Stewart's Shops Reveals More Details on Express Locations

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Stewart's Shops is unveiling plans for the first five smaller-concept Stewart's Express convenience stores for the upstate New York market.

Stewart's Express — which "will be a test to see how these shops perform with a decreased product offering and the omission of hand-scooped ice cream, milkshakes, salads, sandwiches, soup or meatballs" — comes off the heels of Stewart's Shops' acquisition of fellow Saratoga Springs-based retailer Red-Kap in November.

Under the plan, the retailer will convert six of the Red-Kap convenience stores to Stewart's Express. The remaining two will become Stewart's Shops, as Convenience Store News previously reported.

The first five Stewart's Express c-stores will be located at:

• 1667 Western Ave. in Albany;
• 3000 Belgium Rd. in Baldwinsville;
• 304 Troy Rd. in Rensselaer;  
• 177 S. Broadway in Saratoga; and
• 482 Albany Shaker Rd. in Loudonville.

At the same time as its tests the scaled-down Stewart's Express locations, the retailer is opening up its largest Stewart's Shops ever with a 4,200-square-foot location.

"It's interesting to be going in both directions at the same time. We talk a lot about not having a one-size-fits-all while still maintaining enough consistency that we keep our operational efficiencies of scale," said Stewart's Shops President Gary Dake.

Saratoga Springs-based Stewart's Shops operates more than 335 c-stores across New York and in southern Vermont.