ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
You should read this discussion together with the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, related notes, and other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q together with our audited consolidated financial statements, related notes, and other information contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Form 10-K”). The following discussion contains assumptions, estimates and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors,” in Part I, Item 1A of the Form 10-K and in Part II, Item 1A of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and as described from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Overview
ARKO Corp. was incorporated under the laws of Delaware on August 26, 2020. Our shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“common stock”), and publicly-traded warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “ARKO” and “ARKOW,” respectively. Our wholly owned subsidiary, GPM Investments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that was formed on June 12, 2002, which we refer to as GPM, is our primary operating entity.
Based in Richmond, VA, we are a leading independent convenience store operator and, as of March 31, 2025, we were one of the largest convenience store chains in the United States (“U.S.”) ranked by store count, operating 1,329 retail convenience stores. As of March 31, 2025, we also supplied fuel to 1,961 dealers locations and operated 280 cardlock locations (unstaffed fueling locations). We are well diversified geographically and, as of March 31, 2025, operated in the District of Columbia and more than 30 states in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, Northeastern, Southeastern and Southwestern U.S.
Our retail segment includes the operation of a chain of retail stores, which includes convenience stores selling fuel products and merchandise to retail customers, from which we generate a significant portion of our revenue and a large proportion of our profitability. As of March 31, 2025, we operated the stores under more than 25 regional store brands including 1-Stop, Admiral, Apple Market®, BreadBox, Corner Mart, Dixie Mart, ExpressStop, E-Z Mart®, fas mart®, fastmarket®, Flash Market, Handy Mart, Jetz, Jiffi Stop®, Jiffy Stop, Li’l Cricket, Market Express, Next Door Store®, Pride, Roadrunner Markets, Rose Mart, Rstore, Scotchman®, shore stop®, Speedy’s, SpeedyQ, Town Star, Uncle’s, Village Pantry® and Young’s. We focus our marketing and merchandising initiatives at our retail stores on offering our customers an assortment of products with an attractive value proposition. Our retail offering includes a wide array of cold and hot foodservice, beverages, cigarettes and other tobacco products, candy, salty snacks, grocery, beer and general merchandise. We have foodservice offerings at approximately 1,130 stores, which include hot and fresh grab-n-go foods, deli, fried chicken, bakery, pizza, roller grill items and other prepared foods. We supplement our foodservice offering with approximately 110 quick service major national brand restaurants. Relevant and delicious food offerings are a key strategic priority for us, and we expect to maintain a high degree of focus on frozen grab-n-go and enhanced hot food capabilities. Additionally, we provide a number of traditional convenience store services, including lottery, prepaid products, gift cards, money orders, ATMs, gaming, and other ancillary product and service offerings. We also generate revenues from car washes at approximately 70 of our locations.
We had approximately 2.32 million enrolled members in our fas REWARDS® loyalty program at the end of the first quarter of 2025, representing an increase of 10.9% from the end of the first quarter of 2024. Our fas REWARDS® loyalty program is available in the majority of our stores and offers enrolled loyalty members in store exclusive promotional pricing, in-app member only deals not available without the app, as well as the ability to earn points that can be redeemed for either fuel or merchandise savings. Other in-app features include order and delivery, age verified offers on tobacco and alcohol, and a store locator with current gas prices at GPM stores nearby to members.
Our wholesale distribution of fuel, the sale of fuel at cardlock locations, and commissions earned from the sales of fuel using proprietary fuel cards that provide customers access to a nationwide network of fueling sites provide stable, ratable cash flows that, together with free cash flow from our retail segment, can be deployed to pursue accretive acquisitions and investments in our retail stores. The wholesale segment adds significant fuel volumes to our robust retail fuel sales, which we believe enhances our purchasing power for our entire platform, including our retail segment, and improves our competitiveness as an acquirer of choice.