Sheetz, Inc. was founded by G. Robert "Bob" Sheetz in 1952 when he purchased one of his father's five dairy stores located in Altoona. In 1961, Bob hired his brother Steve to work part-time.
In 1963, the second store was opened under the name "Sheetz Kwik Shopper." A third store followed in 1968. In 1969, Steve became general manager. The brothers planned to expand at the rate of one store per year with a target of seven stores by 1972. In 1972, the company expanded from seven to fourteen stores. One year later, Sheetz began selling gasoline, and opened the first self-serve gas pumps in central Pennsylvania. The first Sheetz store outside Pennsylvania opened in Maryland in 1976.
In 1981, Bob retired and Steve became president. By 1983, Bob and Steve had opened 100 stores. At that time, the "Kwik Shopper" in "Sheetz Kwik Shopper" was removed.
1995–2013
Stanton R. "Stan" Sheetz, Bob's son, became president and Steve assumed the position of chairman of the board in 1995.[9] To this day, Sheetz maintains a family business with four family members serving on the executive committee.
During the mid-1990s, It! Cola, the chain's private-label brand of soft drinks was discontinued. It was available in cans, bottles, and as a fountain drink, which was replaced by Pepsi products. The chain now has both Pepsi and Coca-Cola products in its fountains. In 1997 the company resumed store expansion, expanding into Ohio by opening a location in the Youngstown area along I-80 in Weathersfield Township, just east of Girard.[10] At that time, touchscreen ordering was introduced. Shortly afterwards, the chain expanded into North Carolina.
In September 2001, Sheetz opened a distribution center in Claysburg, Pennsylvania.[11] In December 2004, Sheetz began offering their new MasterCard PayPass with RFID technology, and was one of the first retailers to accept such technology, ahead of McDonald's, Arby's, CVS, and rival 7-Eleven, all of which introduced it nationally in 2006.
Published in November 2013, Kenneth Womack's Made to Order: The Sheetz Story traces the company's history from its dairy-store origins through the present day.
In 2014, Sheetz opened its second distribution center and kitchen facility in Burlington, North Carolina.[16]
Sales for fiscal year 2018–2019 totaled $7.5 billion.[17] In 2019, Sheetz opened an IT tech center in Pittsburgh's Bakery Square complex, serving as a secondary headquarters for the company. They later expanded the space in 2023.[18]
On December 19, 2019, Sheetz celebrated the opening of its 600th store in Shaler Township, PA.[19]
In April 2024, Sheetz was sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC alleged that Sheetz's usage of criminal background checks in screening job applicants resulted in a disproportionate impact on black, Native American, and multiracial applicants.[20][21]
In June 2024, Sheetz entered a sponsorship deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, adding their logo to the sleeves of Pirates jerseys.[22] The Pirates' Double-A affiliate, the Altoona Curve, are in Sheetz's home city.
2020s expansions
Map of Sheetz locations as of July 2024, prior to the chain's expansion into Michigan.
Sheetz announced in November 2019 that the chain would expand into Greater Columbus starting in 2021,[23] with plans to open 60 locations in the region by 2025, more than doubling its existing store count in Ohio.[24] Upon Sheetz's arrival in the area with the opening of the first of two stores in Delaware in April 2021, Travis Sheetz said that the company had considered expanding into Columbus as early as the late 1990s when the company first expanded into Northeast Ohio, but decided to expand into North Carolina instead and only recently started expanding into Central Ohio due to many social media requests from transplants now living in the area asking for Sheetz.[25]
Following the chain's successful expansion into the Columbus market, in April 2022 Sheetz announced an expansion into the Dayton, Ohio, market beginning in 2024. The move will put Sheetz up head-to-head with Casey's for the first time, while also competing with Speedway, Circle K, and UDF in the market.[26][27]
Sheetz announced in November 2022 that the chain would expand into Michigan, its first new state in over 20 years,[28] beginning in Metro Detroit with a planned opening in 2025.[6] Sheetz then announced an expansion to nearby Greater Toledo shortly thereafter.[29] On December 23, 2022, Sheetz announced an expansion into Wilmington, North Carolina to keep expanding south.
A Sheetz location on its grand opening in Lancaster, Ohio in 2024, featuring Sheetz's new sloped canopy for its fueling lanes.
Food service
In 1986, to boost lagging sales, Earl Springer, the manager of a Sheetz in Williamsport, Maryland, pursued a food concept that would become Sheetz's signature Made To Order (MTO) line.[33] Beginning with only submarine sandwiches, customers would fill out a small slip of paper, designating the ingredients they wanted on their sandwich, and in what quantity.[34][35] The order slip would be placed in a basket, and the kitchen staff would prepare the sub to the customer's order. Since that time, the menu expanded, and by the 1990s MTO was a sales leader for Sheetz.[36] Beginning in 1996, the paper ordering system was phased out in favor of a picture-based touchscreen computer system.[33] Now common at many restaurants and gas stations worldwide, Sheetz was the first company to implement this technology that has been very successful.
