C-store Chains Among Top 100 Largest Private Cos.

NEW YORK -- Convenience store retailers continue to be business powerhouses, with 11 chains landing on the Forbes 2013 list of America's largest private companies.

Overall, 224 companies made the list, up from 220 last year. Taken as a group, these companies have combined revenues of $1.61 trillion, an 8-percent increase over the previous year, according to the magazine.

Two convenience industry chains, Pilot Flying J and Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, made the top 10, coming in at No. 7 and No. 9, respectively. According to Forbes, Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J has 650 travel stops, 20,000 employees and $30.43 billion in revenue. Oklahoma City-based Love's has more than 300 locations, 10,600 employees and $26.09 billion in revenue.

The two chains were not the only c-store retailers appearing on the list. They were joined by: Cumberland Farms (No. 18), QuikTrip Corp. (No. 30), RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. (No. 39), Wawa Inc. (No. 40), Sinclair Oil (No. 45), Sheetz Inc. (No. 58), Kum & Go LC (No. 88), Red Apple Group (No. 99), and Holiday Cos. (No. 101).

Industry-related companies also making an appearance on this year's list include Cargill (No. 1), Mars Inc. (No. 5), Eby-Brown Co. (No. 67) and H.T. Hackney (No. 109).