Dive Brief:
- East Coast convenience retailer Dandy has opened a new c-store, Trackside Dandy, at the Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, New York, the company announced Thursday on LinkedIn.
- The retailer, which said that it was named the official convenience store of the raceway in early June, is selling staples like alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, tobacco products, snacks and Dandy’s pizza at the site.
- Sports venues are a small but growing outlet for convenience store chains as the industry increasingly looks to new formats.
Dive Insight:
Because Trackside Dandy sits inside the track grounds at Watkins Glen International, the store is only open when the track is in operation. It’s located in one of the camping areas on the track’s grounds. Dandy’s logo will also appear above the pedestrian tunnel near where the store is located.
“We’re excited to officially open the doors to the Trackside Dandy, your go-to convenience store at Watkins Glen International,” said Dandy in the LinkedIn post.
Dandy is the latest retailer placing a c-store amid semi-captive audiences in sports venues. Yesway opened Allsup’s Express Grab & Go at Texas Motor Speedway in 2023. Ampm first put one of its stores in Major League Baseball’s Dodger Stadium in 2015, while GetGo Cafe + Market opened its doors inside PPG Paints Arena, home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2021.
Race tracks may be less appealing simply because they tend to have fewer events, and thus give the c-store fewer operating days. But many tracks — including WGI — offer camping during race weekend, which not only lets the store operate longer but gives it the opportunity to include items like ice and camping supplies.
