-the
Building on three years of weekly DSD service across 9 states and more than 70,000 store visits, GPOPlus+ introduces a turnkey OTP program purpose-built for gas stations and convenience stores navigating a category that has surpassed cigarettes in gross profit contribution for the first time ever.
Las Vegas, Nevada (July 8, 2026) GPO Plus, Inc. (OTCQB: GPOX), an AI-powered distributor modernizing the Direct Store Delivery (DSD) model serving gas stations, convenience stores, and specialty retailers, today announced the launch of its OTP Program, a turnkey distribution and category management solution designed to help gas stations and convenience stores launch, expand, and improve OTP and alternative products programs across GPOX’s 9 state DSD service footprint.
The program is being introduced as convenience retailers face pressure across several traditional category and traffic drivers. Industry data reviewed by GPOX shows that total sales per store/month declined 2.6%, fuel sales declined 5.4%, total transactions declined 2.7%, beer sales declined 1.8%, and cigarette sales declined 5.2%. Over the same period, OTP sales grew 8.4% and OTP gross profit grew 10.1%.
The launch comes at a defining moment for the category. According to the NACS State of the Industry 2026, OTP has surpassed cigarettes in gross profit contribution for the first time in the ten-year NACS data set, a shift GPOX leadership identified at the NACS SOI Summit as the most urgent category management challenge facing convenience retailers today.
The Category Has Already Moved
The numbers are clear. OTP sales grew in 2025, while cigarettes declined. In the data reviewed by GPOX, OTP generated $6,520 in gross profit per store/month compared with $6,396 for cigarettes. OTP also carried roughly a 30% gross margin for retailers, more than double that of cigarettes at around 14%. Nicotine pouches alone are growing at a 32.5% CAGR, led by ZYN and On!.
“The message at NACS SOI was consistent: OTP is a major profit engine, and most retailers are not yet positioned to capture it,” said Brett H. Pojunis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GPOX. “We built the OTP Program because we have been in these stores every single week for three years. We know what the shelf looks like, we only work with fully compliant brands, and we know what it takes to build a program that performs, and we have 3 years of audited financials to back it.”
The Compliance Crisis Is Real
The growth opportunity comes with significant compliance risk. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary stated in September 2025 that 54% of vaping products sold nationally are illegal and unauthorized. The Truth Initiative reported 62% of all e-cigarette sales involve unauthorized products. In 2024, illegal vapes generated an estimated $2.4 billion in U.S. sales.
Enforcement is accelerating. A single DOJ/FDA action in September 2025 seized more than 2 million illicit products. Most gas stations have non-compliant products on their shelves right now.
“Most Category Managers don’t know they’re out of compliance. That’s not a criticism; it’s a reflection of how fast this category has moved, coupled with a complex and ever-changing compliance system. Our job is to fix that; we help our customers navigate the regulatory constraints and avoid vendor landmines, store by store, and visit by visit,” Mr. Pojunis added.
Why GPOX
GPOX has spent the last three years providing weekly DSD service, visiting 500+ stores per week across 9 states, servicing gas stations and convenience stores, and completing more than 70,000 store visits.
That field presence enables real-time compliance review, shelf resets, and rapid restocking in a category where authorization status can change without warning. During that period, the Company has developed practical operating experience in product selection, replenishment, vendor evaluation, and the category complexity surrounding OTP and related alternative product categories.
The Company’s AI platform, PRISM+, supports route optimization, inventory management, and retailer-level reporting, giving Category Managers visibility into their OTP program performance.
The Company recently published an Investor Memo outlining the DSD journey from acquisition to the present day, with a complete history of how we got here. To learn more, visit gpoplus.com/memo for the informative landing page or the direct link, gpoplus.com/rmemo, to view the Investor Memo.
“Most retailers are trying to run stores, manage labor, manage supply chain issues, and keep shelves stocked,” added Mr. Pojunis. “Our role is to help simplify a complicated category by giving retailers a practical program, a better product mix, and a service path that fits their stores.”
