ANKENY, Iowa -- Casey’s General Stores Inc. has acquired Saukville, Wis.-based Tri-Par Oil Co.’s seven Qwik Stop convenience stores for an undisclosed price, according to a report by the Ozaukee Press.
Casey’s plans to convert all seven of the stations to the Casey’s brand, Tri-Par President Steve Gall told the newspaper. “It seemed like the right time to step aside and right company to move forward with,” he said.
Tri-Par has stations in Saukville, Newburg, Cedarburg, Random Lake, Slinger, West Bend and Hustisford, Wis. The company will close its stores at the end of the month, the report said.
All Tri-Par employees will be offered interviews by Casey’s to retain their jobs, Gall said.
“It’s a difficult decision because the business has been in the family for 88 years, and we’re leaving behind 95 great employees,” he said.
Gall said Casey’s approached Tri-Par about the acquisition several months ago, and the deal was finalized in July. Gall said he and his brother Mark, who is Tri-Par’s vice president, will seek new business opportunities. “We’ll look for jobs. We’re too young to retire,” Gall told the paper.
Herbert Gall, Clarence Gueller and Jack Klein founded Tri-Par in 1930, according to its website. The owners went their separate ways after a year, but Gall continued to use the Tri-Par name to sell fuel to farmers in Ozaukee and Washington counties. He opened an automotive repair shop in 1945 in Cedarburg, Wis., and installed a pump out front. He built his first stand-alone gas station in Cedarburg in the early in 1950s, and more locations followed.
Gall sold the company to his sons in 1970s, and they added convenience stores and self-service fueling. His son Robert bought Tri-Par from his brothers in 1986.
Casey’s and Tri-Par did not respond to CSP Daily News requests for comment.
In February, Casey’s acquired five convenience stores in Wisconsin from Whitewater, Wis.-based Frawley Oil Co.
Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s has more than 2,000 c-stores in 15 mostly Midwestern states. Casey’s is No. 3 inCSP’s 2018 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by number of company-owned retail outlets.
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