Dive Brief:
- Anabi Oil has entered into a route agreement with gaming operator Accel Entertainment for the gaming terminals at its Green Valley Grocery stores, according to a Monday announcement.
- The terminals, which were previously operated by Crawford Coin, will now be supported by Accel’s subsidiary, Century Gaming Technologies Nevada, according to the announcement and Accel’s spokesperson. The agreement, which encompasses around 600 gaming terminals inside Green Valley Grocery locations, comes after Accel became the gaming partner for all of Anabi’s Rebel Convenience Stores across Las Vegas earlier this year, per the announcement.
- The deal comes as Anabi continues to expand its portfolio. Last year, the company acquired about 100 convenience stores and expanded its proprietary foodservice concept to the Midwest.
Dive Insight:
With Green Valley Grocery’s 87 convenience stores — acquired by Anabi last October — now part of the partnership, Accel will soon operate gaming terminals at all Anabi-affiliated locations in Southern Nevada, Accel CEO Andy Rubenstein said in the announcement. As part of the agreement, Accel also intends to strategically replace the terminals’ existing games to match each location’s player profile, according to the spokesperson.
“When we brought Accel on as our gaming partner for Rebel earlier this year, we saw firsthand what their platform and team could deliver," said Sam Anabi, CEO of Anabi Oil. "Extending that relationship to our Green Valley Grocery locations was an easy decision. We're excited to grow alongside them across both brands and confident this partnership will create real value for our customers and the communities we serve.”
Convenience retailers are increasingly turning to gaming terminals as an additional revenue stream and a way to encourage customers to spend more time in stores. In its home state of Illinois, Accel works with several convenience retailers, including Rebel, Speedway, Gas N Wash and Huck’s, according to its website.
The Accel deal marks another step in Anabi’s expansion of its convenience retail network. When the California-based company acquired Green Valley Grocery last year, it said it would continue operating the stores under the Green Valley Grocery banner rather than rebranding them as Rebel. About two months later, Anabi acquired 12 convenience stores from California-based C&J Cox Corporation.
