BOULDER, Colo. — The Cigarette Store LLC dba Smoker Friendly has acquired 21 Smoke’ N Go tobacco stores in Louisiana.
- The Cigarette Store in No. 45 onCSP’s 2021 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by size.
Smoker Friendly will operate these stores “with the continued dedication to customer service and product selection that Smoke’ N Go customers are accustomed to,” the Boulder, Colo.-based retailer said.
Smoker Friendly will continue to sell the SF Private Label brands as these stores were licensed with Smoker Friendly International.
The Hoyt family has been long-time tobacco store owners and very involved in the industry. “Our former associates are in good hands with a terrific operation. These stores provide a great opportunity for Smoker Friendly to grow in Louisiana,” said Fred Hoyt, president of Abbeville, La.-based Smoke’ N Go LLC.
“We’ve been friends with Fred for many years, so when he reached out earlier in the year expressing a desire to exit the business, we were able to get a transaction put together pretty quickly. We are very excited about the stores and our opportunity in Louisiana,” said Terry Gallagher Jr., CEO of The Cigarette Store. “We are actively pursuing additional acquisitions and are extremely bullish on our growth opportunities.”
This is the fourth acquisition Smoker Friendly has transacted in the last 20 months, bringing the store count to 181. Other Smoker Friendly acquisitions have included the 33-store chain Smoker’s Outlet, 22 Tobacco Road Outlet locations and three Smoker Friendly dealer stores.
The Cigarette Store is the largest licensee of Smoker Friendly International, and the largest tobacco store retailer in the U.S. and operates a mix of tobacco stores, cigar lounges, liquor stores and fueling locations under the Smoker Friendly and Tobacco Depot banners, as well as the Gasamat c-store banner in eight states, in addition to its e-commerce site, Payless Cigars and Pipes. The company also puts on the annual Smoker Friendly conference and tobacco festival.
Investment firm Main Street Capital Corp., Houston, recently made a $51.7 million investment in Smoker Friendly, taking a minority stake.
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