Thorntons & ampm Tap Marketing Partner for 1,300-Plus Stores

HOUSTON — Thorntons and ampm convenience stores selected retail services provider GSP to provide point-of-purchase support to more than 1,350 locations.

GSP will provide store-specific kits directly to Thorntons, ampm and ARCO locations from a multiplant network. The kits are designed to support large national marketing programs, the company said.

"GSP has provided the Thorntons team with robust account management and execution for nearly a decade," said Amy Nicholson, senior manager of digital and loyalty marketing at Thorntons. "Thanks to their nationwide network of facilities and the strength of their account support team, Thorntons was eager to share the success that came of that partnership with our new colleagues at ampm and the parent company, BP."

GSP also provides a cloud-based retail intelligence platform, AccuStore, which supports the full retail marketing process from building and maintaining store profiles to determining accurate distributions for in-store marketing campaigns, and the complete retail marketing processes in between.

The partnership comes several months after BP expanded the ampm banner to New York consumers with its first c-store in The Bronx. This expanded the retail chain from its West Coast roots to the East Coast for the first time, as Convenience Store News reported.

The store, which features BP branding throughout the fuel experience and ampm's food menu, includes a hot deli and grocery with fresh fruit and extensive dry goods. Its customer-centric experience is modeled after Thorntons LLC, the Kentucky-based fuel and convenience retailer that BP took full ownership of in 2021.

"As BP transitions toward becoming a net zero company, convenience will play a huge role in delivering our integrated strategy. The experience customers feel at our retail sites will be key to attracting them in and ensuring they return. Because New Yorkers are always on the go, the Empire State is a perfect fit for this expansion," said Dave Lawler, chairman and president of BP America.

Houston-based BP has different retail models across the United States, ranging from company-owned retail stores, strategic partnerships, brand licensing, wholesale, business-to-business, dealer-owned and franchise-owned. Its mobility and convenience brands in the U.S. currently include BP, Amoco, ampm and Thorntons.