VPS acquires seven Colonial Pantry stores in Central Illinois
VPS operations now encompass eight states
WILMINGTON, NC – Jan. 12, 2012 – VPS Convenience Store Group announced today the acquisition of seven Colonial Pantry convenience stores in Central Illinois, which will be operated as Village Pantry Stores. With this acquisition, VPS now operates 425 stores in eight states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
“We are very excited about the addition of the Colonial Pantry stores to the VPS group,” said VPS Chairman and CEO Jeff Turpin. “These sites align well with our brand philosophy of being convenient neighborhood stores with fast and friendly service, fresh food offerings and coffee. Customers can expect a seamless transition with no interruption in service as we integrate these locations into our VPS family of stores.”
The transaction marks the third time in the past year that VPS has added stores to its roster. The company added Virginia Oil Company, a group of 17 convenience stores in western Virginia, last April, and 22 former APPCO stores in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia in January 2011.
The VPS Convenience Store Group, headquartered in Wilmington, NC, operates under six store brands including Scotchman, Village Pantry, Lil Cricket, Young’s, Next Door Stores and Everyday Shops. VPS offers premium fuel brands such as Exxon, Mobil, Marathon, Valero, BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips and its own proprietary brand, Carolina Petro. The VPS group is ranked 18th on the Convenience Store News Top 20 Company Operated Chains and sixth on the Grant Thornton North Carolina 100® list of top private companies. The group has more than 3,200 employees.
VPS is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm.
About Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
Sun Capital Partners, Inc. is a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in companies that can benefit from its in–house operating professionals and experience. Sun Capital affiliates have invested in more than 285 companies worldwide with combined sales in excess of $45 billion since Sun Capital’s inception in 1995. Sun Capital has offices in Boca Raton, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as affiliates with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Shanghai and Shenzhen. For more information, please visit www.SunCapPart.com.
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