DALLAS -- Empire Petroleum Partners LLC has acquired the wholesale distribution business of Willoughby Inc. The deal includes more than 120 new customers for Empire.
The deal significantly augments Empire's current footprint in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas while also strengthening its relationships with its branded partners, including Exxon, Marathon, Shell and Valero, the company said.
- Empire Petroleum is No. 47 on CSP’s 2018 Top 202 ranking of largest U.S. convenience-store chains by total number of company-operated retail locations.
"We are pleased to welcome over 120 new dealer customers to Empire and to continue executing on our acquisition growth strategy of branded motor-fuel distributors across the United States," said Rocky Dewbre, CEO of Empire Petroleum.
For Savannah, Tenn.-based Willoughby Inc., the deal is an opportunity to focus its strategy. "After 25 years as a petroleum distributor, I thought this was a great opportunity to sell our wholesale assets and to focus on the growth of our transportation and commercial business," said David Willoughby, president and CEO of Willoughby.
Based in Dallas, Empire Petroleum distributes motor-fuel products under more than a dozen brands in mid-Atlantic, Southeastern, Southwestern and Midwestern states.
While Empire’s focus is on wholesale, acquisitions have turned it into a multiregional retail operator. In September 2017, it closed on the purchase of 70 Corner Store c-store properties in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas from CST Brands as part of Alimentation Couche-Tard’s divestment deal to satisfy U.S. and Canadian regulators.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.