3 Big Numbers is a weekly column that looks at a few key details from around the c-store industry.
Yesway went public in April, and recently reported its first-quarter results.
One highlight of its earnings report that we’ve already looked at is Yesway’s ambitions in Arizona. The company has at least two stores there listed as “coming soon” — its first in the state — with more on the way, according to President and CEO Tom Trkla.
“We’re basically concentrating in four states right now: Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona,” Trkla said in the call. “Arizona will probably be our highest growth state of those four states in the foreseeable future.”
Beyond those growth plans, the company also reported a strong quarter.
In this week’s “3 Big Numbers” we comb through Yesway’s first public earnings report and look closer at its sales and growth numbers.
$30.2 million
Yesway’s first-quarter net income.
The first quarter was a “record” one for the Texas-based retailer, Trkla noted in the call.
Yesway reported net income of $30.2 million for the quarter, a significant swing from a net loss of $5.6 million in the same quarter last year. Adjusted EBITDA also more than doubled year over year to $59.2 million.
While the retailer saw some additional lift from opening one new store in Q1, the primary driver of its income gains were fuel margins, said Ericka Ayles, chief financial officer and treasurer, in the company’s earnings call.
$464.3 million
Yesway’s Q1 fuel sales.
Fuel sales for the quarter were $464.3 million, up 16% year over year, according to the earnings release. Average margins were more than 10 cents higher in Q1 2026 than in Q1 2025. Officials said these gains are due in part to the Iran war.
“The geopolitical developments in the Middle East have increased fuel price volatility across the industry, benefiting retailer profitability,” said Ayles in the call.
But the company also saw a gain in gallons sold during Q1, from around 134,000 to 145,000, according to the earnings release.
Placer.ai noted in a recent report that gas station visits are down thanks to higher gas prices, so Yesway’s gallons increase is a notable accomplishment.
9.5%
The retailer’s inside merchandise sales growth in Q1.
Fuel wasn’t the only department that saw growth. Inside merchandise sales rose 9.5% year over year to $213.7 million, with inside merchandise margin rising almost 200 basis points to 36.1%.
“The merch basket was up as well,” said Ayles. “We feel very good about our value proposition as it relates to sort of the wider concern about the consumer.”
The company also shared full-year guidance for same-store sales growth of 1.25% to 3.25%.
With Placer.ai noting in its report that “even non-discretionary retail categories showed signs of weakening by mid-May,” Yeway’s guidance is worth keeping an eye on.
