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, NV / ACCESS Newswire / 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:

1. Compliance Assessment & Inventory Alignment: assessment of product inventory for regulatory alignment, followed by shelf optimization

2. Curated Product Mix: data-driven assortment across a range of OTP products and alternative product categories

3. 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.

4. PMTA Compliance Monitoring: a compliance-focused review process intended to help retailers better understand supplier claims, documentation practices, and category considerations.

5. Category Performance Reporting: sales velocity, margin contribution, and category mix data, and reorder cadence, where data is available via PRISM+

6. 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:

• https://www.tiktok.com/@gpoplus

About GPOPlus+ (GPOX)

GPOX is an AI-powered distribution company focused on modernizing Direct Store Delivery (DSD) for gas stations, convenience stores, and specialty retail. The Company operates a technology-enabled network of Regional Hubs and Mini Hubs designed to efficiently serve a fragmented and historically underserved segment of the market. Its in‑house proprietary platform, PRISM+, supports routing, inventory management, and data analytics, helping improve operational efficiency and decision-making across the network. The Company's long-term objective is to build a leading nationwide DSD platform by consolidating a highly fragmented market and aligning product selection with consumer demand.

For more information, please visit www.GPOPlus.com.

Information about Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's operating model, growth strategy, projected revenue, revenue per store, gross margin, store-count targets, the timing of expected milestones, the performance and commercialization of PRISM+ and other technology developed by GPOX Labs, the Company's competitive position, and any statement that does not relate solely to historical or current fact. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "would," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "targets," "potential," "path to," "run rate," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean a statement is not forward-looking.

The safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are not available to the Company because the Company is an issuer of penny stock as that term is defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act. Investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.

Specific factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement include, without limitation: the going concern qualification in the Company's most recent audited financial statements and the substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's recurring net losses, working capital deficit, and cumulative deficit; the Company's limited cash on hand; significant customer concentration, including reliance on one customer for a substantial majority of revenue; the Company's need for substantial additional capital, the absence of any committed source of such capital, and the likelihood that any future capital raise will be dilutive to existing shareholders; execution risk in scaling store count, per-store revenue, and operating leverage; competitive dynamics in the DSD and convenience distribution industry, including from larger and better-capitalized competitors; regulatory changes affecting specialty product categories; the availability of qualified drivers, warehouse personnel, and key personnel; the development, deployment, and commercialization of PRISM+ and other technology, including the risk that platforms in internal alpha or beta deployment do not perform as expected when scaled; the concentration of voting control in the holder of the Company's Series A Preferred Stock; integration risks associated with any acquisition; the Company's status as a penny stock issuer and OTCQB-listed company, including limited liquidity, limited analyst coverage, and price volatility; general economic, financial market, and geopolitical conditions; and the additional risk factors disclosed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. 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 applicable law.

Company Contacts:

GPOX Shareholder Success Team:
Brett H. Pojunis, CEO
Email: ir@gpoplus.com
Shareholder's Line: 855.935.GPOX (4769)

###

SOURCE: GPO Plus, Inc.