High-class gas - Conoco's Breakplace convenience stores target upscale customers - Brief Article

American Demographics, March, 1998 by Matthew J. Cravatta

For many Americans, convenience stores attached to gas stations are an afterthought, a place to pay for fuel and make a spontaneous purchase of a soda or magazine. But Conoco wants us to be attached to our convenience stores, so it developed Breakplace, an upscale version. Conceived by the consulting firm Lippincott & Margulies, Breakplace is the result of a research and design process targeting what the firm calls the "convenience-store connoisseur," who it says represents 18 percent of all Conoco customers. This group accounts for 24 percent of petroleum sales and 33 percent of convenience-store purchases.

Convenience-store connoisseurs typically visit the same store 14 times a month, according to William R. Gover, Conoco's manager of branded marketing. They enjoy the familiarity of clerks and staff and easy access to goods and services. Connoisseurs also perceive the store as a destination, and look forward to it as a break from the grind.

The stores themselves have a cafe-like atmosphere, complete with specialty foods such as baked goods and a deli counter. The design also allows for a separate grocery store stocked with bulk merchandise.

There is the danger that targeting an upscale group may leave average customers out in the cold. But Peter Dixon, Lippincott & Margulies's principal and senior designer for Breakplace, says every customer deserves to be treated to the same service and respect. "There is a difference between a customer's needs and their expectations," Dixon says. "It's a myth that when you design a convenience store, you need to design down to Bubba."

For more information on Conoco's Breakplace, contact Craig R. Andrews at Lippincott & Margulies; telephone (212) 220-4444 or e-mail g&g101@mcimail.com.