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1
FTC Issues Consent Order for 7-Eleven’s Acquisition of Speedway
Six weeks after 7-Eleven Inc. took ownership of the Speedway convenience store chain, the retailer and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) came to a final agreement over the transaction. Under the FTC consent order, 7-Eleven and Findlay, Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corp. will divest c-stores in 293 markets across 20 states.
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7-Eleven Preparing to Move Into New South Carolina Market
3
Pride Stores Seeks Buyer for Its 31 C-stores
7-Eleven Inc. is expanding into the Myrtle Beach, S.C., market with three new stores and nearly 20 locations acquired through its recent acquisition of Speedway. According to Pride Stores CEO Robert Bolduc, the plan is to sell off the entire company, retaining only a few real estate investments. He has hired a merger and acquisition firm and is hearing from potential buyers. Bolduc declined to name them except to say that they are Big Oil and gas companies, as well as big-chain convenience operators.
4
Alimentation Couche-Tard Focuses on Optimizing Its Portfolio
Circle K parent Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is taking steps to optimize its portfolio, and that includes divestures, acquisitions and organic growth. The company reviewed its asset base in the fall of 2020 and identified convenience stores that are no longer a strategic fit for the network. As a result, Couche-Tard hung for-sale signs on 300-plus sites, and reached an agreement to sell 49 Circle K sites in Oklahoma to Casey’s General Stores Inc.
5
North Carolina Gas Station Sues Colonial Pipeline for Fuel Shortage
A North Carolina gas station filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the Colonial Pipeline on June 21. EZ Mart, located off Castle Hayne Road in Wilmington, seeks to represent more than 11,000 gas stations that were negatively affected by the pipeline’s six-day shutdown in May following a cyberattack.
EXPERT VIEWPOINT
Three Ways C-stores Can Use Headless Commerce to Power Digital Transformation Convenience stores have evolved to become much more than quick fuel and snack shops. Modern c-stores are dynamic retail environments that can offer tremendous customer experiences, writes Michael Jaszczyk, CEO of GK Software USA. Headless commerce, which is defined as the separation of the front and back ends of an e-commerce application, can enable digital transformation and help c-stores offer omnichannel capabilities across multiple touchpoints. In particular, headless commerce can allow convenience stores to power app-less technology, implement a modern POS, and offer more personalized customer experiences. 8 Convenience Store News C S N E W S . c o m
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
How QuikTrip Is Investing in Its Leaders With its leaders dispersed over multiple locations and with diverse responsibilities, QuikTrip Corp. (QT) was driven to create a common leadership language that could be used universally throughout the company and directly correlated to its mission to help employees grow and succeed. With this goal in mind, QT partnered with Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning (HBP) in 2014 to explore new leadership development initiatives. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. Joining forces to craft and define what “leadership” is and what it means to the company, QT and HBP created the Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) in 2015, aimed at high-potential leaders. They then added the Master Leadership Program (MLP), which expands on the ALP. To date, nearly 130 QT leaders have completed the ALP and MLP. “It is a very exclusive program that associates are proud to be a part of, and is a way for us to truly invest in our senior leaders,” Lindsay Bennefield, QT’s corporate training manager, told Convenience Store News. For more exclusive content, visit the Special Features section of csnews.com.
MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT
Broaster SmartTouch Ventless Fryer VF-3 Boasting less time spent operating, training staff, cleaning and maintaining the equipment, the new Broaster SmartTouch Ventless Fryer VF-3 is an easy-to-operate fryer built for convenience food production. With the ability to cook up to 3 pounds of food per load, the space-saving unit features a full-color touchscreen display programmable for up to 100 menu items. The VF-3 also offers the unique Auto-Comp feature, which automatically adjusts cooking time to accommodate for varying sizes and temperatures of loads, ensuring even heat distribution and efficiency. Broaster Co. Beloit, Wis. (800) 365-8278 broaster.com
