"This would be the fourth or fifth time holding ownership of the company has changed hands since 2003," McComas told CSP Daily News, stressing that with each ownership change there has been no change to Fas Mart's operations.
"The difference this time is that [the potential [image-nocss] buyer] is in the convenience store business in Australia." McComas said. "It's an industry player and they know the business. So it could be good for the operating business."
McComas would not identify the potential buyer and noted that the sale is not a done deal. A report in Israel's Globes Online stated that the "Australian gas station company" is interested in buying current owner Metis Capital Ltd.'s "entire holding in Petro Group Ltd." as Metis looks to sell off all its assets.
"Petro Group owns 350 gas stations," Metis chairman Amnon Barzilai told Globes. "The company can be developed both in terms of the number of gas stations, and by entering the refining business. We've decided to make a turn, so we've put up all of Metis' assets for sale. When there's a profit, take it and run, that's our policy. We've decided to sell everything because we now have an opportunity. We intend to take over a large income-producing real-estate company in the U.S."
The Fas Mart and Shore Stop chains are owned by Mechanicsville, Va.-based GPM Investments, which is owned by Israel's Petro Group.
Israel-based Metis Capital gained control of Petro Group via a hostile takeover of Ameris Holdings Ltd. in late 2008.
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