Break Time
| Private, Co-op [1] | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry |
|
| Founded 📆 | 1985 |
| Founder 👔 | |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
Number of locations | 71 [2] |
Area served 🗺️ | Missouri |
Key people | |
| Products 📟 |
|
| Revenue🤑 | US$132.6 million ACV [6] |
| Owner | MFA Petroleum (a division of MFA Oil Company) [7] |
| Members | |
Number of employees | 1,900 (2019) [3] |
| 🌐 Website | mybreaktime |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
(blue: stores branded with Cenex fuel)
Break Time is chain of convenience stores and gas stations with 71 locations[2] across Missouri, generally in rural areas.[1]
Most store's fuel is self-branded, or branded as "MFA Oil", however 8 store's fuel is branded as Cenex. [8]
Parent company MFA Oil operates the convenience stores through a subsidiary called MFA Petroleum (which also operates their Jiffy Lube and Big O Tires franchises).[7] As a separate company, MFA Oil has gas stations (without convenience stores) under its own brand, as well as Petro-Card 24. [6]
Break Time was nationally ranked #83 (as of April 2020) by trade magazine Convenience Store News (using data from Nielsen TDLinx)[6], and nationally ranked #92 (as of year-end 2019) by CSP Daily News (using data from McLane Company). [9]
History[edit]
Break Time traces its origins back to 1981, when MFA Oil purchased a single convenience store in Columbia, Missouri. [10]
The brand began, in earnest, in 1985 with the acquisition of a chain of 39 stores from the purchase of Mid-State Oil Company. [10][11]
Like most US convenience stores, Break Time began a stronger emphasis on fast casual food, including the 2015 hiring of a Food Services Development Manager. [12]
Also in 2015, two Columbia, Missouri locations were closed because the properties could not be expanded to include food service. [13]
In 2017, the company opened a new, 5,000 sq ft (460 m2) prototype store (described as "food-forward") in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and remodeled a 6,000 sq ft (560 m2) location in Clinton, Missouri. [1] The stores feature a new logo, by GS&F [1][14], (a Nashville, Tennessee based advertising agency).
Other such stores opened in October 2020, in East Columbia, MO[15], and February 2021 in Ashland, Missouri. [16]
Amenities[edit]
Food Service[edit]
Many stores offer any or all of the following;
- breakfast[17], made in-store,
- doughnuts[18],
- sandwiches from their in-house brand Dashboard Diner[9], and prepared in the company's commissary kitchen in Missouri[12],
- Hunt Brothers Pizza[12],
- Smokestack Bar.B.Q., which the company adapted as a take-out concept, from a Kansas City brand[19] with a history dating back to 1957. [20]
Fuel[edit]
All stores carry gasoline labeled as Top Tier. 49 stores carry diesel fuel, 5 of which also offer red-dye diesel, and 3 of those carry Diesel exhaust fluid (as of February 2021). [2]
Two locations offer non-ethanol premium gasoline.
Break Time was one of the first chains to offer E85 fuel[21][22], and in 2014 was graded "A+", by the Renewable Fuels Association for offering E85 or E15 at 25% or more sites. [23] As of February 2021, 21 stores offer E85. Of those, 6 also carry E15, and 6 offer E30. [2]
Car Wash[edit]
Six stores have on-site Car washes. Break Time Senior VP Curtis Chaney describes them as a separate profit center, but also marketing tool (to influence increased customer visits). [1] Car wash customers are incentivised with a 20-cent per-gallon discount on any single, same-visit purchase of any fuel. [1]
Gaming[edit]
Lottery[edit]
On November 11, 2020, a Powerball ticket worth US$1,000,000 (pre-tax) was purchased at a Break Time in Jefferson City, Missouri. [24][25][26][27] Five friends split the proceeds of the winning ticket which matched all 5 of the "white balls".
