Speedway’s Smart Move That Just Made Every Other Gas Station Nervous
Gas stations used to be simple. Pull up. Fill up. Pay up. Leave.
But one major chain just threw that playbook out the window – and every other convenience store is scrambling to keep up.
Speedway’s new campaign isn’t just advertising. It’s a declaration of war on everything we thought we knew about the pit stop.
Speedway’s brilliant ‘Fill Up’ gambit
7-Eleven rolled out something unexpected this week for its Speedway stores. The “Fill Up” campaign sounds ordinary enough until you realize what they’re really selling.
It’s not gas. It’s not even convenience.
They’re selling you a moment to breathe.
“We know our customers are always on the move, and sometimes they just need a moment to reset,” said Marissa Jarratt, who runs marketing for 7-Eleven.¹
Think about that for a second. When’s the last time a gas station cared whether you needed a moment?
Most chains want you in and out as fast as possible. Speedway’s betting on the opposite – that you’ll stick around if they give you a reason.
The campaign’s central pitch is dead simple: your car needs fuel, but so do you. Whether that’s a Big Gulp, a hot dog, or just somewhere to sit for five minutes without someone honking at you.
They’re running this thing everywhere – TV spots, radio, streaming, social media. Plus they’re practically giving away Big Gulps at a buck each through August.
Smart move. Get people in the door cheap, then show them what you’re really about.
Why this matters (and why now)
Here’s the thing about the convenience store business – it’s absolutely exploding.
The sector added more than 2,222 new locations in 2023, outpacing every other retail format in the United States.² That’s more new stores than dollar stores, supermarkets, you name it.
But with over 152,000 convenience stores across the country, everybody’s fighting for the same customers.³
And those customers? They’re not buying what they used to. In 2023, prepared food officially overtook cigarettes as the biggest category in convenience stores.⁴
That’s huge. We’re talking about a fundamental shift in what these places actually are.
Speedway gets it. Their campaign acknowledges this head-on instead of pretending they’re still just selling cigarettes and lottery tickets.
The competition should be worried
Other chains are watching this closely, and they should be.
Marketing people love to talk about “customer experience,” but Speedway’s actually doing something about it.⁵
“With ‘Fill Up’, we’re reminding our customers that Speedway is more than a stop to fill your tank – it’s a convenient pause where customers can recharge and gear up for whatever is ahead,” Jarratt explained.⁶
That’s not corporate speak. That’s strategy.
Research backs this up too. Turns out 67% of Americans hit up a convenience store at least once a week. Nearly 40% go twice a week or more.⁷
These aren’t emergency runs anymore. People are making convenience stores part of their routine.
And here’s the kicker – 93% of customers will keep coming back to companies that actually give good service.⁸
Most gas stations treat service like an afterthought. Speedway’s making it the whole point.
They’ve got 3,800 locations across 36 states to test this theory. 7-Eleven bought all those stores from Marathon back in 2021, and now they’re putting that investment to work.
What happens next
Look, nobody knows if this campaign will actually move the needle on sales. But that’s almost beside the point.
Speedway just changed the conversation about what a convenience store can be.
Instead of competing on gas prices – which is basically a race to the bottom – they’re competing on something harder to copy: making people feel like human beings instead of transaction numbers.
You sell restoration instead of just fuel. You sell preparation instead of just snacks. You sell peace of mind instead of just convenience.
That’s not easy to replicate. You can’t just slap up some signs and call it a day.
Other chains can copy the campaign. But can they copy the mindset?
Every competitor in the industry is asking themselves that question right now. And that’s exactly what Speedway wanted.
¹ 7-Eleven, Inc., “Speedway Stores’ New ‘Fill Up’ Campaign Reminds Customers that Refueling Isn’t Just for Cars,” PR Newswire, July 17, 2025.
² NIQ, “The 2024 State of Convenience,” NIQ, July 2, 2024.
³ National Association of Convenience Stores, “U.S. Convenience Store Census Shows Continued Growth,” NACS, January 23, 2024.
⁴ NIQ, “The 2024 State of Convenience,” NIQ, July 2, 2024.
⁵ Solink, “Convenience store trends to shape the industry in 2025,” Solink, June 18, 2025.
⁶ 7-Eleven, Inc., “Speedway Stores’ New ‘Fill Up’ Campaign Reminds Customers that Refueling Isn’t Just for Cars,” PR Newswire, July 17, 2025.
⁷ PDI Technologies, “The 2025 Pulse of Convenience: Navigating Change in the C-Store Industry,” PDI Technologies, May 1, 2025.
⁸ Toast, “Convenience Store Trends: Stats and Trends Shaping 2025,” Toast, 2025.
