How Love's Spent This Summer: Growing
OKLAHOMA CITY — Far from taking a summer vacation, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores was busy opening new locations as travelers hit the road this season.
On July 18, the company opened a Love's Travel Stop in Hazen, Ark., featuring 111 truck parking spaces, 97 car parking spaces and three RV parking spaces.
Amenities at the 24-hour location include a Chester's Chicken, Godfather's Pizza, Subway, 10 diesel bays, seven showers, a Speedco, and laundry facilities, bean-to-cup gourmet coffee, a Mobile to Go Zone and CAT scales.
One week later, the company added to its Arkansas portfolio when it cut the ribbon on a new Love's Travel Stop on Lake Village, bringing 52 truck parking spaces and 51 car parking spaces to Chicot County.
"We're excited to add a second location in Arkansas in as many weeks," said Tom Love, executive chairman and founder of Love's. "We look forward to providing drivers, as well as residents, with the 'Clean Places, Friendly Faces' that Love's is known for at our Lake Village location."
The amenities at the 24-hour Lake Village travel stop include a Chester's Chicken, Petro's Chili & Chips, four diesel bays, four showers, bean-to-cup gourmet coffee, a Mobile to Go Zone and CAT scales.
Moving farther west, Love's welcomed customers at a new travel stop on Aug. 8 in Brownsville, Texas. The location on Highways 511 and 48 added 39 truck parking spots to Cameron County. It is the company's 73rd site in the Lone Star State.
Open 24 hours, the Brownsville location's amenities include a Chester's Chicken, Godfather's Pizza, five diesel bays, four showers, laundry facilities, bean-to-cup gourmet coffee and CAT scales.
Staying in Texas, the company opened a retread plant and distribution center in Laredo. It is the fifth retread plant opened by Love's.
"The strong demand for our retread product, new tires and related services is driving us to open additional production and distribution facilities to service and supply our valued fleet customers," said Steve Phillips, director of tire sales and plant operations. "The new facility in Laredo adds greater coverage to an important market area, providing our services on-site, at fleet terminals and over the road through our network of stops."
Not slowing down, the company swung open the doors on a Love's Travel Stop on Aug. 22 in Atkinson, Ill. The location added 137 truck parking spaces and 74 car parking spaces to Henry County.
It is the fourth Love's location to open in Illinois this year, and the 20th in the state overall.
The 24-hour travel stop's amenities include a Chester's Chicken, Godfather's Pizza, Subway, eight diesel bays, seven showers, laundry facilities, an on-site Speedco, a Mobile to Go Zone and CAT scales.
Oklahoma City-based Love's travel stop network comprises more than 490 locations in 41 states. It has more than 350 truck service centers, which include on-site and standalone Speedco and Love's Truck Tire Care locations. The company is No. 23 on the 2019 Convenience Store News Top 100 report.