Before & After
Customers in Harlan, Iowa, are among the first to get a Yesway store
T
he town of Harlan, Iowa, has a population of only approximately 6,000 people, but soon after a Yesway convenience store started operating there, new faces began showing up. Since Yesway acquired the older c-store, it has seen a sprucing-up in the form of a new paint job, bathroom renovation, and repositioning of cigarettes and lottery tickets that enables the store to sell them without taking up much counter space, thus creating a more open feel. A green bar running along the store’s exterior lights up at night, making it a beacon for travelers on the road. “The store manager and employee were saying they’ve seen people [coming into this newly rebranded Yesway store] they’ve never seen before,” said Vice President of Construction and Maintenance Dennis Darveau. “That says a lot for a small town because usually everybody knows everybody. If you’re seeing new faces, that means you’re reaching people.”
BEFORE
AFTER
54 Convenience Store News | SEPTEMBER 2016 | WWW.CSNEWS.COM
An updated foodservice and hot beverage section now provides Harlan customers with more options, while indoor and outdoor picnic tables give them somewhere to eat besides their cars. “The reason I put them there is for a sense of community,” said Darveau, who envisioned a family coming to the store to buy ice cream after dinner and enjoying it at a table outside. “It gives them a nice place to relax and gather with people they know, or make new friends.” A tech-savvy bonus function is a solar-powered umbrella that’s connected to a charger mounted on the pole, which lets customers recharge their mobile devices while they eat. CSN