Dive Brief:
- Green Trail Fuels has acquired Littlefield Express, a 25-location c-store chain, from Littlefield Retail Group, according to a press release from Downstream Energy Group, which advised Littlefield on the deal.
- The acquisition includes company-operated convenience stores and travel centers in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
- Littlefield Retail joins the growing list of family-owned convenience retailers that have decided to sell their stores and exit the industry this year.
Dive Insight:
In addition to its stores, Littlefield Express also operates car washes at select sites and has restaurant partnerships with McDonalds and Burger King, according to the release.
Littlefield Express was founded in 2014, though its parent company had been around since 1946. The Littlefield family will continue to operate its wholesale fuel distribution, petroleum hauling and propane distribution businesses.
“Selling the stores we built was not a decision we made lightly,” said Aaron Littlefield, president of Littlefield Companies, in the announcement. “We are proud to hand these stores to Green Trail and look forward to focusing on our wholesale, transport and propane operations.”
Green Trail Fuels is a joint venture between HF Sinclair and UPOP Holdings that launched earlier this year. The brand has three banners, according to its website — 7-2-11, which has stores in the Four Corners area of the Southwest; JR’s Country Stores in Colorado; and Green Trail, which currently has sites in Oklahoma, according to its website.
