ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Royal Farms is opening another Tesla Supercharger in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and is celebrating with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 7, supported by the Maryland Tesla Owners Club. Royal Farms’ relationship with Tesla began in 2017, and the company currently has 14 locations with Tesla EV chargers open to the public. The Baltimore-based convenience retailer plans to bring EV charging to an additional 25 Royal Farms stores through this existing partnership with Tesla. Currently, these chargers are only for Tesla vehicles.
“We are excited to continue to grow our partnership with Tesla and play an integral role in building a nationwide EV network to allow for the growth of zero emission vehicles. We see EV charging as a fantastic complimentary use to our beverage and prepared food offerings,” said Tom Ruszin, fuel and environment leader for Royal Farms.
Royal Farms has been adding EV chargers to select locations since 2015 to align with the company’s culture of sustainability and its mission to delight customers in a way that creates loyalty. In addition to the Tesla charging network, Royal Farms has also finalized agreements with two leading EV charging network providers to upgrade existing chargers at 22 non-Tesla locations in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Through these partnerships, Royal Farms will not only replace the existing chargers, but also expand charging capacity at many locations. The existing charging network requires an average of 20-25 minutes for an 80% charge.
As the Royal Farms footprint continues to grow, the retailer is constantly assessing opportunities to include EV charging as part of its new store development, according to the company.
Meanwhile, Rutter’s announced a new private-label seasonal beer, created in collaboration with Lancaster Brewing. Big Berry Attitude is a citrus ale with natural flavors consisting of blueberries and cranberries.
The beer will arrive in Rutter’s stores beginning in May and will be offered in limited quantities. The launch marks the third product collaboration between Rutter’s and Lancaster Brewing Co. and will be available exclusively at Rutter’s Pennsylvania beer locations, while supplies last.
“In creating this new beer, we decided to try something different and take our seasonal options to the next level,” said Adam Long, Rutter’s senior category manager. “We’re going to continue to offer our customers new and exciting products in our already wide assortment of adult beverage choices.”
Big Berry Attitude will be available at Rutter’s in late May and will be sold in a six-pack of 12-ounce cans for $9.99.