PHOTO GALLERY: Inside Canaan Fuels’ Newest C’s Market
ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Modern-day mom-and-pop convenience stores are often overlooked in the convenience channel, which tends to be characterized by the flurry of merger-and-acquisition activity that sees some of the industry’s biggest players continually gaining in size.
One mom-and-pop operator trying to dispel misconceptions about the industry is Canaan Fuels and its C’s Market (short for Canaan’s Market). It is doing so by carrying quality products offered at low prices, and building connections within the communities where it operates.
Founded in the summer of 2006 by Sammy Kanan with the purchase of a rundown, two-pump full-service station in Taunton, Mass., he transformed the old CITGO station into a modern, bustling four-pump self-service station and convenience store that quickly became a go-to stop for locals in the area and today serves hundreds of regular customers.
Over the last 15 years, Kanan has evolved the business into a small chain of five gas stations and convenience stores around the South Shore of Massachusetts.
“The mission of C’s Market is to provide the most valuable products to motorists at the lowest market price. [My] personal goal is to carry any type of convenience need one may require while on the road at a fraction of the price that large-chain stores charge for the same products,” Kanan, president and CEO of Canaan Fuels, told Convenience Store News. “Our core demographic are locals around each station. We are small, ‘mom and pop’ owned stores which aim to build rapport and establish long-term relationships with our customers.”
This past June, the company opened its newest C’s Market location in Attleboro, Mass., situated off of a busy highway. The site’s location extends the operator’s demographical reach to now include visitors to the area, in addition to locals.
At 3,000 square feet, the latest C’s Market is double the size of the company’s first location in Taunton. It features a bright, clean and inviting layout with a streamlined open floor plan.
The store plays family-friendly music and offers seating to accommodate weary travelers who need a safe space to regroup and get their bearings, according to Kanan.
“My goal in the establishment of C's Market was to create a family-friendly environment that offers a variety of both traditional snacks and nutritious alternatives, blending the atmospheres of major convenience store chains and mom-and-pop owned country stores,” he said.
Visitors to the Attleboro store find a mix of foodservice offers that span all dayparts. There are freshly baked breakfast sandwiches in the morning; grab-and-go subs and made-to-order salads at lunch; and Krispy Krunchy Chicken as a fast, hot and ready option for dinner.
Complementing its foodservice offerings, C’s Market offers health-conscious snacks and beverages for on-the-go consumption.
At the back of the store, a tractor trailer drive-thru gives professional drivers a designated area to park and rest, while at the forecourt, motorists and professional drivers have six pumps available to them, two that offer diesel.
Kanan told CSNews that the goal for Canaan Fuels and C’s Market is to build a new site every one to two years until the company reaches its target of 10 to 15 locations over the next decade.
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