Pops Mart Fuels LLC, which just this week announced its entry into the Wisconsin market through the acquisition of Scully Oil, has acquired five company-operated convenience stores from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based Fuel Service—DJ’s Mart, along with its wholesale fuels distribution and transportation business.
“It is exciting to grow our Wisconsin convenience stores and wholesale fuel business with the addition of Fuel Services—DJ’s Mart,” Pops Mart CEO Don Draughon said.
Fuel Service—DJ’s Mart was started in 1971 when Jack Salden purchased the business, which at the time was a small fuel wholesale business. It wasn’t until 1981 when the first DJ’s convenience was built. Then in 1990 his son John Salden joined the business and helped Jack to continue to grow the business until 2002 when John and Lisa Salden purchased the business and grew it from being a wholesale fuel and three c-stores into the chain of five stores and wholesale fuel and dealer supply and transportation business that it is today.
Over the years, John Salden has served as the chairman of the Wisconsin Fuel & Retail Association. “He has enjoyed the many wonderful relationships and friends with his involvement with the owning of convenience stores and the fuel distribution business, but felt it was time to step away and pursue other family interests,” he told Terry Monroe, president of American Business Brokers & Advisors, Fort Myers Beach, Florida, which provided merger-and-acquisition advisory services to Fuel Service—DJ’s Mart and Pops Mart Fuels, which included valuation advisory, marketing the business through a confidential process and negotiation of the transaction. Monroe managed the deal.
“We accomplished our goal of exiting the retail and wholesale business, and the transaction was a win-win for Fuel Service—DJ’s Mart and Pops Mart Fuels LLC and all the employees involved,” the Saldens said.
- Pops Mart is No. 171 in CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of c-store by total number of company-owned retail outlets.
Pops Mart Fuels, Columbia, South Carolina, operates more than 42 c-stores in the South Carolina and North Carolina markets and now operates seven stores in Wisconsin for a total of 49 stores.
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