In a press release submitted to NACS, Family Express c-store chain reports that it is building its first modular convenience store in Ligonier, Indiana. This is the first in a line of new prefabricated building types that the Indiana retailer is constructing. The masonry buildings are approximately 7,200 square feet and include a full kitchen and car wash.
With components manufactured off-site and then assembled on-site, the store can go up in a matter of days. Family Express is in the process of executing $100 million in development with new-to-industry stores and said the modular construction method will help it meet its development schedule. Several new stores have already been prefabricated and are planned for construction in Indiana in the spring.
Modular construction is not a brand-new technique, but it was not widely accepted by the c-store industry, until this development. This technology offers the benefits of expediting the assembly and reducing the construction cost per square foot. We see it commonplace in the hospitality industry, and it is a welcome update to the c-store construction process.
With reduced cost of construction, the owners of the future income-generating enterprise may want to pay more attention – and maybe a few dollars – to the crucial task of site selection.
It is well known that a mistake in site selection, even as small as choosing the “wrong” side of the road, could mean the difference between commercial success or failure to recap the substantial, often multi-million, investment.
Site selection used to be an art form, but here and now it is a well-developed science, practiced by expert professionals in the field of historical vehicular traffic data collection & analysis and demographics analytics. Major retail chains have their in-house analytic departments (or groups), while smaller players cannot afford this costly endeavor.
Ticon, a renown expert in traffic data analytics and location intelligence, offers solutions for both ends of the industry spectrum.
If you have an in-house team, you are welcome to subscribe to Ticon’s latest product, TrafficZoom™ – a platform that lets you see AADT counts and other traffic parameters for every road in the country with AADT over 500.
So, if you want to be ahead of the game, give us a call to talk about asset performance product selection optimization with Ticon’s highly granular data.
As Aldi continues to set benchmarks in the grocery sector, tools like Ticon offer a complementary layer of intelligence, helping translate technological innovation into tangible business success by grounding decisions in precise, location-specific insights. This holistic approach ensures growth is both strategic and sustainable.
Contact usIf you are a small-to-medium operator, you are welcome to engage Ticon on an as-needed basis, to receive the detailed site selection reports for individual locations.
In both cases, Ticon’s offerings are very competitively priced, while providing the highest accuracy and granularity of data.
Visit our website or contact us for a free consultation.
It takes a fully staffed analytics department to deal with data of this complexity.
It costs a lot.
Or so it was, until Ticon came up with an easy, affordable solutions to this important but challenging task.
Ticon’s business location analysis can be ordered online in a matter of minutes, and received in a matter of days. No need to enter into lengthy agreements or pay hefty user fees. You only pay for what you need, when you need it.
The door to Knowing Your Customer, at any place across America, is now open to you.
By having all this information produced from impeccably accurate data by highly capable traffic engineers, Ticon is able to offer you the key findings for business location analysis, to decide if investing in EV chargers at these locations makes business sense, and to better retail store performance of the ones you already own and operate.
It’s like having a full department of traffic engineers and data analysts working for you – only without the cost the big companies have to pay for this luxury.
The concept of fast food was born in America, so it’s not surprising that the top 10 largest QSR chains are all US brands. Topped by the company that started it all, venerable McD’s.
As of this writing, McDonald’s has over 40,000 restaurants worldwide, some of which are housed in very picturesque buildings and environments. Many countries have their unique menu items not available to US customers, like McBaguettes in Paris, or McArabia chicken pita sandwiches in Abu Dhabi.
This is just one of the reasons McD’s sales are booming overseas, where it saw 4.1% growth, unlike 1.4% decline at the domestic market. Thus, the company plans to open most of its new restaurants overseas: about 2,200 this year, including about 1,000 in China.
This is why the company recently stated that it’s on track to reach 50,000 restaurants by the end of 2027. This would mark its fastest ever period of global expansion.
What does it mean for everybody who’s in this industry? First of all, a reason to be optimistic about the economy. The boys and girls at McD’s have a lot of data to look at, and if they bet on growth, so should we all.
But a corollary of the growth will be increased competition for prime real estate – and we don’t mean in China, but here, in our good old U.S. of A.
This is why it is critically important for every retail chain operator to hook up with a source of trustworthy location intelligence toolkit, including historical traffic data, accurate traffic counts and demographic analysis, and sales forecasting – like Ticon.
At Ticon, we know that a store location that assures a high potential for a high number of visitors is defined not only by the total number of vehicles passing by it. Other factors include the time when the traffic is at its highest – morning or afternoon; the speed at which these cars travel past your store – if they travel too fast, there’s less chance of them stopping at your location; and the site visibility – which can be enhanced by proper placement of a billboard informing the travelers of the service you offer.
By having all this information produced from impeccably accurate data by highly capable traffic engineers,
Ticon is able to offer you the key to improving store performance management of the ones you already own and operate.
One does not need to have a crystal ball to figure out why Walmart just made a decision to make a “landmark investment” in Canada, to the tune of $4.5 billion, which includes building dozens of new stores, beginning with five locations in Ontario and Alberta.
But look at all the other news:
Sprouts will expand in Florida, with seven new stores to cater to all these fresh and green stuff lovers that moved to FL from the opposite shore. That’s good news for the residents of St. Jones, Orlando, St. Petersburg (not the one in Russia) and in Palm Beach County.
Love’s will upgrade 50 stores and open 20 new ones. More than half of Love’s 655 locations will be newly constructed or remodeled by 2035.
And will you just look at the amount of milk shakes we’ll be getting!
Smoothie King plans to have 105 new stores in 2025, including key markets like Atlanta. Meanwhile, Shake Shack sees the potential for its company-operated footprint to reach “at least” 1,500 locations over time, vs. its prior target of 450 sites. Shake Shack expects to open up to 85 new restaurants this year, including 45 company-operated locations.
What makes us the happiest is the news that Barnes & Noble will open 60 stores in 2025, if you can believe a publication not so closely associated with the retail industry – some tabloid called Financial Times.
Why is this important?
Because this is a sign that our economy - and our industry - is optimistic about tomorrow, and puts its money into growth, in order to make more money. Whether you are big or small, this is a wake-up call to you. Growth is priority #1, and if you need support from an expert on site selection, demand planning and sales forecasting to help you with growing in the right areas, and in optimal locations, all you need to do is to make one call to Ticon.
We are waiting, and we’ll be happy to see you.
It’s like having a full department of traffic engineers and data analysts working for you – only without the cost the big companies have to pay for this luxury.
Contact us today to strengthen your competitive position, optimize the store operations and achieve maximum profitability.
Let’s discuss your next site selection move
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