Other notable lottery wins purchased at Break Time;
- January 13th, 2021, a woman from Bland, Missouri won US$114,000 from the state's "Show Me Cash" game, from a ticket purchased at the Vienna, Missouri location. [28][29]
- December 26th, 2020, a Columbia, MO man purchased a US$50,000 winner at a store in that same town, playing Powerball. [30][31]
- A Jefferson City man won US$50,000 from a "Show Me Cash" ticket bought at a Break Time in his city. [32][33]
- US$100,000 was won on a "scratcher" ticket a Fulton, Missouri resident purchased at his town's Break Time. [34][35]
Slot machines[edit]
In 2019, before a Missouri House committee hearing, MFA's Vice President of Government Affairs, James Greer, along with representatives from other convenience stories and restaurants, testified support of legislation to allow slot machines (also known as VLTs) in their establishments, stating that they have saved convenience stores in other states. [36] He said Break Time would probably use the games in 25 of their stores, if lawmakers approved slot machine legislation. (VLTs are legal for convenience stores nearby Illinois.)
Loyalty Program[edit]
In 2016, Break Time replaced its paper punch-card rewards system with an electronic system called MyTime Rewards. [37] The program uses four tiered plan (which customers must maintain month-to-month) with greater rewards for an increased quantity of qualified visits. [38]
In 2019, the chain won an industry award for its program, from Paytronix (the software company with which they developed the program) for its marketing innovation, and economic impact. [38][39][40]
Early results reported a 2% increase in gallons pumped and a 25.6% increase in customer spend, as a result of this updated program. [38][39]
Controversies[edit]
Construction[edit]
In late 2012, residents in a south east Columbia neighborhood petitioned City Council to disapprove rezoning that would have been required for Break Time's plans for a new store. [41] As a result, the company withdrew the rezoning request, when it became clear it would not be approved. [42]
In early 2013, Break Time approached a local athletic organization to advise on how to address the public's expressed concerns about pedestrian safety, and, more generally, how to build more cycling and runner friendly convenience stores. [43][44]
Tobacco[edit]
In 2015, Break Time was twice fined totaling US$2,500 for 3 separate incidents, dating from 2013 to 2014, for selling cigarettes without checking for a valid form of ID for such purchases. One of its Columbia stores had a 30-day ban of tobacco sales imposed upon it for the infraction. [45] The FDA, the agency that's in charge of such regulation, described that ban as "first of its kind", at the time. Company representative Curtis Chaney acknowledged and conceded to the five violations that occurred during three compliance check visits. Break Time paid the fines, while waiving the right to contest the claims.
In 2019, Columbia City Council initiated a tobacco retailer licensing program, intended to prohibit tobacco sales to anyone under 21 years of age. Company representative James Greer was one of two members of the public to object to the amendment that created the program. He said that he didn’t disagree with fines or a license for tobacco retailers, but the amendment made it possible for a person to suspend a retailer’s license for no reason. Regardless, Council unanimously approved the amendment. [46]
Work environment[edit]
After years of battling employee turnover issues, Break Time instituted several initiatives to improve staff retention in 2015. [47] An internal company study determined that, aside from pay increases for nearly all of their employees, other minor benefits would help with retention. Within the first 6 months, the employee turnover rate dropped 22%.
Indeed.com's employee reviews average 2.7 out of 4 stars for Break Time employment. [48]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Morrison, Mitch (9 May 2017). "6 Questions About MFA Oil's New Store Prototype". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Locations". Break Time. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "MFA Oil Names Fifth CEO in Company's History". Convenience Store News. EnsembleIQ. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ "Break Time C-stores Get New Leader". Convenience Store News. EnsembleIQ. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ "MFA Oil completes hiring for senior management team". Columbia Daily Tribune. Gannett. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kress, Melissa (July 2020). "2020 Convenience Store News Top 100" (PDF). Convenience Store News. EnsembleIQ. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Top 202 Convenience Stores 2017 - MFA Oil Co./BreakTime". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ "Find a Cenex Store". Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 McLane Company. "Top 202 Convenience Stores 2020 - MFA Oil Co". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hess, Abby (11 October 2018). "Farmer-owned co-op MFA Oil Company pays its members back". West Plains Daily Quill. Phillips Media Group. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ "MFA Oil Company". OilMonster. Scrap Monster Inc. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 CSD Staff (13 February 2019). "Mahoney Inspires MFA's Push for Excellence". CStore Decisions. WTWH Media, LLC. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ Stice, Alicia (9 May 2015). "MFA Oil Co. closes two Columbia Break Times". Columbia Daily Tribune. Gannett. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ "Break Time: Rebranding". GS&F. 19 December 2019.
