Sheetz

Sheetz, Inc was founded by G. Robert "Bob" Sheetz in 1952 when he purchased one of his father's five dairy stores located in Altoona. In 1961, Bob hired his brother Steve to work part-time.

In 1963 the second store was opened under the name "Sheetz Kwik Shopper." A third store followed in 1968. In 1969, Steve became general manager. The brothers planned to expand at the rate of one store per year with a target of seven stores by 1972. In 1972, the company expanded from seven to fourteen stores. One year later, Sheetz began selling gasoline, and opened the first self-serve gas pumps in central Pennsylvania.

By 1983, Bob and Steve had opened 100 stores. In 1981 Bob retired and Steve became president.

In 1995, Stanton R. "Stan" Sheetz, Bob's son, became president and Steve assumed the position of Chairman of the Board.[3] To this day, Sheetz maintains a family business with four family members serving on the Executive Committee.

During the mid-1990s, Sheetz sold It! Cola, the chain's private-label brand of soft drinks available in cans, bottles, and as fountain drinks. The drink was discontinued and the fountains were replaced with Pepsi products. The chain now has both Pepsi and Coca-Cola products in the fountains.

In September 2001, Sheetz opened a distribution center in Claysburg, Pennsylvania.[4]

In December 2004 they began offering the new Sheetz MasterCard PayPass with RFID technology, and was one of the first retailers to accept such technology, ahead of McDonald's, Arby's, CVS, and rival 7-Eleven, all of which introduced it nationally in 2006.

On July 10, 2006 Sheetz became Pennsylvania's second retail chain to offer E85 ethanol-based fuel alternative at select stations.[5][6]

In 2008, Sheetz opened its first commissary, Sheetz Bros. Kitchen, to produce fresh sandwiches and bakery products that are sold at Sheetz locations.

Sheetz now has more than 600 locations across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina, and more than 21,000 employees. All Sheetz stores are company-owned-and-operated. The company has no plans to sell franchises.[7] Sheetz is the dominant convenience store chain in much of Pennsylvania, holding a virtual monopoly in Altoona and a commanding share in Pittsburgh (where it competes with 7-Eleven, Speedway, GetGo, and to a much lesser extent Circle K) and Harrisburg (where it primarily competes with Rutter's, as well as 7-Eleven and Speedway), but is noticeably absent from the Delaware Valley (including Philadelphia) due to the presence of Wawa, leading to a fierce "rivalry" between the two chains among Pennsylvanians, though the two companies themselves have a friendly relationship.[8][9]

In October 2013, Stan Sheetz became Chairman of the Board of Sheetz, with his cousin Joseph S. "Joe" Sheetz becoming president and CEO.[10]

Published in November 2013, Kenneth Womack's Made to Order: The Sheetz Story traces the company's history from its dairy-store origins through the present day.

In 2014, Sheetz opened its second distribution center and kitchen facility in Burlington, North Carolina.[11]

Sales for fiscal year 2018-2019 totaled $7.5 billion.[12]

On December 19, 2019, Sheetz celebrated the opening of its 600th store in Shaler Township, PA.[13]

On November 29, 2019, Sheetz announced an expansion into Columbus, Ohio starting in 2021.[14][15] Currently, the major competitors in that area include Speedway, Circle K, GetGo, United Dairy Farmers, and the locally based Duchess Shoppe. Sheetz plans to open 60 locations in the Columbus area by 2025 (more than doubling its current store count in Ohio), with Sheetz COO Travis Sheetz telling the Columbus Dispatch that "we're not coming in lightly".[16] Locations already confirmed will be located in Obetz (near Rickenbacker International Airport), four locations in Columbus proper (including one just outside of John Glenn Columbus International Airport near Gahanna and another near Hollywood Casino Columbus, Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet, & the former Westland Mall), Circleville, South Bloomfield, Polairs, Reynoldsburg, and two each in Delaware, New Albany & Hilliard; locations in Grove City & Lancaster (the latter due to its close proximity to an existing Sheetz location in Zanesville) are also expected.[17] Another location was planned in Worthington but was shelved due to local resident opposition of the proposed site being next door to a water treatment plant.[18] In January 2021, Sheetz launched a website, SheetzIsComing.com, to prepare for its Columbus launch, with accompanying digital billboards to hype its arrival.

In 2020, Sheetz discontinued selling Faygo soft drinks and replaced them with their new private-label brand, Sheetz Pop!. This drink effectively replaces It! Cola 25 years after the latter product was discontinued.

In 2003, Sheetz opened a concept store in the food court of Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This location offered Sheetz's made-to-order foods and fountain beverages in a more traditional fast food layout. It did not function as a convenience store.[24] The store has since closed.

In 2012, Sheetz, again, began contemplating "new concept", "fuel-free" locations.[25] In 2014, a plan was announced to open such a location on the campus of West Virginia University, in Morgantown, WV.[26] The intent was to call it "Sheetz MTO Market", however, when opened, in February 2015,[27] the store was named "Sheetz Café" (although outdoor signage is the same as all other stores).

In September 2015, another no-fuel café opened in State College, PA, near the campus of Penn State University.[28][29] In Indiana, PA, on the border of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus, a Sheetz that previously carried gasoline was torn down, and replaced with a no-fuel café that opened in August 2016.[30][31][32][33] A fourth such location opened in September 2017, in Charlottesville, VA, directly across the street from the campus of the University of Virginia.[34][35][36]

In September 2019, Sheetz announced they would not renew their lease with WVU for that Morgantown location.[37][38][39] The company offered no explanation for the closure.

Until June 8, 2016 Pennsylvania state law proscribed alcohol sales in convenience stores. Beer had to be sold at a beer distributor while liquor had to be sold at state-operated stores titled "Wines & Spirits". In 2007, Sheetz tried to find a loophole around this by classifying part of one of their prototype stores in Altoona as a restaurant, which would permit alcohol sales.[40] The Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania protested and Sheetz was temporarily barred from selling beer.[41] On appeal, Sheetz was awarded the license to sell beer and continues to do so today. On June 15, 2009, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court gave Sheetz permission to sell beer for takeout under the condition that it is also available to drink on site.[42] Sheetz successfully led the effort to change alcohol sales laws in Pennsylvania to allow sales in convenience and grocery stores, which became law when Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 39 into law on June 8, 2016.[43]