CSN EXCLUSIVE: Rutter's Begins Its Second 'Story'
YORK, Pa. — Though Rutter's as a Pennsylvania-based convenience store brand only just celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018, Rutter's as a family business goes back considerably longer, to before Pennsylvania was even a state.
"[We're the] 11th generation of the family business," said Chris Hartman, Rutter's vice president of fuels, advertising and development, and president of M&G Realty Inc., the company's real estate holding group.
A privately held company and four-time recipient of the Convenience Store News Foodservice Innovator of the Year Award, the organization traces its roots back to 1747, when the Rutter's family farm was founded in the town of York, just a 45-minute drive from Gettsyburg. Though the family farm is still in operation, much like its fellow Keystone State c-store operator, Wawa Inc., Rutter's eventually realized it would be easier to be its own seller, opening its dairy business in 1921 and then its own stores in 1968.
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Despite this long history, the company only recently expanded beyond its Pennsylvania borders, choosing to stay relatively local. And this homebody attitude partially explains why it chose its hometown of York for the site of an ambitious remodel.
"With the location being near our headquarters, our whole team was able to experience the design in-person and monitor the results more closely," said Hartman.
The Mt. Zion Road store had already been slated for an upgrade, but the decision to move ahead with this particular design took into account projected sales increases, the needs of local customers and a layout that could provide improved upkeep — all necessary parts of the equation when undertaking such a large project.
Not only was the structure undergoing a facelift, but it was also nearly doubling in size from 4,300 square feet to more than 8,000 square feet. Most of that square footage would be added through the addition of a second floor, with seating for up to 30 guests.
Rutter's also looked at this site as a possible template for future builds.
"In addition to looking at our typical guidelines, we also had a goal to test an upgraded look and feel, from finishes and lighting to the overall layout. Now, we're able to take these learnings to further improve our future new store and remodel locations … [and] test and study our new design elements," Hartman told Convenience Store News.
Remodels & Reevaluations
The height of the building might be the most obvious change, but the company went all-in on expanding the amenities for customers. In addition to tables for sit-down meals, guests can find a beer cave alongside extensive wine offerings and spiked slushies, and an upgraded kitchen for made-to-order food. Drivers have a wider selection of fuel grades, including ethanol-free, Unleaded 15 and flex fuel.
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The newly expanded size of the store required some reconsideration of space organization. "This is only our second location with two floors, and our first to use a mezzanine, which opens up the second floor to the rest of the store," Hartman said. "By putting the seating upstairs, we were able to maximize the first-floor selling space."
According to the VP, part of the goal of the remodel was to reevaluate the look and feel of the store in order to improve the customer experience, making the project sensitive to guest feedback. Since those design elements could be used for other projects later on down the line, a negative response could scuttle those plans.
Thankfully, customers have given the new elements their blessing, Hartman said.
"With remodels, we evaluate the designs on a store-by-store basis to maximize the current and future sales. While there were a lot of firsts in [this] design, I would expect us to utilize many of the changes moving forward," he noted. "Based on the positive results, we'll look to roll many of [those design elements] out to more stores in the future,"
In the meantime, the company plans to move ahead with projects already in the pipeline. Because Rutter's was a little more deliberate than some of its competitors in looking beyond its Pennsylvania roots, the retailer is working hard to make up for lost time.
The company has set a goal of moving into 10 new markets over the next year, while its five-year plan includes opening its first stores in its southern neighbors, Delaware and Virginia. There's also plans for the company's largest store yet — a 13,500-square-foot location that Hartman describes as "a game changer."
As for the upgraded York location, Hartman seems satisfied with the remodeling experiment, at least if its conversations with guests are anything to go by.
"The new finishes, upgraded foodservice, beer cave and second floor were all added to exceed the expectations of our customers. Based on the feedback, I'd say our team met the challenge and succeeded," he said.
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