Dive Brief:
- Fresh Stop’s chief operating officer, Scott Burchfield, has resigned from the convenience retailer, Burchfield confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- Burchfield left Fresh Stop, which has over 30 c-stores across four states, on Nov. 14 “to pursue other interests,” he said in a text message. He added that Matt Pickelsimer, president of Fresh Stop since this past summer, will assume his duties as COO.
- Burchfield’s departure leaves a hole in Fresh Stop’s leadership team as the Southern convenience retailer continues its expansion.
Dive Insight:
Burchfield joined Fresh Stop as COO in July 2024, according to his LinkedIn bio, right as the convenience retailer was getting off the ground. His hiring came a couple months after parent company Madison Capital Group, a real estate development and investment firm, launched a division aimed at expanding its retail portfolio. In late 2024, Fresh Stop opened its first c-store in Sanford, Florida.
Since then, Fresh Stop has purchased dozens more locations across Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, but Burchfield won’t be part of the company’s future. Representatives from Fresh Stop did not respond by press time when asked to comment on Burchfield’s departure.
Burchfield brought over a decade’s worth of convenience retail experience to Fresh Stop, having previously held director and VP-level operations and strategy roles with Sunoco, Giant Oil, Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores and The Pantry, according to his LinkedIn bio. He also spent over five years with c-store consultancy Impact 21, and was most recently its chief operating officer before joining Fresh Stop.
Earlier in his career, Burchfield spent 16 years as a district manager for drugstore chain Eckerd and two years with Bed Bath & Beyond.
