EG America is searching for a new president in the near term, according to a person familiar with the situation.
George Fournier, who took on the role of president in December 2019 was not able to continue in the position last fall on health grounds, the source said.
He returned to work in May as senior vice president of supply chain on a part-time schedule with the goal of ramping up to full time, according to sources. Fournier held this role prior to being promoted to president in 2019.
- EG America, whose retailer brands include Cumberland Farms, is No. 5 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by number of company-owned retail outlets.
Caroline Taitelbaum took over the lead role in the company during Fournier’s illness, but a source said she is not being considered for president on a permanent basis.
Taitelbaum began working at Cumberland Farms in 2005, holding positions such as director and vice president of compliance and financial reporting as well as vice president of accounting operations. She began as CFO for Westborough, Massachusetts-based EG America in 2019 and has remained in that role amidst the change.
The U.S. leadership team of EG America skews toward leaders from Cumberland Farms, sources said, which is a brand the company continues to expand. In 2019, among other acquisitions, EG Group acquired Cumberland Farms and its nearly 660 c-stores in the Northeast and Florida. In the company's first-quarter trading update, it stated that there is a "clear opportunity" to expand the Cumberland Farms brand in the United States, including for rebranding its other c-store flags in order to create a strong U.S. identity,” the company said.
The U.S. leadership changes also come while EG Group is selling the majority of its U.K. and Ireland fuel, foodservice, grocery and merchandise business to Asda for an enterprise value of $2.82 billion.
Blackburn, U.K.-based EG Group will continue to operate separately in the United States, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium.
EG Group established itself in the United States in 2018 as EG America by acquiring Kroger’s 762-site c-store network. It acquired TravelCenters of America’s Minit Mart c-store business for approximately $330.8 million in 2018. The portfolio included 225 c-stores. And in 2019, among other acquisitions, EG Group acquired Cumberland Farms and its nearly 660 c-stores in the Northeast and Florida, and EG America now has its headquarters in Westborough, Mass. With more than 1,750 sites across 33 states, U.S. c-store brands include Cumberland Farms, Certified Oil, Fastrac, Kwik Shop, Loaf N’ Jug, Minit Mart, Quik Stop, Sprint Food Stores, Tom Thumb and Turkey Hill.