Although the deal has yet to close, a source at the MHC Convenience, Rock Island, Ill., confirmed the chain is selling its 16 stores in Illinois and Iowa, as reported yesterday in a CSP Daily News Flash. Those sites are owned by Jesus Delgado and Nick Williams. [image-nocss] Four stores owned by Aaron Darrell are not included in the sale.
Delgado had no comment when contacted by CSP Daily News, and 7-Eleven spokesperson said the company is waiting for the deal to close before discussing the acquisition.
The MHC source, who did not provide her name, said there used to be 7-Eleven stores in the area until the 1980s, but the company had pulled out of the region.
According to a report from Quad-Cities Online, MHC had been approached by several large companies over the years, but the company decided to accept the 7-Eleven offer. The report also said that the sale would be completed in February or March, with 7-Eleven retaining store employees, but details on whether the company's 11 corporate employees would be retained were unclear.
Rebranding to the 7-Eleven name have already started at one location in Rock Island, Ill., although employees were told to continue to answer the phones as Mother Hubbard's, according to a report from WHBF-TV.
Store employee Anthony Reese said Mother Hubbard's executives prepared them for the change, but other than the return of the Slurpee, Reese doesn't expect too many changes. "Besides that," he told WHBF-TV, "[we'll] just try to enhance the store more than what it's been."
Former Colorado resident and store customer Siri Markuson said the sale is bittersweet. "It's sad that Mother Hubbard's going," she told the TV news reporter. "I like the people here and everything, but on the other hand, I grew up with 7Eleven."
She added that no matter what the name on the sign says, she'll shop in the store. "You still get your tickets, get your pop, very friendly people."
Terms of the deal were not available.
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