2026 expansion meets disciplined diligence: how to use traffic analytics for new builds, closures, and pre-M&A decisions
2026 expansion meets disciplined diligence: how to use traffic analytics for new builds, closures, and pre-M&A decisions
Leadership teams in convenience retail are signaling a clear 2026 agenda: accelerate new-to-industry builds, remodel strategically, and pursue selective acquisitions. Recent announcements and watchlists reinforce the theme. New store openings like Yesway’s additions in Texas illustrate how operators are leaning into targeted markets while keeping an eye on portfolio shape. The question is not whether to grow, but how to choose with precision.
C-Site’s role in that choice is to turn traffic reality at the curb into confident site selection, fair valuations, and objective closure decisions. The platform measures true passing demand and visitor potential at the exact address, then explains when, how, and whether that demand converts into store visits.
What disciplined expansion looks like with C-Site
Modern site selection needs more than a single AADT figure. C-Site provides directional AADT for each road and ramp, intraday volumes, speed profiles, weekday and weekend splits, and seasonality at the address level. For large-format travel centers, the emphasis differs from a neighborhood c-store. As our team outlined for travel center operators, traditional AADT matters in both contexts, yet the decision hinges on a different set of metrics for highway destinations versus local commuter trade. C-Site Advanced resolves those nuances with 15 minute granularity, direction-specific volumes, off-ramp counts, and rush hour dynamics, while C-Site Comprehensive and Essential provide streamlined versions for faster screening.
Two points underscore why this resolution matters for 2026 build programs:
• Address-level accuracy: C-Site’s continuous 24/365 observation draws on multi-source data to precisely capture true passing traffic and potential stop rates.
• Traffic nuance insight: Differentiating among highway-bound travelers versus local stops helps prioritize sites that maximize sustained consumer demand and profitability.
