New Cumberland Farms Stores Invite Customers to Linger

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – Cumberland Farms, the convenience chain with roughly 600 stores, is going after the Starbucks customer, according to a story in the Worchester Business Journal.

Cumberland Farms is inviting customers to stay awhile by providing new, improved menus with more elaborate sandwiches and coffee offerings and plenty of space for customers to prepare their own drinks, add condiments or place orders at kiosks.

“It is a significant investment,” said David Heilbronner, director of brand strategy and advertising, Cumberland Farms. “It's worth it for us.”

The company has added self-serve ordering terminals in store, upgraded a line of grab-and-go meals to include meatball sandwiches and egg-and-chorizo wraps and offers a range of smoothies. In addition, kiosks are set up to let customers place a special order or coffee drink. Traditional aisles are laid out across less than half the store’s interior space, and three self-checkout stations line the counter near the front door.

Cumberland Farms isn’t alone in moving toward higher-end options, bigger stores and more personalized choices. The Texas-based chain Stripes has its own taco line, Laredo Taco Co., in more than 450 of its roughly 700 locations. Georgia-based RaceTrac has self-serve ice cream, yogurt and other frozen treats. Pennsylvania-based Wawa is famous for its freshly made sandwiches.

The newest Cumberland Farms store in Westborough is nearly 5,300 square feet, which is no longer unusual. Today’s new stores are often larger than 4,000 square feet, giving the store staff room to prepare and package sandwiches, pizzas and other fresh foods.

“There’s so much competition out there, and we have to be able to compete,” said Heilbronner. “It’s a big opportunity that we probably haven't leveraged in the past.”

Across the industry, the main difference between top performers and laggards is the growth of foodservice looking more like a restaurant, according to Jeff Lenard, vice president for strategic industry initiatives for NACS.

That doesn’t mean convenience stores aren’t still concerned about speed of service. An average customer is in and out in just four minutes, said Lenard. While prices are higher for some items, such as $4.99 for an Italian ciabatta sandwich or $2.69 for a cappuccino or latte, Cumberland Farms remains less expensive than say, the fast-casual chain Panera Bread.