BECKLEY, W. Va. -- Little General Store Inc. has begun rebranding five acquired Bandy's Sunny Spot Sunoco locations to the Little General Store name, and is geared up for more growth.
Acquisition of the five stores, announced in a Morgan KeeganCSP Daily News Flash yesterday, was completed in the later part of last week. Brian Waugh, director of retail at the now 80-store chain, told CSP Daily News the company hopes to have new signage at the locations this week. The locations will continue to offer Sunoco-branded gasoline, bringing to 10 the company's [image-nocss] Sunoco-branded sites. (The company also has BP- , Exxon- , Marathon- and Mobil-branded sites.)
The new sites are all in West Virginia--Beckley, Marmet, Oceana, Hico and Calvin--where Little General already operates; the company also operates two stores in Virginia. "We like the fact that they were very strong within their communities," Waugh said of Bandy's. Bandy's will continue to operate its five other locations.
One of the Bandy's sites in Beckley was located very near an existing Little General site. That Bandy's site will be demolished and rebuilt with a larger store "that would be good for everyone."
When that site is complete, the current Little General store in the region will be closed down. In addition to the new store being larger, the company plans to add branded foodservice--although decisions have not yet been made as to how large the site will ultimately be or which brand of foodservice it will offer.
The company is a franchisee for 29 Subways, five Arby's, 14 Godfather's Pizzas, five Taco Bells, two Steak Escapes, seven Burger Kings, three Krispy Krunchy Chickens, 12 Sam's Hot Dog Stands and a 79er Restaurant.
Little General's long-term plans for the remaining acquired Bandy's sites also include expansion and adding branded foodservice--a recent initiative for Little General. "Anything we do right now, we try to add branded food along with the c-store," Waugh said. "And that way we can be everything to everybody."
The company also is in the process of building two new West Virginia stores--in Harts and Weston. Next year, plans include new builds in Pineville, Elkins and Beckley. It also is actively examining additional acquisition options, according to Waugh.
The chain opened its 75th convenience store and the purchase of five Burger King locations in early November. (Click here for previous coverage.)
Little General, owned by Cory Beasley and Greg Darby, is an 80-location convenience store chain with 78 stores in West Virginia and two stores in Virginia. The company is based in Beckley, W.Va.
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.