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Cary, N.C. -- The Pantry moved one step closer to its merger with Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard as Pantry stockholders approved the merger agreement at a special meeting on March 10.

The stockholders cast 19,725,407 votes for the deal and 71,442 votes against the deal, with 34,806 abstaining, according to documents The Pantry filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).

Cary, N.C. – Canadian convenience store conglomerate Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which operates stores under the Circle K banner in the U.S., has agreed to purchase The Pantry Inc., operator of the Kangaroo Express convenience/fuel chain, for $1.7 billion. Purchase price includes $861 million in cash and about $840 million in assumed debt.  

Louisville, Colo. -- QuikTrip is North America’s favorite convenience store chain, according to a study by Market Force Information, a leader in customer intelligence solutions. More than 5,000 consumers were polled for the study, designed to uncover which convenience stores consumers prefer and why.
 

San Antonio -- CST Brands announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the convenience store assets, franchisor rights and associated trademarks of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes.

Nice N Easy operates 77 corporate and franchise stores in Central New York. The company operations include thirty-three company operated stores along with forty-four franchise locations.

New York -- Energy Transfer Partners, parent company of Sunoco, plans to acquire Susser Holdings Corp in a stock-and-cash deal valued at $1.8 billion.

Susser operates 630 convenience stores under the Stripes and Pac-N-Sac banners, in Texas and surrounding states. Sunoco operates more than 5,000 stores, primarily on the East Coast.

Cary, N.C. -- The board of directors of The Pantry Inc. has elected Thomas W. "Tad" Dickson, former chairman and CEO of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., to serve as chairman of the board of directors. He replaces Edwin J. Holman, who was chairman of the board since September 2009.

Framingham, Mass. – Cumberland Farms is reportedly selling 27 stores in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, to Petroleum Marketing Group, based in Woodbridge, Va. According to the Boston Globe, the stores will continue to operate as convenience stores and all roughly 600 affected employees are expected to keep their jobs.

Cumberland Farms will focus on its nearly 600 remaining stores in New England, New York, and Florida. Both companies are private and terms were not disclosed.

Ankeny, Iowa -- Casey’s General Stores announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 24 Stop-n-Go locations. Twenty of the stores are located in North Dakota and four are located in Minnesota.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The U.S. convenience store count increased to 151,282 stores as of December 31, 2013, a 1.4% increase (2,062 stores) from the year prior, according to the 2014 NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. Convenience stores account for 34.3% of all retail outlets in the United States, according to Nielsen, which is significantly higher than the U.S. total of other retail channels including drug stores (41,378 stores), supermarket/supercenter (37,459 stores) and dollar stores (24,853 stores).

Altoona, Pa. — Sheetz Convenience Restaurants has opened two new locations in North Carolina. One is a 6,400-sq.-ft. store in Goldsboro, featuring a drive-through window, inside seating and a large shopping area. It will be the 59th Sheetz in the state.

The second store will open in Elkin, bringing the total number of North Carolina stores to 60.