- ↑ "Break Time - Facebook". 15 October 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Break Time - Facebook". 16 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Top 202 Convenience Stores 2019 - MFA Oil Co". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Take a break with made-from-scratch doughnuts". Harold's Doughnuts. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ "Break Time rolls out carryout food partnership with Jack Stack Barbecue". Supermarket Perimeter. Sosland Publishing. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Break Time Entering New Markets With New Store Concept". Convenience Store News. EnsembleIQ. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ↑ Pauline, Pauline (9 May 2021). "MFA Oil Petro-24 Opening Called 'Step Toward Fuel Independence'". Washington Missourian. Missourian Publishing Company. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ Zimmerman, Chuck (6 May 2006). "MFA Oil And Mid Missouri Energy". AgWired. ZimmComm New Media, LLC. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ Lindenberg, Greg; Oller, Samantha (10 July 2014). "Which Retailers 'Passed,' 'Failed' on E15, E85?". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "MO Lottery: Friends Win $1 Million Powerball Prize in Jefferson City". Powerball. Multi-State Lottery Association. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Mid-MO Friends Win $1 Million Powerball Prize in Jefferson City". Missouri Lottery. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Group of friends wins $1M Powerball prize in Jefferson City". Jefferson City News Tribune. WEHCO Media. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ Taylor, Leslie (12 November 2020). "Winning $1 million Powerball ticket sold in Jefferson City". KJLU. Lincoln University (Missouri). Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Bland Woman Wins $114,000 Show Me Cash Prize". Missouri Lottery. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Missouri Lottery: Elana Dodson Wins $114,000 Show Me Cash Prize". STL.News. STL.News, LLC. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "$50,000 Powerball Prize Won in Columbia". Missouri Lottery. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "MO Lottery: $50,000 Powerball Prize Won by James Kern". STL.News. STL.News, LLC. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "$50,000 Powerball Prize Won in Columbia". Missouri Lottery. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Jefferson City man wins $50,000 lottery jackpot". Jefferson City News Tribune. WEHCO Media. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Fulton Man Wins $100,000 Scratchers Prize". Missouri Lottery. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Fulton resident wins $100K Scratchers prize". Fulton Sun. WEHCO Media. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Hauswirth, Brian (14 November 2019). "Missouri Senate President Pro Tem to file slot machine legislation for 2020". Missourinet. Learfield News & Ag, LLC. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Break Time to Roll Out New Rewards Program". Convenience Store News. EnsembleIQ. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 "Break Time's Tiered Loyalty Approach Earns Award" (Convenience Store News). EnsembleIQ. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Lewis, Jackson (27 November 2019). "Break Time Wins With Tiered Loyalty Program". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Reid, Keith (21 November 2019). "MFA Oil Break Time Wins Paytronix Award for Tiered Loyalty Program". Fuels Market News. National Association of Convenience Stores. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Hollins, Sarah (2 October 2012). "Opponents of new Break Time to re-collect petition signatures". KBIA. University of Missouri. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Sostaric, Katarina (16 October 2012). "Petition prevails: MFA Oil withdraws request to build Break Time convenience store". KBIA. University of Missouri. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Lask, Jen (14 April 2013). "MFA Break Time Finds Ally in Athletic Store". KOMU-TV. University of Missouri. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Puricelli, Tony (29 January 2013). "MFA Oil trying again to build Break Time on Rock Quarry Road". Columbia Missourian. Missourian Publishing Association. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Schmitt, William (29 October 2015). "Columbia Break Time faces 30-day tobacco ban for illegal tobacco sales". Columbia Missourian. Missourian Publishing Association. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ Arnold, Max (20 February 2019). "City Council Creates Tobacco Retailer License". KBIA. University of Missouri. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ O'Conner, Tim (19 January 2016). "Break Time". Retail Merchandiser Magazine. Finelight Media. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ "Working at Breaktime: Employee Reviews". Indeed.com. Indeed. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
External links[edit]
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