Yesway Puts Health and Well-being of Team Members, Customers, and the Communities it Serves First

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Mar 20, 2020, 13:58 ET

DES MOINES, Iowa and CLOVIS, N.M., March 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- During this challenging time, Yesway, the country's fastest growing convenience store chain, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of its team members and customers and to serving the needs of the communities in which it operates. In recent days, the chain has drastically increased preventative measures in its corporate offices and all of its 419 stores, and has instituted an expanded Emergency Sick and Personal Leave policy for all employees, which provides an additional two weeks of paid time off to those who, in an exercise of caution, elect or are asked to self-quarantine at home.

"We heed the warnings and recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other health organizations and government bodies very seriously," said Tom Trkla, CEO of Yesway and Allsup's. "With the continued challenges we are all facing surrounding the COVID-19 virus in our workplace, our homes, and our communities, we wanted to relieve some of the pressures our valued employees may experience if they or any member of their family becomes ill," continued Trkla. "We are also increasing the availability of overtime pay for our team members who are working tirelessly to safely serve and support our many customers and are actively seeking to hire new associates who have been negatively impacted by restaurant, bar, casino, or other business closures."

Balancing the company's obligation to provide a safe environment for its employees and customers with its critical responsibility to serve its communities by remaining open for business during this trying time, the company has implemented the following additional safety measures:

Health and Hygiene

The company has dramatically increased the frequency with which its Store Managers and Associates wash their hands and deep clean all counters, equipment, restrooms, door handles, and fuel pumps, as well as other high-touch areas throughout the stores.

Increased "Customer-Focused" Service and Protections

Store Managers and Associates will now provide "touch-free" service to all of its customers and will wear gloves for all foodservice and the handling of currency.
Hand sanitizer will be available for team members and customers at all counters.
Until further notice, the use of refillable mugs or cups and customer self-service of bakery items will be no longer be allowed.
Seating areas inside the company's larger stores will be limited to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Any of the firm's 4,600 corporate employees or store associates who feel ill or show any flu-like symptoms, will be instructed to seek immediate medical attention and self-quarantine at home.

The company has also announced that all Yesway Rewards loyalty program members will have their loyalty currency, Smiles, and other expiration dates extended by 60 days, and all members who have achieved the Super Smiles tier as of March will remain in the tier and continue to get 3¢ off per gallon of fuel through June.

"We recognize the important role convenience retailers play in times of national crises and all of us at Yesway and Allsup's take this responsibility very seriously." In addition to the increased steps the company is taking to insure the health and safety of its associates and customers, it is also working diligently with its supply chain partners to make certain that it has ample supplies of fuel and the products its customers need. "We are doing our best to keep up inventory so that we can take care of our customers. We are all in this together and during this difficult time, we ask everyone to please consider their neighbors and only buy the supplies that they need."

"All of us at Yesway and Allsup's are committed to do all we can to take care of those we are privileged to serve – our team members, customers, and communities, and for being there when they need us the most," Trkla said.

To find the Yesway or Allsup's store closest to you, please visit www.Yesway.com/locations or www.Allsups.com/locations. Follow Yesway on Facebook and Twitter at @YeswayStores.

Editor note: Contact Erin Vadala, [email protected]; 978-468-3076 to arrange interviews. High-resolution images, graphics available on request.

About Yesway – BW Gas & Convenience Holdings, LLC d/b/a Yesway is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa and Clovis, NM. Yesway is currently ranked #2 in year-over-year relative store growth on the Convenience Store News "2020 Top 20 Growth Chains" list, after being ranked #1 on the "2019 Top 20 Growth Chains" list, is ranked #17 on the "CSP Top 202 Chains" list by total portfolio size, was named a "2017 Chain to Watch" by Convenience Store Decisions, was awarded a Bronze for Loyalty & Advocacy in the 2018 Loyalty360 Customer Experience Awards, and its CEO has been named a "CSP 2020 Power 20 Deal Maker". Yesway's swiftly expanding portfolio currently consists of 414 stores located in Iowa, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, including most recently, the 304-store Allsup's Convenience Stores chain. Yesway plans to grow its portfolio to over 500 convenience stores in selected regions of the United States over the next several years. www.yesway.com.