OKLAHOMA CITY — Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores has formulated an aggressive growth plan for 2023 that includes opening 15 Love's Truck Care and Speedco locations and two more retread plants.
The tire- and truck-service-related additions are part of an overall expansion strategy to open 25 travel stops this year and initiate a prorgram to remodel existing locations, Love's said this week.
The growth plan would boost Love's nationwide network of travel stops to over 625 in 42 states, including nearly 450 with truck service centers operating under the Speedco and Love's Truck Care badges.
The new truck service centers will add 75 maintenance bays and 75 emergency roadside service trucks to the company's service offerings.
In addition, Love's is planning to open a pair of Oliver Rubber-system retread plants during 2023 — one in Brigham City, Utah, and another whose site is still being determined.
The plants, which are expected to open in the second half of the year, would expand Love's retreading network to eight plants plants across the country supplying retreads to the company's truck service centers.
The Brigham City plant will be located next to a Love's Travel Stop in that Utah city.
The new tire portfolio at Love's Travel Stops comprises seven brands: Bridgestone, Continental, Double Coin, Goodyear, Hankook, Michelin and Yokohama.
"What Tom Love started in 1964 has evolved into more than a store that offers gas, and we'll continue to push the envelope with the addition of new services, amenities and partnerships," Love's President Shane Wharton said.
"Being innovative and strategic with what we do adds reasons for customers to choose us and we'll continue to find new ways to offer good value at competitive prices across the Love's Family of Companies."
In addition to opening 25 new locations in 2023, Love's intends to begin remodeling existing stores over the next several years, strengthening the company's commitment to maintaining safe and clean locations. The company will disclose more detailed plans shortly.
Love's also plans to continue its push to make Love's Travel Stops more attractive for recreational vehicle (RV) owners, adding 1,000 RV hookups at 30 locations, bringing the number of hookups to over 1,300 across the country.
Love's did not disclose a budget for the expansions planned for 2023.
The Speedco and Love's Truck Care locations offer tire, lube and light mechanical services, as well as DOT inspections. Most of the sites are open 24/7.
Love's opened 19 new truck care sites in 2022, most under the Speedco brand. Since acquiring Speedco in 2017, Love's has added 100 Speedco-branded locations to its network. The total is nearly triple the number that existed in 2017 when Bridgestone Americas Inc. sold Speedco to Love's.
