C-Store Strategic Growth & Loyalty Integration: TXB Expansion and ENOC Partnership

Forecourt & Convenience Retail Industry Analysis

North American Expansion: TXB Network Growth Strategy

Convenience store operator Texas Born (TXB) has outlined a multi-year growth strategy aimed at expanding its retail presence in Texas. According to an interview reported by C-Store Dive, TXB CEO Kevin Smartt and President Nate Brazier stated that the company plans to double its store count over the next five years by combining organic builds with targeted acquisitions.

To distinguish baseline network totals from planned additions, TXB currently operates a network total of 54 convenience stores. To surpass the 100-location threshold, Smartt attributed a plan to add between seven and 10 stores annually to the network. Of these annual store additions, four to six sites are targeted as new builds, while the remainder will come through acquisitions. TXB originally disclosed its plan to exceed 100 locations in early 2025.

This planned expansion occurs within a broader market landscape where smaller operators face financial pressure. As reported by C-Store Dive, several operators sold their retail assets during the year, including Tooley Oil, Earnheart Oil, Fleming Brothers Oil, PowerTrac, FastLane, Big Boss Stores, and Monfort Companies. Simultaneously, larger regional and national consolidators, such as Casey's General Stores and Oxxo USA, continue acquiring and rebranding smaller convenience chains across Texas.

Middle East Loyalty Integration: ENOC and Landmark Group Partnership

In the United Arab Emirates, fuel and mobility provider ENOC Group partnered with retail conglomerate Landmark Group to link their respective loyalty ecosystems. As documented by MobilityPlaza, the agreement enables members of ENOC's YES Rewards program and Landmark's Shukran program to exchange rewards points across platforms.

Eligibility and participating locations are defined under program terms. Shukran members can redeem converted loyalty points across ENOC's UAE network, which encompasses service stations, ZOOM convenience stores, AutoPro automotive service centers, and Tasjeel vehicle testing and registration sites. Conversely, YES Rewards members can convert points for use across participating Landmark retail brands, including Centrepoint, Max, Home Centre, Home Box, Babyshop, Splash, Styli, and Emax.

Zaid Alqufaidi, Managing Director of ENOC Retail, stated: "We are continually looking at ways to make our customers’ everyday experience more convenient, connected and rewarding." Customers manage the point conversion feature directly through the respective YES Rewards and Shukran mobile applications, subject to the governing terms and conditions of each program.

Strategic Analysis and Hypotheses

Analysis

The strategies deployed by TXB in Texas and ENOC in the UAE reflect distinct approaches to market density and customer retention in forecourt operations. In North America, regional operators with fewer than 100 stores face rising operational costs and aggressive M&A activity from larger consolidators. TXB's strategy relies on maintaining local brand ties while pacing capital expenditures across organic builds and opportunistic acquisitions. In the UAE, fuel retailers are leveraging cross-sector loyalty partnerships to capture non-fuel retail spending without incurring physical network buildout costs.

Operational Hypotheses and Proposed Tests

• Hypothesis 1 (Loyalty Point Interoperability): Enabling cross-platform point redemption between fuel/c-store networks and apparel/home goods retailers will increase monthly visit frequency and average basket size at ZOOM convenience stores among converted Shukran loyalty users.
• *Proposed Test:* A 90-day controlled cohort study comparing baseline transaction frequency and basket value of dual-enrolled Shukran/YES Rewards users against a control group of non-converting YES Rewards members, measuring pre- and post-conversion spend at ZOOM locations.
• Hypothesis 2 (Balanced Build-vs-Acquire Growth): Maintaining a split ratio of 4–6 ground-up builds alongside M&A additions allows regional chains to optimize site geometry and foodservice capabilities while mitigating real estate development lead times.
• *Proposed Test:* A comparative financial evaluation measuring time-to-profitability and same-store inside sales growth between newly constructed TXB locations and acquired/converted units over a 24-month post-opening period.