SANFORD, N.C. -- Retail expansion has led to The Pantry Inc. to create the new position of senior vice president of fuels, and it has named Keith Bell, 42, to the post. In this role, Bell will oversee all of the company's internal gasoline and environmental operations, and will also manage its external relationships with major oil companies.
We are very pleased to welcome Keith to The Pantry's management team, said Peter J. Sodini, chairman and CEO of the Sanford, N.C.-based retailer. In light of the significant growth we have achieved over the last [image-nocss] few years, we came to the conclusion that we needed a dedicated senior executive to manage all of our fuel-related operations and industry relationships. Keith's broad experience touching on so many different aspects of the wholesale and retail fuel businesses made him an ideal candidate for this new position.
Bell is an 18-year veteran of BP PLC and Amoco Corp., which was acquired by BP in 1998. During his career at BP and Amoco, he progressed through a variety of sales and marketing positions, and most recently was vice president in charge of BP's entire U.S. branded jobber business.
Over the years, he successfully managed projects in areas as diverse as SAP implementation, brand management and reimaging, e-business and regional pricing and gross margin optimization. Bell began his career in sales with Xerox Corp.
The creation of the position comes as the company is looking at relocating its headquarters into the Triangle area of North Carolina, specifically in Cary, N.C. The Pantry is one of the largest convenience store operators in the country, and it has been aggressively expanding its footprintthrough both acquisition and new constructionacross the Southeast over the past few years.
The company currently operates 1,499 stores in 11 Southeast states under several banners including primary banner Kangaroo Express.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.