Mansfield Oil and Greyhound Form Five-Year Partnership

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Mansfield Oil Co. signed a five-year agreement to partner with Greyhound Lines Inc., the retailer announced.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mansfield and Greyhound, North America's largest provider of intercity bus transportation, will work to relocate Greyhound agencies to retail convenience stores located on major thoroughfares and interstates across the U.S.

"As our national demographics have changed, the need for affordable and convenient public transportation outside of the city center has increased," stated Rick Cosmer, Mansfield's vice president of retail sales and operations. "For Greyhound's customers, this partnership puts agent counters at the convenience store right off the highway, making bus travel more accessible than ever before. For our retail convenience store customers, it's providing the opportunity to serve an additional 200 to 600 customers per day. The potential increase for in-store sales offers substantial growth in gross profits for each location."

Eighty-five locations are currently being evaluated for relocation, according to the announcement. A Mansfield sales team is in place to seek and develop new Greyhound sites, with the potential for several hundred locations nationwide.

Operators who adopt the Greyhound program can add an optional fuel supply agreement for gasoline and diesel. They also have the option to supply renewable fuels such as E85 and biodiesel, as well as alternatives such as compressed natural gas.

"The Greyhound-Mansfield partnership is incredibly beneficial for everyone involved," said Pete Patel, owner and operator of the SR 82 Truck Stop in Tifton, Ga. "It helps bring in more than 300 customers to our location daily and the majority of those riders are spending $6 apiece in our store. They're able to relax, have a drink and get something to eat. It's made the Greyhound experience more enjoyable for the riders, and I've seen an increase in in-store sales of at least 25 to 30 percent on merchandise and 30 to 35 percent on food. It's a win-win situation."

Mansfield will provide store operators access to its fuel supply network and in-store expertise, according to the announcement. The company has more than 900 supply points across the U.S. and allows individual c-store operators the buying power of large store chains with brands such as Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and Coca-Cola through its Preferred Vendor Services program. Its grocery programs include Core-Mark and U.S. Foodservice.

Greyhound's area managers and Mansfield's territory marketing managers will provide ongoing operational support to deal with the growing Greyhound ridership, as well as improve the stores' overall profitability.

"As the largest provider of intercity bus travel, Greyhound is constantly looking for innovative ways to improve the customer experience," said Greyhound president and CEO Dave Leach. "Mansfield has the strong retail relationships that we needed to complement our nationwide reach. This partnership provides us with a growth strategy to provide greater access to communities that may have limited transportation options."