LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- At least five Swifty's gas stations in Louisville, Ky., abruptly closed on Wednesday, with no word from the corporation of its plans at the properties, according to a report by WHAS-TV.
Workers painted over or removed "Swifty" signage and removed fuel hoses and nozzles from the pumps at the affected locations, said the report.
Calls to Swifty's corporate offices in Seymour, Ind., were not returned, the news outlet said.
Employees not authorized to talk to the media told WHAS that the company informed them Wednesday morning that it is closing a number of its stations in Louisville that were not able to compete with other stations that offer one-stop shopping.
"People that have just one thing such as fuel, they're really not fitting the consumer demand for what people need in convenience to keep themselves going throughout the day," John A. Zikias, an industry expert with knowledge of the Louisville market, and formerly with Thorntons Inc., told the news outlet. "They're looking for places where they can stop and they can get something to eat, something to drink, something they might need at home, and do all that at one time versus having to stop at one place to get fuel and one place to get something to drink and one place to get something to eat."
Zikias said Swifty's business model relied on fuel and cigarette sales, both squeezed by current economic factors, tight gasoline profit margins and fewer people smoking.
Swifty stations remained open Wednesday in nearby locations, including Mount Washington, Ky., and in southern Indiana, the report said.
Click here to view the full WHAS report.
Don Myers Sr. founded Swifty Oil Co. in the 1960s. The company operates approximately 180 gas stations and convenience stores under the Swifty Food Mart banner in five states in the Midwest and the South. Myers passed away in July at 92.
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