Gas Stations

El Dorado, Ark. -- Murphy Oil USA announced Wednesday it has entered into an agreement with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for 200 new fuel stations in the midwestern and southeastern U.S.

According to the agreement, Murphy Oil will build more than 200 new fuel stations at existing Wal-Mart Super Centers over the next three years.

Steven Cosse, president and CEO, Murphy Oil Corp., said the agreement with Wal-Mart is a significant step forward for the pair’s long-term relationship.

Ankey, Iowa -- Casey's General Stores Inc.'s reported Monday that its net income declined nearly 13% in its fiscal second quarter on lower sales of gasoline, groceries and cigarettes.

Casey's made $32.9 million in the quarter ended Oct. 31, down from $37.6 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 7.2% to $1.91 billion. Same-store sales of gasoline fell 0.4%, while sales of merchandise dropped 0.7%. Cigarette sales were hurt by competitive pricing and an increase in an Illinois state excise tax, CEO Robert J. Myers said in a statement.

Laval, Quebec City -- Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announced that it has signed, through its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, Mac's Convenience Stores LLC, an agreement to acquire 29 stores, 25 stores are located in Illinois, three in Missouri and one in Oklahoma. The transaction is anticipated to close in December 2012.

All the stores would eventually be rebranded under the Circle K brand. Couche-Tard’s Midwest division would operate 28 of them and the other one would be operated by the Southwest division.

Houston -- A Tuesday report by NPD Group found that total consumer traffic through convenience stores was down 2.1% in the third quarter, compared with the same period last year.

NPD’s convenience store market research reports that the traffic decline this quarter was largely driven by lower purchase frequency (5.9 visits per 30 days), but was also influenced by a slight decline in the overall reach of the channel (only 50.2% of consumers aged 16+).
 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Convenience Stores has named Paige Anderson as its director of government relations.

Anderson has extensive experience on Capitol Hill, and has particular expertise in energy policy and cyber-security. She most recently served as deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, the outgoing U.S. Representative for California's 45th congressional district.

West Des Moines, Iowa -- C-store operator Kum & Go said Friday it has opened a new store in Gillette, Wyoming. The previous store was razed in July 2012 to make room for the all-new Kum & Go store design.

The nearly 5,000-sq.-ft. store introduces many new features both inside and outside the buildings. Inside, customers will find a larger product selection, a center checkout area with customer-focused staff, and an expanded Go Fresh Market.

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Mobile payment platform provider Kuapay said Thursday it has launched a new payment system at 14 KFC/Taco Bell restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

Duapay and franchisee Great American Chicken Corp launched the system in order to make smartphone ordering and payment faster and easier. The launch follows a two-month pilot program and encompasses locations in Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Ontario area.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven announced that it has completed the purchase of 12 stores from Fast Track  in Central North Carolina, including Winston-Salem. Terms of the agreement are not disclosed.

Remodeling of the units to transform them into 7-Eleven stores gets underway in late November and rebranding is expected to be complete by mid-February 2013.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Harbinger, a national sign fabrication company, has won a contract to fabricate and install double-faced LED-illuminated pylon signs for more than 600 7-Eleven locations in the United States. Harbinger will convert exterior signage to the 7-Eleven brand for the company’s newly acquired stores.

West Des Moines, Iowa -- Kum & Go has announced plans to invest $90 million in building a total of 20-25 new stores in the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak region of the Centennial State within the next five years.
 
Kum & Go, the fifth largest privately held company-operated convenience store chain in the United States, is marking the grand opening of its first three stores in Colorado Springs this week.