Dive Brief:
- GPM Investments has hired convenience retail industry veteran Suzy Peel as vice president of real estate development, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- Peel brings decades of convenience store real estate experience to the newly created role and will help the retailer scale and execute its current development strategy, the spokesperson said.
- Peel’s hiring comes as GPM nears the completion of its years-long dealerization strategy and shifts its focus toward food-focused NTIs and remodels.
Dive Insight:
GPM will soon focus most of its attention on organic growth, which will lean heavily on foodservice and the retailer’s Fas Craves menu. The company opened two NTIs during Q1 of this year and plans for 25 more remodels in 2026.
Peel will play a key role in this strategy. She joins GPM after a stint as vice president of real estate planning and development at health and wellness organization Sun Health, marking her return to the convenience retail industry.
Before Sun Health, Peel spent many years at Circle K and parent company Alimentation Couche-Tard, where she focused on convenience retail growth, strategic planning, acquisitions and capital investment initiatives, the spokesperson said.
“Suzy's proven track record in site development, capital deployment and strategic growth, combined with her deep industry relationships, make her uniquely qualified to support these initiatives and help advance ARKO's long-term expansion plans,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Over the course of her career, Peel has overseen the development of more than 230 new convenience stores, managed portfolios with capital budgets approaching $500 million and played a key leadership role in acquisitions, market strategy, and organizational development, GPM’s spokesperson said.
