WARWICK – The team behind Neon Marketplace opened a new location here on a relatively simple concept: offer a place where people can access multiple needs for less time and money.
“In this part of the country, we have amazing food, we have a great coffee culture, we have really good convenience stores,” said Peter Rasmussen, director of operations for Neon, “but we believe that … no one has really married it together yet, where you get a great cup of coffee, you can do it 24/7, and you can also fulfill your energy needs for gasoline or EV.”
The marketplace, which opened a new location at 1776 Post Road in Warwick on Dec. 29, intends to do just that, following in the footsteps of stores such as Wawa, a convenience store and gas station chain with locations in the mid-Atlantic and Southern states along the East Coast.
Neon, a brand launched by Providence-based Procaccianti Cos. in 2020, aspires to expand quickly, with a goal to open around 10 stores this year, followed by an additional 25 per year, initially focusing on Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The company has “express” style locations in Middletown and Portsmouth and is set to open a full marketplace soon Fall River Avenue in Seekonk. The Warwick and Seekonk locations will bring 50 jobs each, according to Neon.
Procaccianti has also proposed a Neon location on Dean Street in Providence’s Valley section.
Neon enters a competitive market, with the likes of Cumberland Farms and Seasons Corner Market offering numerous big locations with many gas pumps and large retail stores.
But Neon says its brand is different. The Warwick location, a 5,500-square-foot building and an additional 900 square feet for outdoor seating, is the first to include features such as brick oven pizza and café drinks.
Neon Marketplace says it will focus on concepts such as keeping gas costs low for all customers, rather than offering the benefit as part of a membership program; no ATM surcharge fees; free air stations for tires; and food ranging from café and bakery offerings to authentic brick oven pizza.
On its opening day, Rasmussen said, the store offered gas at a rate of $3.09 per gallon, and at $3.05 per gallon on Jan. 4, around 30 cents lower than the statewide average.
These gas prices helped the location exceed expectations on its opening day, Rasmussen said, as did special offers on food and beverages.
Rasmussen also intends for the marketplace to “change the perception of what it’s like eating where you can also get gas” through an emphasis on quality food, with touches like local pizza dough and daily fresh bread for the café. In addition to grab-and-go and eat-in options, the store also offers delivery and drive-through.
