 | |
 On the Run store in Santiago, Chile, 2008 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Convenience store |
| Founded | 1984; 41 years ago (1984) |
| Founder | Exxon andMobil |
| Headquarters | United States |
Number of locations | About 2000 (2021) |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | ExxonMobil |
| Parent | Alimentation Couche-Tard (United States) Parkland Corporation (Canada) ExxonMobil (other territories) |
| Website | ontherun.com |
On the Run is a flagshipconvenience storebrand developed byExxonMobil, used atExxon andMobil stations in the United States and atEsso and Mobil stations internationally.Alimentation Couche-Tard acquired the On the Run trademark and franchise network in the U.S. in 2009, andParkland Fuel did the same in Canada in 2016; ExxonMobil retains full ownership of the brand in the rest of the world.
On the Run stores are described as larger and having more products than older-model convenience stores, featuring "fresh snacks, fill-in groceries, health & beauty supplies, plus quick meal options".[1]
The name "On the Run" is used, untranslated, around the world. Locations in the Canadian province ofQuebec utilize similar branding as "Marché Express";Imperial Oil faced criticism in 2007 when it planned to rebrand the locations as On the Run (beginning with a new location at aMount Royal Esso station), but threats of boycotts by theSaint-Jean-Baptiste Society, as well as sanctions from theOffice québécois de la langue française (which enforceslegal protections of the French language), caused the company to backtrack on this decision.[2]
On April 29, 2009, Canadian convenience store companyAlimentation Couche-Tard, which operates stores in the United States under theCircle K name, acquired the 450-store On the Run franchise network (the stores themselves remain with local franchisees) plus 43 ExxonMobil-owned and operated stores in thePhoenix, Arizona area.[3] Many of these stores have been converted to Circle K locations, and the On the Run brand is now only primarily seen inMissouri,Louisiana, andMaine.
In August 2011,7-Eleven announced it was acquiring 51 ExxonMobil-owned and operated On the Run locations in theDallas/Fort Worth area; the convenience stores were re-branded as 7-Eleven, but will still sell Exxon-branded gasoline.[4] Houston-area On The Run locations (81 total) were rebranded either as a Timewise (Landmark Industries) or Star Stop (the retail division of Panjwani Energy LLC) convenience store since 7-Eleven does not operate franchises in the Houston Metro area.[5]
In 2016, Imperial Oil began to divest its retail locations in Canada; various Esso locations in Ontario and Quebec were sold to Couche-Tard (being rebranded as Circle K and Couche-Tard),[6] andSeven & I Holdings acquired 148 locations in Alberta and British Columbia for $2.8 billion (with the stores either being converted to7-Eleven, or rebranded as "smartstop 24/7" with no change in store format over On the Run).[7][8]Parkland Corporation acquired the remaining On the Run/Marché Express franchise network and associated trademarks in Canada, and has since begun to utilize the brand (including a refreshed version of the concept introduced 2018) in conjunction with its own retail brands (such asChevron,Pioneer, andUltramar).[9][10]
Ireland previously had On the Run stores located in Esso stations however they were rebranded after Exxon sold their Irish petrol stations to Topaz which was later sold to Couche Tard with the forecourts rebranded to Circle K. Many of them had a food company called Nine-One-One in them, but they were ordered by the High Court to withdraw in 32 stores.[citation needed]
Esso's company-operated convenience stores in the UK were run throughROC UK, a subsidiary of Esso Petroleum Company Limited and ExxonMobil. Initially brandedSnack & Shop, the stores were gradually converted to theOn The Run format after Exxon acquired Mobil. Between 2011 and 2015 Esso/ROC sold off 359 of its company outlets in regional tranches to three large independent operators -Euro Garages, MRH (GB), andRontec, although it continued to supply them with Esso branded fuel through an independent wholesaler, Greenergy.[11] None of the new owners continued to useOn the Run. Euro Garages mainly used third party names, notablySpar and - for food offerings -Greggs,Subway,Burger King andKFC; MRH used a mix of third party names and its ownHursts C-store branding; and Rontec initially mainly used its ownShop'n Drive name, but occasionally Spar and a discount format, Family Shopper.[12] Esso retained ownership of around 200 sites that haveTesco Express stores where the site is leased to Tesco but sells Esso branded fuel.
In Egypt, On the Run convenience stores are located atMobil stations inCairo,Giza andAlexandria. They are open 24 hours, 7 days a week.[13]
In 2003, On the Run was named Chain of the Year by Convenience Store Decisions (CSD) magazine. In 2007, the chain was again recognized by CSD with the Best in Class Foodservice Award for its line of proprietary gourmet breakfast sandwiches under the On the Run Cafe brand name.[14]
In early 1999, thePeregrine Corporation (Shahin family) registered a separate On The Run brand, now known as OTR, for its convenience store andservice station operations inSouth Australia. In June of the same year, Mobil applied to register trade marks for the wordsMobil on the Run andOn the Run, the latter of which the Shahin family opposed.[15][16] Eventually, in 2005, theFederal Court of Australia ruled that the Shahin family did not satisfy the conditions to prove that it owned the trade mark for the wordsOn the Run incommon law, even though it had registered the words as a business name, so their opposition to ExxonMobil's trade mark registration was dismissed.[17] However, by 2011, the Shahin family gained sole use of the trade mark and has held it ever since.[16]
While there was no connection between OTR and Mobil's On the Run brands, OTR briefly sold Mobil fuel at 29 sites in South Australia for a few years, after acquiring those Mobil-branded sites in 2010.[18]
