Sheetz: Live fast, eat well
March 19, 2022
Owned by the Sheetz family, this American chain of convenience stores and coffee shops, sells custom food, beverages and convenience store items. Since the 1980s, Sheetz stores have been open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Back in 1952, Robert “Bob” Sheetz purchased one of his father’s five dairy stores in Altoona, Wisconsin. In 1961, Bob hired his brother Steve to work part-time. Sheetz sells everything from made-to-order salads, freshly baked goods, coffee and convenience store items.
The 1960s were progressive years for Bob and his brother, as they opened a second store under the name “Sheetz Kwik Shopper,” followed by a third store in 1968. In 1969, Steve became general manager.
The brothers’ expansion plan was to open one new store a year with a target of seven stores by 1972. However, as business increased, the company expanded from seven to fourteen stores in 1972.
In 1973, Sheetz began selling gasoline and opened the first self-serve gas pumps in central Pennsylvania.
In 1981, Steve became president of the company when Bob retired. By 1983, Bob and Steve had opened 100 stores.
In 1995, Bob’s son, Stan Sheetz, became president and Steve became Chairman of the Board. To this day, Sheetz continues to be a family business, with four family members serving on the Executive Committee.
During the mid-1990s, Sheetz sold It! Cola, the chain’s private-label brand of soft drinks, and replaced it with Pepsi products. The chain now has both Pepsi and Coca-Cola products in the fountains.
In September 2001, Sheetz opened a distribution center in Claysburg, Pennsylvania.
In December 2004, Sheetz took the lead two years ahead of McDonald’s, Arby’s, CVS and 7-Eleven stores, when they introduced RFID technology in their Mastercard PayPass.
In 2014, Sheetz opened its second distribution center and kitchen facility in Burlington, North Carolina.
On December 19, 2019, Sheetz celebrated the opening of its 600th store in Shaler Township, Pennsylvania.
Sales for the fiscal year 2018–2019 totaled $7.5 billion.
In 2021, Sheetz expanded, again, with a new store in Columbus, Ohio, the first one in that state. The company plans to open 60 more locations in the Columbus area by 2025.
Sheetz currently has 640 stores across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina, and more than 21,000 employees.
Gloria Sauvé
Communications and Marketing