By 1999, Sheetz was selling 10,000 MTO units a day. Sheetz now trains employees to function as baristas for their newest brand of "Sheetz Bros. Coffeez", which are designed to be higher-grade coffee than typically found in convenience stores or other gas stations. With the introduction of the "Convenience Restaurant" concept, they have expanded their menu. Customers can purchase a wide variety of food items. The Espresso Bar, offering specialty coffees, is found at all locations. Sheetz regularly offers customers free coffee on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.[37] During 2008–2009, Sheetz rolled out "MTGo!", a grab and go assortment of sandwiches, wraps, fruits, veggies, and other small items for the hurried customer. Along with "MTGo!", Sheetz unveiled "Shweetz Bakery" items including donuts, fritters and muffins made and delivered daily from the "Sheetz Bros. Kitchen" in Claysburg, Pennsylvania.
Food-only stores
In 2003, Sheetz opened a concept store in the food court of Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This location offered Sheetz's made-to-order foods and fountain beverages in a more traditional fast food layout. It did not function as a convenience store.[38] The store has since closed.
In 2012, Sheetz again began contemplating "new concept", "fuel-free" locations.[39] In 2014, a plan was announced to open such a location on the campus of West Virginia University, in Morgantown, West Virginia.[40] The intent was to call it "Sheetz MTO Market". However, when opened in February 2015[41] the store was named "Sheetz Café" (although outdoor signage is the same as all other stores).
In September 2019, Sheetz announced they would not renew their lease with WVU for that Morgantown location.[51][52][53] The company offered no explanation for the closure. In May 2021, Sheetz announced that the Charlottesville location would close in June that was located on the corner at UVA.[54][55]
Alcohol sales in Pennsylvania
Until June 8, 2016, Pennsylvania state law prohibited alcohol sales in convenience stores. Beer had to be sold at a beer distributor while liquor had to be sold at state-operated stores titled "Wines & Spirits". In 2007, Sheetz tried to find a loophole around this by classifying part of one of their prototype stores in Altoona as a restaurant, which would permit alcohol sales.[56] The Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania protested and Sheetz was temporarily barred from selling beer.[57] On appeal, Sheetz was awarded the license to sell beer and continues to do so today. On June 15, 2009, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court gave Sheetz permission to sell beer for takeout under the condition that it is also available to drink on site.[58] Sheetz successfully led the effort to change alcohol sales laws in Pennsylvania to allow sales in convenience and grocery stores, which became law when Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 39 into law on June 8, 2016.[59]
Fuel and tobacco sales
A Sheetz tanker truck ready to refill the fuel tanks
The Sheetz stores that sell gasoline offer three grades of gasoline (87, 89, and 93 Octane) and most stores offer diesel. An increasing number of stores also offer E85 and E15, and some also offer ethanol free gasoline. Some stores offer kerosene at separate pumps.
Sheetz is known for high fuel sales, mostly based on strong inside sales from their MTO's and other products that lead to sales at the pumps. In Pennsylvania, Sheetz is the market leader in all fuel sales at over 21%, ahead of all other competitor convenience store chains including those selling fuel from Big Oil brands such as Exxon, Sunoco, and BP, all of which have a major presence in Pennsylvania alongside Sheetz.[25]
In addition to high fuel sales, Sheetz is also known for high sales of tobacco products, often selling cigarettes at state minimum prices. At one point, Sheetz sold its own brand of cigarettes called Jack's (named and themed after the type of playing card), but stopped offering them in the 2010s in their stores.[60]
Awards
Silver Plate Award from the International Food Manufacturers Association (2001).[61]
America's Largest Private Companies from Forbes (multiple years).[62]
Best Places to Work from Best Companies Group for Virginia and Pennsylvania (2012–2015)
Best Employers from Best Companies Group for North Carolina and Ohio (2013–2015)
Alternative Fuels leader of the Year Award from Convenience Store news, for installing flex fuels in North Carolina stores (2015)
Fan-Based Growth Award for adding 102,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter; Twitter Tweeter Award for most tweets of any convenience store; Award for Encouraging Fan Engagement Creatively and Consistently; all from Convenience Store Decisions (2016)
President's Trophy Award from the American Trucking Associations, for vehicle safety program, small carrier category (2013)
100 Best Workplaces for Millennials from Fortune (2016)
