Dive Brief:
- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is preparing to reopen the bidding process for the rights to renovate and run 18 service plazas across the state, the agency announced last week.
- MassDOT awarded those rights to Applegreen this summer, but the Irish retailer terminated the contract in September amid accusations that it and MassDOT acted in bad faith during the original bidding process. Last week, MassDOT said that “the best path forward to ensure the success of this project is to reprocure the contract.”
- Massachusetts-based Global Partners, which leveled the accusations against MassDOT and Applegreen, intends to resubmit its bid for all 18 travel plazas, Chief Operating Officer Mark Romaine said in a statement to C-Store Dive on Monday.
Dive Insight:
After keeping quiet for the past month, MassDOT has revealed plans to re-open the bidding process for the travel plazas and its CEO revealed her resignation, effective Oct. 16. The two events don’t appear to be linked, and the department has named an interim head.
Global Partners’ bid for the plazas earlier this year included over $1.5 billion in guaranteed rent and $650 million in capital improvements.
“We remain confident that a transparent rebid will lead to a better outcome for the Commonwealth, one that delivers real value, modern facilities, and trusted local stewardship. We look forward to participating in the new RFP process and to helping deliver that outcome,” Romaine said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
Besides Global Partners, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, 7-Eleven, RaceTrac, and Energy North Group — parent of the Haffner’s c-store banner on the East Coast — were outbid by Applegreen the first time around. It’s unclear if any of these brands will once again submit a bid.
“While we haven’t heard from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation since the original bidding process, we look forward to receiving more details about this project and the new process,” Tim Doty, vice president of corporate development and growth initiatives for Love’s, said in a statement to C-Store Dive on Monday.
Almost immediately after Applegreen and MassDOT announced their $750 million service deal in June, Global Partners expressed public frustration at the decision, calling its own pitch more cost-effective and logical since Global Partners is a local entity. Between July and late September, Global Partners called for multiple investigations into MassDOT’s bidding process with Applegreen, filed an ethics complaint with the state, sued MassDOT and requested a court order to block the agreement from commencing.
Applegreen and MassDOT denied any wrongdoing during those months and appeared to be close to sealing its deal. Applegreen’s decision to subsequently withdraw its proposal was one of the more surprising events the c-store industry has seen in 2025.
