Walmart’s fuel station business is poised to grow in physical size this year.
The retailer told FOX Business that more than 45 fuel and convenience stations are set to debut or get revamped this year.
This will help enable the company to “continue to provide a best-in-class, convenient shopping experience, with a focus on accessibility and ease,” according to Walmart.
“By adding dozens of fuel and convenience stations this year, we are bringing even more value to our customers,” Walmart U.S. Vice President of Fuel and Convenience Dave DeSerio said in a statement. “Customers shop Walmart for our everyday low prices and convenience offerings, and the fuel stations are another example of us responding to our customer and member needs.”
WALMART GETS BOOST FROM HIGHER EARNERS BUT STOCK FALLS ON WEAKER FORECAST
The new gas stations will lift Walmart’s U.S. gas station count to over 450 sites, the retailer said. Once they open, it will have such locations in 34 different states.
It maintains a total of over 400 fuel and convenience stations in America at this time.
At Walmart-owned Sam’s Club, gas station hours at 90% of its clubs with fuel saw an extension late last week, with most clubs opening them at 6 a.m. and pushing back their prior closing time by an hour, a Sam’s Club spokesperson told FOX Business.
Another retail giant has also sought to bolster its gas stations this year.
During competitor Costco’s second quarter, the warehouse retailer changed the hours that its North American gas stations are open daily to make them longer.
“Generally, our stations are now staying open an hour later than they did previously with some opening earlier as well,” Costco CEO Ron Vachris said during the company’s March 6 earnings call.
Costco detailed the new hours for its gas stations in a Facebook post last month, noting that they “may vary” in California and Hawaii and that members should “check the Costco app for more information.”
The post listed the extended Costco gas station hours as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for Saturday and 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. for Sunday.
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It did that to “make filling up at Costco more convenient for our members,” Vachris said.
He also told analysts and investors that 60 of its gas stations in the U.S. were “at a different phase in expansions now.”
Costco members with the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi receive 5% cash back on fuel they buy at the warehouse retailer’s gas stations, according to the retailer’s website.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP. | 926.04 | +16.78 | +1.85% |
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 87.49 | +1.51 | +1.76% |
Walmart provides savings of up to 10 cents per gallon to Walmart+ subscribers. Its fuel and convenience stations, which are not restricted to members, also have the “same low prices on snacks and beverages” available within Walmart stores on top of cheaply priced gas, Walmart said.
When it comes to stores, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer runs over 4,600 Walmart locations in the U.S. and nearly 5,600 more internationally. There are also 600 Sam’s Clubs across the country.
Costco notched its 620th U.S. warehouse and 900th worldwide with the launch of a location in Sharon, Massachusetts, earlier this month.
