TAMPA, Fla. -- CSP Daily News has confirmed that Charles Mick Parker will leave his position as vice president of the Florida/Gulf Coast region of Circle K effective Tuesday, May 15, and, according to several sources, will take over as the new head of a soon-to-be reorganized Village Pantry convenience-store chain.
In a note sent May 1 to all Circle K and parent-company Alimentation Couche-Tard employees, Couche-Tard senior vice president Stephane Gonthier thanked Parker for his more than 20 years of service to the company and wrote that Parker [image-nocss] has chosen to pursue a new opportunity.
Village Pantry officials had no comment about Parker's new position, and corporate-parent Sun Capital Partners officials did not return phone calls at presstime; however, one source who asked to remain anonymous said Village Pantry will be separated from the Marsh Supermarket company in the near future, opening up new opportunities for growth as the supermarket chain continues to be retooled.
Indianapolis-based Village Pantry, which has 148 stores in the Midwest, was bought by Sun Capital Partners in September as part of its purchase of the Marsh Supermarket chain. Village Pantry has been operating without a CEO since October, shortly after the Sun Capital purchase closed.
Attempts to reach Parker for comment were unsuccessful at presstime.
Parker has been vice president of operations for Couche-Tard's Florida region since December 2003, according to the company website. He held a variety of operations and marketing positions during his 21-year c-store career with CircleK, including division merchandise manager, region marketing manager, division president, region vice president and director of retail development in various markets. Prior to joining CircleK, Parker had a seven-year tenure with Southland Corp. (7'Eleven).
One unnamed source who confirmed the Village Pantry hiring said of Parker, [He's] a great innovator and an outstanding guy.
Couche-Tard is the largest c-store operator in Canada, with a network of more than 2,000 stores there, as well as more than 3,000 stores in the United States. The U.S. market is divided into six geographic business units: the Midwest, the Great Lakes, the West Coast, Arizona, the Southeast and the Florida/Gulf Coast region.
The Florida/Gulf Coast region includes 654 corporate and 88 affiliated stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
A source at Circle K Florida/Gulf Coast said it will be at least three weeks before a replacement for Parker's position is named.
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