New Name, New Look

Enmark Stations is on a health kick. The Savannah, Ga.-based convenience store retailer has fully launched a branding change to “enmarket” in a move to align the look of its c-stores with its commitment to fresh food and health.

The first store to successfully make the changeover debuted in June in the company’s hometown of Savannah. The rebranding overhaul is expected to be completed in one year.

The mission of enmarket is to “enrich lives in the communities we serve,” and to do so, the retailer is starting the transformation from the inside out. The organization looks much different now than it did in the 1980s, when the first Enmark store appeared in the market, noted Houstoun Demere, vice president of enmarket.

While enmarket maintains the core values the company was founded upon, the change of branding is inspired by the evolution the company has experienced over time. The retailer was founded in 1963 as Interstate Stations and rebranded approximately 20 years later to Enmark.

According to its vision statement, the organization strives to be:

• A company that customers want to patronize and employees are proud to work for.
• A profitable company that is involved in and appreciates the many communities in which it operates.
• A company that is the envy of the competition.
• A company where customer service is second to none.
• A company that can react quickly to take advantage of an opportunity, as well as respond to a problem or crisis.
• A company where everyone is genuinely striving to get better every day.

Over the years, “we’ve maintained the core values the company was founded upon, but have morphed into something different with some significant changes in how we go to market,” Demere explained. “Most of these changes have occurred inside the walls of Enmark over the last few years — both in the stores and in the office. We felt that it was time to make some changes outside of the walls to better reflect these internal changes. This starts with our name and logo, the first thing you see when you ride by one of our stores.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The new enmarket brand embodies 52 years of corporate history by keeping the name “Enmark” within the new banner.

“Enmark has always been recognized as a brand of friendly employees, quality fuel, and inexpensive gas and merchandise. But with the simple addition of two letters, we’ve included the word ‘market’ within our name and that is more indicative of the type of stores we operate,” Demere said. “The name was sitting there in front of us the whole time, and when we realized it, it didn’t take us long to embrace the idea to make the change. It seemed like a natural progression for our brand.”

With the new name comes a new look. To make enmarket stand out, the brand boasts a softened logo with some color modifications to better represent its present identity. Under the enmarket name, a banner reads “fresh choices, friendly faces,” reflecting the brand’s commitment to fresh food and customer service.

“We also added a couple of leaves to the logo to accentuate the fresh and healthy elements of our brand,” noted Matt Clements, director of marketing for enmarket.

A new website, www.enmarket.com, will be going live soon.

NEW OFFERINGS

As part of the rebranding effort, enmarket plans to change more than its name. Many stores will see interior remodels and reimaging — from new employee uniforms reflecting the transformation, to upgraded in-store technologies for quicker transactions.

Enmarket will continue to offer the same core products Enmark has always carried. However, several stores will see additional product lines. For example, 11 stores are now preparing fresh food on-site, and the company has added a new line of healthy snacks with more all-natural, organic, gluten-free and non-GMO options for customers.

“We’ve increased our delivery frequencies for products like fresh salads, sandwiches and produce so that we are able to keep the freshest possible products on our shelves all week long,” Demere said. “We’ve also added take-home casseroles from Miss Sophie’s, rotisserie chickens and other take-home meal solutions for the customer on the go.”

In addition, many enmarket stores will feature The Eatery, a proprietary food concept. The Eatery features fresh prepared foods all made to order, including burritos, sandwiches, salads, premium coffee and lattes, smoothies, rotisserie chicken and more.

The Eatery also features new ordering technology that allows the customer to place their order on a selfservice kiosk. This improves order accuracy and allows cooks to prepare orders in less time, Demere noted. After submitting their order, customers can finish purchasing any other merchandise and pick up their order within minutes.

“Moving forward, look for us to expand new offerings to more of our stores, and look for us to continue to find ways to make it more convenient for our customers to make healthy lifestyle choices,” said Demere. “When people are healthy, they are generally happier, less likely to become ill, more productive at work, and eager to grow and learn. So we’ve simply tried to make it easier for consumers to make healthier choices at our stores while still giving them the option to make a more indulgent purchase if they choose.”

CONTINUED GROWTH, CONTINUED SUPPORT

Enmark currently operates 63 stores in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. As enmarket, the company will continue its growth plans by way of mergers and acquisitions, according to Demere, the latest generation of his family to lead the organization.

To further its commitment to healthy lifestyles in the community, enmarket has added bicycle service stations at two locations with heavy bike traffic, with more stores to be added in the future. Likewise, enmarket will continue to sponsor healthy lifestyle events such as the Savannah Bridge Run and the Encourage Health lunch series.

“We don’t limit our focus on health to products in our stores. … Events like the Savanah Bridge Run and the Encourage Health lunch series promote healthy lifestyles, so we’re happy to sponsor them to further increase health and wellness awareness in our community,” said Demere.