Forecourt Strategy Update: Loyalty Analytics and Expanded Destination Formats

Fuel Retail Transformation: Loyalty Analytics and Destination Formats

Fuel retailers globally are adjusting forecourt strategies to adapt to shifting consumer behaviors, pursuing digital engagement infrastructure on one end and large-format destination sites on the other. Recent developments from United Refining in North America and ADNOC Distribution in the Middle East illustrate these contrasting approaches, as detailed in reports from C-Store Dive and MobilityPlaza.

United Refining Partners with PAR Technology for Kwik Fill Loyalty

In September 2026, convenience retailer and oil supplier United Refining announced a partnership with retail technology vendor PAR Technology to build a customer engagement platform from scratch for its Kwik Fill convenience stores. United Refining operates a store network of more than 300 locations across New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, with approximately 250 operating under the Kwik Fill banner.

The technology stack incorporates the PAR Retail platform to manage loyalty, mobile applications, enterprise intelligence, and tobacco loyalty capability. Additionally, Kwik Fill will utilize PAR Intelligence to process customer insights and support operational decision-making across guest engagement, marketing, merchandising, and operations. The announcement did not specify an operational rollout schedule or confirm whether deployment will encompass the full network or a subset of stores.

Corporate and supplier representatives characterized the deployment as a foundational step for guest insight:

• Roy Williams, senior vice president of marketing at United Refining, stated that the company sees "tremendous opportunity to leverage the platform as we continue enhancing the experiences we deliver to our guests."
• Jake Kiser, general manager of PAR Retail, stated that Kwik Fill is making a "meaningful investment in understanding their customers at a level they haven’t been able to before."

ADNOC Distribution Expands Destination-Driven "The Hub" Sites

In the Middle East, ADNOC Distribution is accelerating its high-dwell destination strategy. Following the launch of its initial site in Shawamekh in November 2025, ADNOC Distribution established six Hub sites by the end of 2025 and planned six additional locations during 2026. Current active sites across Abu Dhabi include Shawamekh, Saadiyat Island, Riyadh City, and Khalifa City.

The Hub format features a retail footprint three times larger than a standard ADNOC service station and operates around a five-pillar concept: Fuel (including fast-EV charging), Food, Flex, Fix, and Future Ready. Key specs, metrics, and targets include:

• Network Targets and Financial Projection: ADNOC Distribution targets 30 Hub locations by 2030, which are expected to contribute approximately $30 million in annual EBITDA. This initiative supports a network-wide objective to double non-fuel retail transactions by 2030 compared to a 2023 baseline.
• Measured Sales Performance: The first six operational Hub sites achieved fuel volume growth significantly above the company's broader network average.
• EV Charging Infrastructure: The E11 EV Mega Hub along the Abu Dhabi–Dubai corridor features 60 high-speed charging points capable of charging standard electric vehicles from 0% to 80% in approximately 20 minutes. A twin site across the highway is slated to add 40 fast chargers.
• Foodservice and Supply Sourcing: A strategic agreement with Americana Restaurants aims to deploy up to 200 quick-service restaurants across 12 global brands throughout ADNOC's broader network. Furthermore, over 30% of products sold within the Oasis by ADNOC convenience concept are sourced locally.

Analysis & Hypotheses for Forecourt Operators

To evaluate these investments objectively, forecourt operators must isolate vendor assertions from verified operational results.

• Hypothesis 1 (Enterprise Loyalty Analytics): Deploying unified customer engagement software increases repeat store visit frequency and total basket margins across regional forecourt chains.
• *Proposed Test*: Track 90-day pre- and post-implementation basket composition and transaction frequency between a test cohort of digitized Kwik Fill stores and an unintegrated control group, deducting platform licensing fees from net margin gains.
• Hypothesis 2 (Destination Footprint Expansion): Tripling site retail square footage and introducing extended dwell amenities (e.g., work pods, expanded F&B) generates net non-fuel profit growth that offsets higher capital expenditure.
• *Proposed Test*: Compare 12-month non-fuel EBITDA per square meter between standard forecourts and large-format Hub sites across comparable traffic corridors.