ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Mountain Express Oil Co. has acquired New Orleans-based Brothers Food Mart, which has 50 locations in the region. Under the agreement, Mountain Express Oil has purchased a majority of Brothers Food Mart’s stores and is licensed to use the store name.
As part of the acquisition, Mountain Express Oil’s co-CEOs Lamar Frady and Turjo Wadud entered into a joint venture with Brothers Chicken, the chain’s signature fried chicken product. Imad Faiez “Eddie” Hamdan, who co-owns Brothers Food Mart with brother-in-law Ziad Odeh “Z” Mousa, will become a joint venture partner with Mountain Express.
“We found a great match in Mountain Express, a company that can help grow and move Brothers forward,” said Hamdan. “Turjo, Lamar and the team are great partners and can help us grow our brand without changing what makes it so special today.”
The goal with the acquisition is to expand the retail brand into more southern markets, including North Carolina, Atlanta, Memphis and Dallas, while simultaneously growing Brothers Food Mart’s Louisiana footprint, the company said. The plan includes adding up to 100 additional Brothers sites in the next six months, said Wadud.
Brothers Food Mart was founded in 1989 by Hamdan, who immigrated to America from Jerusalem to support his family and contribute to the New Orleans community. The chain has provided donations to local areas hard hit by natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornados.
The company is well-known for its fried chicken, which has been touted by celebrities including Kevin Hart and Seth Rogen as memorable and a favorite.
“Brothers Food Mart has definitely made its mark in the New Orleans area as a standout c-store amongst the competition, and one bite of their famous chicken makes it obvious as to why Mountain Express wants to expand its reach by bringing the popular brand to a number of cities across southeast,” says Frady. “As Mountain Express continues on a significant growth trajectory, partnering with proven convenience chains like Brothers aligns perfectly with our vision for the future.”
Founded in 2000 and based in Alpharetta, Ga., Mountain Express Oil Co. currently owns and/or controls more than 200 gas stations and provides fuel to more than 600 stations across the United States under several major oil and regional fuel brands.
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