What Duchess does

Duchess is a family-owned convenience store chain operating more than 100 retail locations across Ohio and West Virginia, owned by Englefield, Inc. The business traces its origin to 1961, when the founding family established Englefield Oil Company, and the Duchess retail brand was formally launched in 1975. Stores operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, offering a typical c-store assortment including prepared foods, packaged convenience items, and forecourt fuel supplied under a partnership with BP. The chain serves general retail consumers, with no significant B2B or enterprise customer base, and aggregates demand through its Crown Card loyalty program (Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers) and the My Duchess mobile app, both powered by the Paytronix platform.

The company's revenue model is multi-stream and transactional: per-store retail sales of food and merchandise generate inside-store margin, while fuel sales produce pass-through volume with narrower per-gallon margins, aggregated across the corporate-owned footprint. Customer acquisition and retention are driven by density of locations within the Ohio/West Virginia corridor, brand familiarity built over six decades, the BP forecourt affiliation, and the tiered loyalty program that captures repeat-trip data. Technology infrastructure is conventional c-store stack: Paytronix for loyalty and CRM, a proprietary mobile app, and standard point-of-sale systems. The business is privately held, with no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes documented in the available input.

Name

Duchess

Legal name

Englefield, Inc.

Website

https://myduchess.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Duchess is a family-owned convenience store chain operating over 100 locations across Ohio and West Virginia, open 24/7, selling fuel, prepared food, and convenience items to retail consumers through its Crown Card loyalty program and My Duchess mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Heath, Ohio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Convenience Store Retail: In-store sales of prepared foods including breakfast items, sandwiches, subs, pizza, salads, snacks, sides, and sweet treats. The deli offers fresh coffee and beverages.
2. Fuel Sales: Sale of BP Fuels at the majority of locations. Fuel discounts can be redeemed using Crown Card points.
3. Loyalty Program Engagement: Crown Card rewards program drives customer retention and increased purchase frequency through points-based incentives on fuel and in-store purchases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Duchess is a family-owned convenience store chain operating over 100 locations across Ohio and West Virginia. It sells BP-branded fuel at the pump and operates an in-store deli serving freshly prepared food items (breakfast, sandwiches, subs, pizza, salads, snacks, sweet treats) along with coffee, fountain beverages, and standard convenience items. The business is supported by the Crown Card loyalty rewards program and the My Duchess mobile app for digital engagement.

Product overview

Duchess is a family-owned convenience store chain founded in 1961, operating over 100 locations across Ohio and West Virginia. The company offers a portfolio of products and services centered around its core convenience store operations, which include the Duchess Deli (providing freshly prepared food items), the Crown Card loyalty rewards program (a non-payment based points system with Bronze/Silver/Gold tiers), the My Duchess mobile app (for virtual card access and account management), and BP fuel distribution. The product portfolio includes distinct food and beverage categories (Coffee & Beverages, Breakfast, Sandwiches & Grill, Subs & Wraps, Stuffers, Salads, Pizza, Snacks & Sides, Sweet Treats), the Crown Card loyalty program, and the mobile application. All stores operate 24/7, 365 days a year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crown Card: Loyalty rewards program where customers earn points for fuel and in-store purchases, with membership tiers including Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
• Duchess Deli

Products and services

• Duchess Convenience Stores Full-service convenience store chain with over 100 locations across Ohio and West Virginia, operating 24/7, 365 days a year, selling fuel, prepared deli food, beverages, and standard convenience items to everyday consumers.
• BP Fuel Distribution

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BP FuelscoreTechnology or IntegrationDuchess distributes high performance BP Fuels at the majority of locations. The partnership provides fuel products for both retail and commercial customers including transport quantities and on-site fleet fueling.
• Paytronix / MyGuestAccountcoreTechnology or IntegrationCrown Card loyalty program is powered by Paytronix technology through the MyGuestAccount platform. Handles points tracking, account management, virtual cards, and rewards redemption.
• Englefield Oil Company / Englefield, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnglefield Oil Company, founded in 1961 by FW Englefield III, owns and operates the Duchess convenience store chain. Started with three service stations and expanded to become a leading convenience store chain.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sheetz: Family-owned regional convenience store chain with strong made-to-order food and proprietary loyalty technology. Highly comparable to Duchess in operating model, food-led differentiation, and family-owned culture, though Sheetz operates across more states and at a larger scale.
• Royal Farms: Mid-Atlantic convenience store chain emphasizing fresh food and competitive fuel pricing. Comparable to Duchess in food-led c-store positioning and regional, family/private ownership structure.
• Casey's General Stores: Public c-store chain with strong prepared food (pizza, donuts) and significant Midwest presence. Comparable to Duchess in food-centric c-store model and small-town America footprint, though at much larger scale and with public capital access.
• Wawa: Privately held convenience store chain known for prepared food, coffee, and digital loyalty. Directly comparable to Duchess in the food-forward c-store model, though Wawa operates across the Mid-Atlantic and Florida with a larger footprint.
• GetGo Cafe + Market: Convenience store and fuel concept owned by Giant Eagle, operating primarily in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Directly comparable as a regional Midwestern c-store competitor with overlapping geography.

Broad incumbents

• RaceTrac: Privately held convenience store chain with locations across the Midwest and Southeast. Comparable in operating model and family/private ownership orientation, though at larger geographical scale.
• 7-Eleven: Largest convenience store chain globally, owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard. Broad incumbent in the same category with superior capital, scale, and technology investment capability.
• Pilot Flying J: Large travel center and convenience chain owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Competes with Duchess on fuel and food along travel corridors in Ohio and West Virginia.
• Circle K: Global convenience store brand under Couche-Tard with widespread U.S. footprint. Broad incumbent competing in fuel and in-store retail across multiple Midwestern markets.
• Speedway: Large convenience store chain operated by 7-Eleven (Couche-Tard) with significant Ohio presence. Broad incumbent competitor with overlapping Midwest geography and scale advantages versus Duchess.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/duchessshoppe
• Facebookfacebook.com/DuchessShoppes
• Instagraminstagram.com/duchessshoppes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duchess-shoppe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duchess