Regional Foodservice Scaling and Forecourt Retail Media Strategies in C-Store Operations
Family Express has agreed to acquire Leo's Market & Eatery store locations in Indiana to scale its commissary foodservice model, while new research from GSTV highlights forecourt retail media strategies for driving Gen Z foot traffic and store conversion.
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Regional Foodservice Scaling and Forecourt Retail Media Strategies
Regional convenience store operators are pursuing dual growth strategies: expanding proprietary foodservice concepts through strategic store acquisitions and commissary partnerships, while leveraging targeted forecourt retail media to convert pump traffic into in-store shoppers.
Indiana C-Store Consolidation: Family Express and Leo's Market & Eatery
Valparaiso, Indiana-based Family Express has reached an agreement to assume operations of Leo's Market & Eatery store locations, as announced in October 2026. Family Express is tied for 80th place on CSP's 2026 Top 202 U.S. convenience store ranking by store count and currently operates approximately 90 store locations across Indiana. Leo's Market & Eatery, headquartered in Greenfield, Indiana, maintains seven locations situated across suburban Indianapolis and Lafayette.
Under the transaction structure, Leo's will focus on expanding its food platform and central commissary operations, developing Leo's Eatery as a standalone concept. Since 2019, Leo's has developed over 20 kolache varieties alongside sandwiches, salads, and prepared foods. The agreement expands Leo's fresh food offerings to Family Express's existing footprint of around 90 stores.
This transaction complements Family Express's broader strategy in Indiana, where the retailer previously committed $100 million toward new store development across the state. Gus Olympidis, president and CEO of Family Express, noted that the partnership combines Leo's culinary platform with Family Express's operational infrastructure. Stephanie White Longworth, owner and president of Leo's Market & Eatery, stated that the arrangement allows Leo's to preserve its central commissary while expanding its food concepts. The transaction is scheduled to close later in fall 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, with store personnel remaining central to operational continuity.
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Forecourt Retail Media Dynamics and Demographic Trends
Parallel to physical foodservice expansion, forecourt media platforms are targeting customer activation at the pump to influence store conversion. In an October 2026 interview with NACS Media, GSTV CEO Eric Kozik detailed industry trends based on GSTV Consumer Pulse research.
According to GSTV survey data, 80% of GSTV viewers planned or considered a fall road trip, and 73% of road trippers stop at gas stations and convenience stores for breaks or snacks. Furthermore, GSTV research indicates that 96% of viewers who saw a pump video advertisement went on to recognize, consider, research, or purchase the advertised brand.
GSTV's demographic findings highlight pronounced engagement among younger demographics. Survey results show that 76% of GSTV's Gen Z viewers visit a convenience store at least once per week. Additionally, Gen Z viewers are 17% more likely than average viewers to walk inside the store after fueling. Within the store, 97% of Gen Z viewers report enjoying store browsing, and they are 31% more likely than other age groups to discover new products. Kozik attributed this engagement to pump-side media effectiveness, stating that gas station video ranks first with Gen Z viewers across channels in GSTV research.
To maximize forecourt media value, GSTV is expanding managed service models, programmatic advertiser partnerships, and retailer data integrations that link pump impressions to register transaction data.
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Analysis: Analytical Frameworks for Foodservice Expansion and Media Attribution
Distinguishing Sourced Facts from Analytical Frameworks
The acquisition details, store counts, commissary plans, and survey percentages reported above represent documented facts from source reporting. The following operational evaluations represent analytical frameworks and hypotheses formulated for store operators.
Hypothesis 1: Centralized Commissary Hub-and-Spoke Distribution
*Hypothesis:* Rollout of Leo's specialized kolaches and prepared fresh food across Family Express's 90-store network will increase average foodservice basket size without requiring on-site kitchen rebuilds. *Proposed Test:* Measure net foodservice gross margin and daily food discard rates across 15 pilot transition sites over a 90-day period versus a control group of non-converted stores. Track prep labor hours to verify whether commissary delivery maintains store-level operational efficiency.
Hypothesis 2: Forecourt Media Loyalty Data Unification
*Hypothesis:* Integrating forecourt digital video promotions with point-of-sale loyalty data will increase fuel-to-store conversion rates for targeted age groups like Gen Z. *Proposed Test:* Execute a 60-day A/B test across 20 forecourt sites. Group A pumps display dynamic promotions tied to time-of-day offers (such as morning coffee or afternoon snack bundles paired with loyalty QR codes), while Group B pumps show standard non-targeted video ads. Measure conversion via loyalty redemption rates and store foot-traffic sensors.