New c-store shares leadership with Loop Neighborhood Markets

Dive Brief:

Poppy Market, a new c-store brand under the same leadership as Loop Neighborhood Markets, will unveil its first location this month in Arbuckle, California, according to an emailed press release.
The c-store — located about 50 miles northwest of downtown Sacramento — features a full-service restaurant, an electric vehicle charging station, a dog-washing service, a car wash and Wi-Fi in addition to standard convenience items and fuel. Its CEO is Varish Goyal, who also leads Loop Neighborhood Markets.
Although Poppy Market didn’t specify how many locations it will open, the retailer has hinted at plans for more stores to emerge around California, including a second site in Colusa County.

Dive Insight:

While Fremont, California-based Loop Neighborhood Markets already has a decent footprint throughout northwest California, the retailer only operates about 10 stores near Sacramento.

Establishing a new brand under the same leadership near California’s capital could represent a new means of expanding in the northern part of the state.

According to Poppy Market’s LinkedIn page, its first location has taken “many years of planning, construction and training” to open.

“It is our mission to reinvent the modern convenience store in an approach that invites and excites everyday consumers,” Goyal said in the announcement.

Among the highlights at the first Poppy Market is a Crunchy Munchy chicken restaurant, which is also featured at many Loop stores. The full-service restaurant offers fried chicken tenders and sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, potato wedges, biscuits and more.

Poppy Market will also feature its Poppy Points loyalty program, which rewards customers four points for every $1 spent in store and two points for every gallon of gas purchased. Customers can earn 800 points at the initial signup.

Customers can cash in their points multiple ways. They can choose the value of the coupon they’d like, show their mobile app at checkout to have the discount automatically applied, or add their phone number in the mobile app to apply points to their transaction.

“We aim to provide quality service while continuing to be a quick and affordable stop along the way,” Goyal said in the announcement.