LA PLATA, Md. — In a deal finalized on March 3, SMO Inc. has acquired six retail fuel and convenience stores along the Virginia I-95 corridor and in Warrenton, Va., from MAPCO, the Wills Group has announced.
“The six new retail fuel and convenience stores will be incorporated into the Wills Group’s franchise network of retail fuel and convenience locations,” a spokesperson for the Wills Group told CSP Daily News. “These locations support our efforts to strengthen our presence along the I-95 corridor, while providing opportunities for small business owners to provide great outcomes for our customers and our communities.”
SMO will operate the locations. With this acquisition, the Wills Group and SMO now operate 277 locations across the Mid-Atlantic region, greatly expanding its presence in the truck diesel market, the company said.
“We’re excited about the addition of these six locations to the Wills Group’s strong family of brands across our retail business, which also include Dash In, Splash In ECO Car Wash and SMO Motor Fuels,” said Joe Wills, executive vice president of fuels marketing and real estate for the Wills Group. “These locations support our efforts to strengthen our presence along the I-95 corridor north and south of Richmond, Va., and also allow the Wills Group to expand our footprint with the addition of the Warrenton, Va., location. We look forward to working across these communities to demonstrate the Wills Group’s commitment to serving our customers and their communities.”
The Wills Group is working to complete the process of transitioning supplier and vendor agreements to SMO and is also working to integrate the MAPCO locations into its retail fuels and convenience-store operations, the company said. The stores will not be converted to the Dash In brand, the spokesperson said.
- The Wills Group is No. 119 on CSP’s 2021 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. MAPCO is No. 25 in the 2022 Top 40 Update. Watch for the full 2022 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine.
A family-owned company since 1926, the La Plata, Md.-based company has expertise in convenience retailing, fuels marketing and commercial real estate.
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