The OTP Program
Six components, available immediately to qualifying retailers in GPOX’s service footprint:
- Compliance Assessment & Inventory Alignment: assessment of product inventory for regulatory alignment, followed by shelf optimization
- Curated Product Mix: data-driven assortment across a range of OTP products and alternative product categories
- Weekly DSD Service and Replenishment Support: scheduled store visits for restocking, shelf maintenance, and sell-through monitoring. DSD service where available, with drop-ship support where appropriate for qualified retailers outside active routes.
- PMTA Compliance Monitoring: a compliance-focused review process intended to help retailers better understand supplier claims, documentation practices, and category considerations.
- Category Performance Reporting: sales velocity, margin contribution, and category mix data, and reorder cadence, where data is available via PRISM+
- State & County Regulatory Guidance: current knowledge and practical awareness of jurisdiction-specific requirements across GPOX’s operating footprint
Get Started
The OTP Program is available immediately to qualifying retailers within GPOX’s current service footprint. Category Managers interested in a complimentary no-obligation OTP Assessment can request one at gpoplus.com/otp.
Underserved Retail Chains
The initial focus of the OTP Program is regional and independent convenience operators that are large enough to need a real category program but often underserved by large national distributors and too busy to navigate a fast-moving, regulated category alone.
GPOX believes this segment is especially well positioned for the program because many operators need help answering practical questions: what products should be on the shelf, how much inventory should each store carry, how should the category be priced, how should replenishment be handled, and how should vendors and documentation be evaluated before products are added to the mix?
The Company expects the program to initially focus on gas stations and convenience stores in Texas, with DSD available in eligible GPOX service areas and drop-ship support available for qualified retailers outside active routes.
Featured Social Channel: TikTok
GPOX has optimized its TikTok presence to improve accessibility while reaching a new generation of retail investors. The Company will continue publishing consistent, platform-specific content designed to enhance transparency and engagement. Please follow us on TikTok:
Connect with us on social media to view live video updates, content, and general information about GPOX: https://gpoplus.com/social.
About GPOPlus+ (GPOX)
GPOX is an AI-powered distributor modernizing the future of distribution to gas stations and convenience stores with its innovative AI-driven Direct Store Delivery (DSD) model. The Company’s ambitious long-term objective is: “to build the largest nationwide DSD distribution company servicing gas stations, convenience stores, and beyond.” Our technology-driven AI network, featuring strategically placed Regional Hubs and Mini Hubs, is designed to optimize efficiency and maximize reach. Central to our operations is our in-house AI technology platform, PRISM+. Designed to streamline the distribution process, PRISM+ supports efficient delivery, inventory management, data analytics, and overall operational excellence, enabling us to reliably and effectively meet the dynamic needs of our partners. Our mission is to consolidate the fragmented market segment managed by numerous regional vendors. Our dedication to excellence is evident in our product selection process, where we align offerings with consumer demand and partner with top-tier vendors and brands, ensuring our portfolio remains diverse and highly profitable.
For more information, please visit www.GPOPlus.com.
Information about Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company’s business strategy, operating model, growth plans, store count objectives, revenue objectives, gross margin expectations, capital strategy, potential financings, use of proceeds, PRISM+ technology platform, GPOX Labs initiatives, acquisition strategy, and expected operating milestones.
Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions, projections, and management’s beliefs as of the date of this press release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, the Company’s going concern qualification, recurring operating losses, working capital deficit, need for substantial additional capital, absence of committed financing, customer concentration, execution risk in scaling store count and revenue per store, risks relating to the Company’s Direct Store Delivery model, regulatory risks affecting specialty product categories, competitive conditions, driver and warehouse labor availability, technology development risks, acquisition integration risks, OTCQB trading risks, penny stock status, limited liquidity, and other risks described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in the Investor Memorandum.
Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “intends,” “targets,” “potential,” “objective,” “goal,” “strategy,” “opportunity,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.
Because the Company is an issuer of penny stock, the statutory safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 is not available to the Company. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Company Contacts:
GPOX Shareholder Success Team:
Brett H. Pojunis, CEO
Email: ir@gpoplus.com
Shareholder’s Line: 855.935.GPOX (4769)
