This Kroger fuel center on Peters Creek Road recently opened. (Click photo to see a larger image). Photo by Amanda Codispoti

Kroger has opened another fuel center in the Roanoke Valley, but this one isn’t at a grocery store.

A five-pump, 10 dispenser fuel center at 3635 Peters Creek Road, just off Interstate 581, opened several days ago. It is located outside Kroger’s offices.

The store is likely to catch interstate traffic that otherwise would have traveled farther south on Peters Creek Road to 7-Eleven or Sheetz.

The Kroger fuel center has a small convenience store stocked with drinks, snacks and candy.

Kroger operates 1,141 fuel centers, according to its earning report for the quarter that ended Nov. 3.  During that quarter, sales at stores open at least a year increased 3.2 percent. Kroger reported that it earned $316.5 million, or 60 cents per share, for the quarter, up from $195.9 million, or 33 cents per share, the same period last year.

The Hollins BP opens today. Photo by Amanda Codispoti

Updated Nov. 12: The gas station is having a grand opening and ribbon cutting Nov. 15 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.. The event includes $1,000 in prizes, free coffee and hot dogs. The address is 8111 Plantation Road.

Thanks for the warm welcome back and for all your questions. I’ve made a list of things to look into, and will write blog posts as I find answers. As always, don’t be shy if you have something on your mind. You can leave a comment on the blog, or email me at amanda.codispoti@roanoke.com.

Over the past few months several readers have asked what was going up next to McDonald’s on Plantation Road, just off Interstate 81.

It is obvious now that all the construction was to build a BP gas station and convenience store, which opens today. But as blog reader Original Greg pointed out in a comment on Monday’s what’s-on-your-mind post, there was a lingering question about what was going in a small space next to the convenience store.

Gas station owner Jatin Patel tells me he is looking for a fast food restaurant to occupy the 1,200 square foot space. He didn’t build out the space with a kitchen because he knew whichever restaurant occupied the space would have its own specifications.

The gas station has eight pumps and sells diesel. The pumps feature small TV screens that play advertisements and clips from sports games.

Inside, the 2,400 square foot store is stocked with snacks , drinks and a coffee bar.

What restaurant would you like to see next to the convenience store?

The plans for the Kroger gas station on Peters Creek Road. (Click image to see it larger)

Construction on a Kroger gas station on Peters Creek Road outside of the company’s Mid-Atlantic headquarters is scheduled to begin this summer.

Work on the five-pump, 10 dispenser gas station at 3635 Peters Creek Road, just off Interstate 581, will begin the end of July, said Carl York, a Kroger spokesman. The gas station should be open by the middle of October.

Kroger is building the gas station on a half-acre of land that was rezoned from mixed use to commercial general.

As of the quarter ending Jan. 28, Kroger operated 1,090 fuel centers, up to 7.5 percent from 1,014 the same quarter the previous year.

(I’m out of the office today, but someone will be checking for your comments. I’ll respond to any questions when I return on Monday.)

The electric car charger outside the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Photo by Jeff Sturgeon

Kroger’s newest gas station in the region puts out two types of fuel: gas and electric.

The fuel center at the University City Kroger features two electric charging stations.  It is the grocer’s fist electric car charger in the six-state Mid-Atlantic region, according to a news release from Kroger.

Spokesman Carl York said Kroger decided to include the electric charging stations at the new Blacksburg fuel center because they’d heard from people in the community who wanted them. He said the charging station is a test, and will determine whether Kroger adds more charging stations to other fuel stations.

Electric charges will be free until Kroger figures out how much the stations are used and what it costs the company, York said.

“This is really a test for us,” he said.

The fuel center, which opened Sunday, has 14 gas dispensers.

The electric charging stations aren’t the first in the region. The Roanoke Times reported in September that the Virginia Museum of Transportation installed a charger just outside the building in a museum parking space. That same story says that there are only about 4,000 to 5,000 electric cars on the road.

