Walmart Expanding Fuel Sites, Market Share Doubles in Seven Years — OPIS

Already one of the largest fuel retailers in the U.S., Walmart is aiming to get bigger over the next five years and plans to add pumps to more of its Supercenter stores.

In a Linked In post, Dave DeSerio, the company's vice president of fuel and convenience, invited potential job candidates to join the team saying, "We are growing our portfolio."

More than 60 locations are planned in 2024 across the country, the company said in an email Friday, adding that it now has stations in 34 states.

Much of the growth is coming from an increase in throughput, rather than store count, OPIS data showed. The company's fuel sites are selling more gallons and pricing them more aggressively.

Walmart said it opened its 400th fuel location last week in Palm Springs, Calif.

But the company's network has been close to that threshold for several years. The OPIS database shows there were 380 Walmart fuel stations in 2019, 377 in 2020, 381 in 2021, 389 in 2022, 394 in 2023 and 405 in 2024.

And growth in volumes has vastly outpaced any increase in station counts. Walmart's share of the U.S. gasoline market has doubled over the last seven years. Walmart in 2017 ranked 26th in gasoline brand market share based on visit counts at 0.97%. Near the end of this year, Walmart ranked 18th with market share of 2.1%, according to OPIS MarketSharePro.

The fuel brand's efficiency rating, a measure of throughput, nearly doubled during the period, rising from about 3.5 times the national average in 2017 to about 6.5 times the average U.S. station, the OPIS data showed.

The volume growth coincides with more aggressive pricing. Walmart's discounts to the average market price widened each year OPIS has tracked the statistics and are now three times what they were seven years ago. Walmart's retail gasoline prices averaged about 6cts/gal below market in 2017 and the average discount so far this year has been 19cts/gal.

Walmart said the pump configuration varies according to location. All stores sell unleaded regular and most also sell unleaded midgrade and premium, as well as diesel. Some also sell ethanol-free unleaded or premium gasoline.

The fuel centers now focus on two formats — a walk-up kiosk that's about 440 square feet and a walk-in store that's about 1,440 square feet, the company said. The walk-in locations offer 78ct fountain beverages, 98ct ICEEs and $1.48 bean-to-cup coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate.

"The merchandise we offer is the same price as inside the big-box stores," a spokesman told OPIS in the email. The "Walmart Fuel & Convenience [station network] reinforces the 'Save Money. Live Better' value for the customer with everyday low prices on fuel and convenience merchandise."

Walmart+ loyalty club members receive additional fuel savings of up to 10cts/gal, he said.

Following recent openings in Syracuse, Utah, and Palm Springs, Calif., Walmart said it plans to open fuel centers in Tahlequah, Okla.; Wasco, Calif.; Caldwell, Idaho; Laredo, Texas; Greeley, Colo.; and other areas.

According to local news reports, Walmart recently opened a fuel center in Wasco, Calif., and plans to add others in Palm Coast and St. Augustine, Fla.

The company plans 10 pumps and a 1,621 square-foot convenience store at the Palm Coast site and 16 pumps adjacent to a 1,618 square-foot convenience store in St. Augustine.

The company in 2016 told OPIS it had been building a chain of fuel centers alongside its Supercenters. It had largely left its fuel business to Murphy USA, but it ended a 20-year partnership that had allowed Murphy to buy real estate and build stores near or at many Walmart locations.

In 2016, Walmart also closed or sold its more than 100-unit chain of Walmart Express stores. Those operations, which were introduced as a pilot in 2011, were typically 15,000 square-feet facilities that offered groceries, general merchandise, pharmacies and often, motor fuel.

Walmart's fuel stations now flank its Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets, which average 43,000 square feet, or about 20% of the size of a Supercenter.

Though its typical convenience stores are about 1,600 square feet, Walmart has tested a 5,000 square-foot c-store concept called "Walmart To Go" near its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. The store offers made-to-order food.

The company didn't provide an update on that store, which is still in operation.

Walmart's warehouse club affiliate Sam's Club also has reported substantial volume growth in recent years, with little change in fuel station count. Sam's Club has about 530 fuel stations, according to an OPIS tally.

The warehouse club ranks 11th nationally in gasoline brand market share based on visit counts at 2.84%, with throughput nearly seven times the average U.S. station. It is retailing gasoline about 26cts/gal below market.

In 2017, Sam's Club ranked 21st nationally with a market share of 1.22% and throughput of about three times the average U.S. station. At that time, it was retailing fuel at a little under 12cts/gal below market, according to OPIS MarketSharePro.

This content was created by Oil Price Information Service, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. OPIS is run independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

• Reporting by Donna Harris, dharris@opisnet.com; Editing by Jeff Barber, jbarber@opisnet.com