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Business Insider
By Tony Litzmark

A 24-hour convenience store franchise has been named the Best Company of the Year by the Midwestern Retailers Federation (MRF). Stop Avenue won the prestigious prize for successfully introducing sandwich bars in its branches, the first of their kind in any regional convenience store. The company emphasized organic and healthy ingredients in a televised advertising campaign a year ago. Since then, the sandwich bar has become increasingly popular among consumers, resulting in a sales boost of 40 percent compared to the previous year.

Stop Avenue's general director Aaron Patel says the person behind the success of the venture is Felix Richardson, the youngest son of Stop Avenue founder Francis Richardson. Felix took the position ofmarketing director two years ago, during a time when company sales were declining by 20 percent every quarter. Felix realized he needed to change the way Stop Avenue marketed its products. He gave the stores a new look, offered selective discounts, and introduced the sandwich bars, which ultimately allowed the store to gain a larger consumer share. "It was a risky venture for Stop Avenue, but Felix proved that the key to staying competitive is change," Patel said in an interview with Businessmate Magazine.

And now the company plans to start targeting female clients between the ages of 20 and 30. "We will launch a selection of fruit shakes starting next month," Patel added, "using natural ingredients, of course." The improvement of Stop Avenue has led to greater franchise numbers. This past month alone, 18 new stores have opened, more than in any other year since the franchise launched. At its present rate of growth, Stop Avenue is expected to include 500 stores within the next two years.