CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based here, has been retained by Nouria Energy Corporation, the Worcester, Mass.-headquartered fuel station and c-store operator, to create a unified brand identity and convenience store concept for the company’s network of more than 125 locations.
Founded in 1989 by Tony El-Nemr, Nouria started out with a single location in Auburn, Mass. and has since grown to become one of the largest fuel distributors in New England, supplying more than 125 gas stations operating under the Shell, Gulf and Irving Oil brands in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Currently, Nouria operates 85 sites offering fuel, convenience stores, co-branded and proprietary foodservice. In addition, Nouria operates one of the largest car wash networks in the country.
To assist Nouria in its ongoing expansion, CBX will provide a range of services, including the development of a store name and logo, car wash name and logo, store layout, and building exterior and interior design that encompasses graphic treatments, lighting, flooring and fixturing. The firm will also work with Nouria on developing a proprietary foodservice program that reflects the needs and tastes of its customers.
“Our challenge is to create a uniform brand identity and store design that can be executed across the entire network of locations, making them customer destinations and complementing the powerful fuel brands,” said veteran c-store designer Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. “The goal is to develop a number of store prototypes that can work with the company’s diverse footprints, with the first grouping of next-generation locations expected to open before the end of the year.”
According to Bona, the new prototypes will be rolled out through a combination of renovations, re-builds and all-new, ‘ground-up’ sites.
“We are very excited to team with CBX as we begin this journey,” said El-Nemr, Nouria CEO and president. “I’m very confident that CBX’s creative and c-store industry expertise make them the ideal partner as we work together toward our ultimate goal of better identifying and meeting the needs of our diverse and ever-changing customers.”
