner of the company, his last name is Wiehl," Mr. Dodrill said. "He jokingly changed the (chain's) name to ‘Wheels.'
"They were sort of concerned it might be too literal," Mr. Dodrill added. A number of "image" words were tossed around, but Wheels was agreed upon. "Initially it was almost like an inside joke, but when we met with them, we said it's actually not a bad name."
LMA Architects' past work involved industry leaders like Wawa, the operator of more than 570 Mid-Atlantic convenience stores. Mr. Dodrill's team designed the sleek, signature canopies shielding Wawa's refueling areas, and beyond that had branded and rebranded other convenience store chains such as Anglers Mini-Marts in South Carolina, which were redesigned to reflect its early beginnings as a bait-and-tackle shop.
"We liked this whole concept of branding," said Mr. Dodrill. "This is a great arena to do that in. Convenience stores are all becoming a little more upscale and unique in their looks."
For Consumers Petroleum, Mr. Dodrill wanted to create a brand that not only capitalized on the Wheels name, but also imbued the c-store's image with the notion of quick-and-easy products and services, that staple convenience store offering. For its part, Consumers Petroleum wanted a look that was uniquely upscale.
Because the company's stores had been acquired as already-operating properties, Mr. Dodrill was somewhat limited in changing the building's exteriors, other than emblazoning signage in key areas.
"We had total control over the interior," Mr. Dodrill said. Ultimately, the Wheels brand came to life by using the name to steer design and imagery, everything from texture to colors to lighting.
"It's more like creating an environment," Mr. Dodrill said. "That's where it gets into these warm materials, textures and colors."
Discussion Questions: What makes a good retail store name? Secondly, what type of branding support do store names need at retail that might be different than the past?