Taking the Exit
Big chains are getting bigger, with a handful of players in aggressive acquisition mode, and demand for convenience stores in some markets is driving prices for high performing sites to record levels.
Business has been good for most convenience store retailers this year, but with volatile prices and shrinking margins on gasoline, as well as an increasingly competitive marketplace, even the healthiest operators can feel the pinch. In such a market, it's no surprise that many convenience store operators might be considering exiting altogether.
On the following pages, four successful retailers who left the c-store business in recent years offer their stories: telling Convenience Store News why they sold their chains, what they are doing now, and what they miss about the business.
Business has been good for most convenience store retailers this year, but with volatile prices and shrinking margins on gasoline, as well as an increasingly competitive marketplace, even the healthiest operators can feel the pinch. In such a market, it's no surprise that many convenience store operators might be considering exiting altogether.
On the following pages, four successful retailers who left the c-store business in recent years offer their stories: telling Convenience Store News why they sold their chains, what they are doing now, and what they miss about the business.