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 May 2015.
People on the Move
- Beck Suppliers. Russell Lewis has been named vice president of operations, Kevin Campbell is director of marketing and Gregg Edwards is director of retail for the company's 22 FriendShip Food Stores in Ohio.
- Champlain Farms (Wesco Oil). Four more members of the Simendinger family have joined the Vermont chain. The family operates 39 stores in Vermont and New Hampshire.
- Circle K Gulf Coast. Category manager Brad Eaton has joined Circle K Gulf Coast as category manager for dispensed beverages. He previously served in the same position with Alon Brands Retail and its chain of 7-Eleven stores in Texas and New Mexico.
- Gate Petroleum. "Smokey" Waters is director of foodservice, joining Gate last year from Taco Cabana. Gate Petroleum operates 73 stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
- M.W.S. Enterprises Inc. (Yellow Goose Markets, Arrow Mart). Joseph Mancini has been hired as senior vice president of operations, replacing Katie Wagner. Mark Vergara has joined the company as IT director. The New York chain owns and operates 43 stores.
- The Pantry (Circle K). Christopher Peck is category analyst for tobacco and OTP. He replaced Kevin Tilley, who left The Pantry and is studying for an MBA. The Kangaroo Express stores are based in North Carolina, in what is Circle K's South Atlantic region following the acquisition of The Pantry by Alimentation Couche-Tard's Circle K earlier this year.
- Pilot Flying J. Margaret Bell is tobacco category manager for the Tennessee-based chain, replacing Courtney Cunningham, who left the company.
- RaceTrac. Rachel Beauchamp was named category manager, fresh (hot) foods. She previously was an associate category manager and has been with RaceTrac since 2011, starting as a category management intern. The Atlanta-based company operates more than 600 company-owned and third-party contract operated stores under the RaceTrac and RaceWay names in 12 southern states.
- Stewart's Shops. Mike Squillace is no longer regional operations manager at Stewart's Shops. No replacement has been named. Stewart's Shops, with headquarters in Ballston Spa, New York, has more than 330 stores.
- Tom Thumb (Kroger Convenience). Tamara Melgosa has been named director of non-perishable for Tom Thumb Convenience, a division of the Kroger Co., with 123 stores in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.
In the News
- 7-Eleven Inc. is acquiring the 182 Tedeschi Food Shops in Massachusetts and New Hampshire from the Tedeschi family. Terms of the deal, which is expected to close mid-year, were not disclosed. The Tedeschi Food Shops will be added to the 164 c-stores that 7-Eleven operates and franchises in the greater Boston area and New Hampshire.
- Buc-ee's plans two new stores this year, bringing the Texas company's total to 33. The chain made news when it hung signs in store front windows publishing its hourly pay rates for employees ($11-$14).
- Byrne Dairy has a 7,000-square-foot store on the drawing board that it hopes to build and open this year in Lafayette, N.Y. The chain owns and operates 52 stores in upstate New York.
- Cantrell Companies (1st Stop Stores) has a new format called "market stores," used for all new and rebuilt units. These stores are larger, allowing for more merchandise and feature more complete delis. Areas and towns where there are no grocery stores are prime territory for market stores. Cantrell is working on a line of private-label products this year. Other plans for 2015 include a new fast-food service called "Good N Ready Tasty" foods. The Ohio chain owns and operates 45 stores.
- Cubby's, a chain of 33 stores based in Omaha, Nebraska, plans to add two or three new sites in 2015 and begin making sandwiches on-site.
- Tennessee-based Greeneville Oil & Petroleum is considering operating its own franchised restaurants at a couple of planned new store additions. The company operates about 40 Quick Stop stores in Tennessee and Virginia.
- Handy Mart, a chain in Virginia with 21 stores, added a new store this spring and completed one in 2014.
- Cambridge, Ohio-based The Hartley Co. is experimenting with foodservice offerings this year at its 21 Starfire stores in Ohio.
- JFM Inc., a Mississippi chain with 24 Jr. Food Mart stores, plans to add four more stores in the next year or two.
- John W. Clark Oil Co., of Ashland, Ky., has two new stores in the planning stages this year. The chain operates 66 Clark's Pump-N-Shop stores in Florida, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.
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