Do you, or anyone you know, own an electric car? Where do they charge it?

Site plans of Kroger's proposed gas station

This post has been corrected to reflect that the gas station is planned for Roanoke, not Roanoke County.

Kroger is in the beginning stages of planning a fuel center in Roanoke, just outside its headquarter offices on Peters Creek Road.

Documents filed with Roanoke’s Planning Commission show that the grocery company has plans for a five-pump, 10 dispenser gas station at 3635 Peters Creek Road, just off Interstate 581.

The Roanoke Planning Commission recommended to city council last week that a half-acre of land for the proposed gas station should be rezoned from mixed use to commercial general. Roanoke city council will vote on the rezoning at its Nov. 21 meeting.

Kroger has added at least 196 fuel centers to its rolls since 2009, bringing the total to 1,046. The company recently completed an expansion at the Bonsack gas station, the largest in Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic six-state district.

The largest Kroger fuel center in Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic six-state district will open next week at the Bonsack Kroger.

Work to expand the existing fuel center began this summer. When the fuel center opens next week it will have 18 lanes, said Carl York, a spokesman for the Mid-Atlantic office in Roanoke.

The Bonsack Kroger was chosen for the fuel center expansion because it is the newest Kroger store in the area and the demand for gas there necessitated more pumps, York said.

Kroger’s fuel centers are becoming a more common sight at the company’s 2,439 grocery stores.

Kroger reported that as of August, it operated 1,046 fuel centers. That’s 196 more than it had in 2009.

York said high gas prices are driving new customers to Kroger, which among other discount gas promotions offers a 10-cent per gallon discount for every $100 spent at the grocery store.

The newest fuel center to open in the region is in Blacksburg at the Kroger on S. Main Street. A fuel center is in the works at the Kroger on University City Boulevard. York wouldn’t disclose whether the company has plans to add fuel centers at other stores in the area.

The Bonsack Kroger gas station is getting four more gas pumps.

Construction is scheduled to begin Aug. 22, said Anne Jenkins, a Kroger spokeswoman. The pumps, which will add eight lanes, will be ready for fueling in early October, she said. Work will limit the number of open lanes the first two weeks of construction, but the fuel center will remain open.

Jenkins wouldn’t say whether there are plans to add more pumps to any other Kroger gas stations.

I like filling up at Kroger because I can do it when I’m done grocery shopping, and it saves me money, but I find that I often encounter a line at the pump. So, I was pleased to read in Rebecca Holland’s Shoptimist blog that my Kroger discount card is accepted at Shell stations.

Holland has more about that and tips on ways to save on gas in this recent blog post.

Do you have a gas station preference?

If you have a Kroger loyalty card and enjoy getting discounts when you fuel up at the gasoline pump, you’ll be happy to hear today’s news.

Starting Monday, Shell stations in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas will take Kroger cards for up to 10-cent savings a gallon for gasoline.

Some Shell stations already are accepting Kroger cards, including the Country Store on Starkey Road in Roanoke County.

Click here to read my story about the news.

Kroger’s ninth area fuel center opens tomorrow.

The grocer’s newest gasoline station is in Salem, adjacent to Kroger’s store at 1477 West Main St.

If you’re looking to save money, keep in mind that gasoline prices at this new fuel center will be reduced by 15 cents per gallon for customers who use a Kroger Plus card or a Kroger 1-2-3 Rewards Mastercard tomorrow.

Gasoline prices are expected to rise through the summer, according to this story, which cites the Energy Information Administration. The administration expects fuel prices to average $3 a gallon by the summer.

The time has come for the debut of Kroger’s new fuel center in Rocky Mount.

This station will open on Thursday adjacent to Kroger’s store at 400 Old Franklin Turnpike. It will sport 10 gasoline lanes.

It’s also the eighth Kroger fuel center in the Roanoke Valley.

Click here for my past blog post about this new center.