MESA, Ariz. -- The staff of CSPedia, CSP Business Media's online encyclopedia of convenience-store chains, gathers news and insights and updates the listings for the nearly 500 retailers in its database on a daily basis. CSPedia delivers a monthly summary of these reports, often news not yet announced publicly, to its subscribers.
Here is a collection of some of the news and people updates from March 2015.
People on the Move
- Clark Crown Brands. Stephen Ruch has taken the president position, joining Clark Crown Brands in fall 2014 from MasterCard Worldwide. Bill Troyer, accounts manager for special projects, retired in December 2014 after 17 years at Clark.
- Mapco. Mike Nelson manages snacks and tobacco for the Tennessee company's 362 stores. A new category manager, Shane Vasel, is joining the team at the end of the month to take responsibility for general merchandise. He previously was with Pilot Flying J.
- The Pantry. Darrell Davis has been named president of The Pantry following the close of the sale to Alimentation Couche-Tard. Kathy Cunnington is the principal financial and accounting officer, with the titles of vice president, shared services North America and treasurer. Both hold executive positions with Alimentation Couche-Tard and also serve on the board of The Pantry.
- TravelCenters of America. Erin Slater, former category manager at TravelCenters of America, has joined S&D Coffee and Tea. Other title changes include Rick Pavia, QSR director, marketing and development; Dave Raco, VP of retail services and franchising; and David Stukus, director of retail marketing. Rodney Bresnahan is senior VP of store marketing.
- United Oil. Hamid Rezaeepour has been named marketing and merchandising director of the Gardena, Calif., company's We Got It! Food Marts.
In the News
- 7-Eleven Inc. is moving aggressively into Washington, D.C., opening a store every month. The chain sees the market as a growing arena for hot foods.
- CST Brands Inc. has opened a 365,000-square-foot Corner Store distribution center in San Antonio.
- Dag Petroleum (Capitol Petroleum Group), based in Springfield, Va., sold 39 sites in 2014 and plans to open seven in 2015 that will be leased to independent operators. The company operates 10 locations and has more than 280 run by dealers.
- Family Fare, which leases its 84 stores to franchisees, refreshed 17 sites in 2014 with new LED lighting, shelving and paint. The North Carolina company works closely with its franchisees to assist with operations and purchasing.
- Friendly Express, with 37 stores in Georgia, has refreshed and modernized its logo and is developing new designs for the stores. Stuckey's products are featured inside five of the chain's stores, most located along Interstate 95.
- Kwik Trip has rolled out an aggressive espresso offer in all of its stores. The La Crosse, Wis., chain has 490 stores in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Quality Oil Co. LLC has partnered with ZipLine on customer loyalty and rollback at the pump. The North Carolina retailer owns and operates 42 stores branded Quality Mart and franchises another 56 sites under the name Quality Plus.
- New York-based Stewart's Shops has introduced new food entrees branded Now and Then. Stores offer frozen, refrigerated or ready-to-eat options. The chain operates more than 300 stores.
- Circle K Stores, a subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard, has signed an agreement to purchase all of the Tiger Tote stores and 151 dealer sites from Johnson Oil of Gonzales, Texas.
- TravelCenters of America has acquired 20 stores branded Little Stores from Best Oil Co. of Cloquet, Minn. The sites will be rebranded Minit Mart. TA has about 300 truckstops and stores under the brands TravelCenters of America, Petro Stopping Centers and Minit Mart.
- United Oil Co. of Gardena, Calif., is developing a new brand for its c-stores, which are now branded We Got It! Food Mart. The company also plans to open five new stores in the Southern California area in 2015.
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