Arko to enhance its loyalty program and EV charging capabilities in 2023, CEO says

Dive Brief:

Beyond its often discussed M&A strategy, Arko, the parent company for c-store giant GPM Investments, is focused on expanding its loyalty program and electrification efforts in 2023, president and CEO Arie Kotler said during the company’s earnings call Tuesday.
Arko’s new mobile app for its Fas Rewards loyalty program — which the company teased back in November — is in the “final stages” of its redesign and will soon be launched throughout Arko’s store network, Kotler said.
On the electrification front, Arko currently has 18 EV charging stations installed across five stores in Massachusetts, in addition to EV-related projects across other U.S. states.

Dive Insight:

Arko is redesigning its mobile app to increase customer enrollment in its Fas Rewards loyalty program and to enhance engagement for current members, Kotler said. Arko’s Fas Rewards program lets members earn points for every purchase they make and redeem those points for merchandise or fuel savings once they’ve hit 250 points.

The new mobile app will offer a variety of features to Fas Rewards members, including real-time access to information like fuel pricing and rewards balances; order and delivery services; and age-verified offers for consumers 21 and over, Kotler said.

“We will be able to target customers by their primary store with relevant, high-value in-store and in-app fields while growing numbers of members,” Kotler said.

Arko is preparing its stores for the “activation” of the new mobile app, Kotler said. That includes its Pride Convenience Holding segment, which Arko acquired last year.

Through the Pride acquisition, Arko gained the 18 EV charging stations in Massachusetts, as Pride was awarded “a number of grants” to expand its charging capabilities in the state, Kotler said.

“We plan to put these grants to use to expand EV charging capabilities in this market,” Kotler said.

In addition to the 18 charging stations in Massachusetts, Arko also has six active EV “projects” in various stages of development at stores in Ohio and Michigan, Kotler said.

“We continue to identify potential opportunities to install EV charging across our footprint,” he said.

Richmond, Virginia-based Arko has more than 1,400 c-stores in 33 states under a variety of brands, including E-Z Mart, Breadbox, ExpressShop and Quarles. The company is divided into four segments: convenience store retail, wholesale fuel, the GPM petroleum division that supplies the fuel for the first two areas and its fleet fueling department.

A previous version of this story misattributed a statement about EV targets to Arko.