The stores will be immediately rebranded to Casey's, the company said, with plans for them to be fully integrated within six months from the closing date of the transaction.
"After approaching Short Stop nearly three months ago, we were pleased with how smoothly the process went," [image-nocss] said Robert Myers, president and CEO of Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's. "These are well-managed, well-maintained and high-volume stores that fit perfectly into our business model, and we are excited about the opportunity to integrate our prepared food program into these locations."
(Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage of Casey's acquisition of Short Stop.)
The introduction of the prepared food program will begin in the next several weeks with plans to be fully integrated within six months from the closing date of this transaction.
Casey's said in June 2009 that it was "optimistic" that 2010 "could provide ample opportunities for growth in both store count and its foodservice program.... Over the last year, we have started to see seller expectations come down into what we believe is a more reasonable range," Bill Walljasper, the chain's senior vice president and CFO, said at the time.
The number of stores ultimately opened, redesigned or purchased would guide the growth of Casey's prepared-foods program, the company added. Pizza and doughnuts anchor the program, with made-to-order sub sandwiches making their way into more stores.
"We always have a number of items in test," Walljasper added. "Some of the things that you can anticipate in 2010: We're going to roll out another 200 to 300 iced-coffee machines and another 200 to 300 10-head fountain machines to replace some older six-head machines. Both of those endeavors have been very successful for us. Also, we're looking to introduce products such as dessert pizza."
Earlier this month, Casey's also announced the acquisition of 19 On The Way convenience stores in Illinois from Springfield, Ill.-based Harper Oil Co. Inc. (Click here for coverage.)
The company also just survived a high-profile, hostile takeover by Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage of Casey's and Couche-Tard.)
Casey's has more than 1,530 stores in nine Midwestern states, primarily Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.
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