Jacksons Acquires 62 Speedway, 7-Eleven Stations
Anabi Acquires 124 Speedway, 7-Eleven Stations
Edison Plans 40,000 Charging Stations in Southern California
New Mexico Court Rules Stations Liable for DUIs
Smoker Friendly Acquires Smoke 'N GO

JACKSONS ACQUIRES 62 SPEEDWAY, 7-ELEVEN STATIONS

MERIDIAN, ID. — Jacksons Food Stores has acquired 62 Speedway and 7-Eleven-branded service stations from 7-Eleven Inc. The purchase price for the deal was not disclosed.

The service stations, which all include convenience stores, are located in California, Arizona, and Nevada; 58 of the stores are located in California.

"The stores are located between San Francisco and San Diego," reported John Jackson, the founder of the Jackson companies. "We began negotiating the deal in July and we finished in October."

Announcing the purchase, he stated that they are "adding more talented associates and great locations to the Jackson family of companies to broaden who we serve and how we serve them."

The stores involved in the sale were among the 293 locations that 7-Eleven, Inc. is divesting to satisfy an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission as part of its recent acquisition of Speedway LLC from Marathon Petroleum Corp.

Many of the newly acquired locations will be rebranded to the Jacksons Food Stores or ExtraMile by Jacksons brands.

"We are excited to serve customers in new markets," said Cory Jackson, president of Jacksons Food Stores. "As a food-forward retailer, we are focused on providing customers with the service, products, and convenience they need — when, where and how they want it. As an example, we recently launched Jacksons delivery across all markets with quick delivery windows to serve customers when they can't visit our stores."

The Jackson companies own, operate and supply more than 1,340 stores across nine western states, including 360 company-operated stores in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah and California.

The Jackson companies are vertically integrated, with fuel supplied by Jacksons Energy, full-line grocery and supplies distributed through Capitol Distributing, and fresh food products supplied through Capitol Kitchens.

ANABI ACQUIRES 124 SPEEDWAY, 7-ELEVEN STATIONS

UPLAND, CA. — Anabi Oil has acquired 124 Speedway and 7-Eleven-branded service stations from 7-Eleven Inc. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The service stations, which all include convenience stores, are located in Utah, Florida, the Midwest, and the Northeast. The new stations expand Anabi Oil across the country from its home base in California.

The stores involved in the sale were among the 293 locations that 7-Eleven, Inc. is divesting to satisfy an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission as part of its recent acquisition of Speedway LLC from Marathon Petroleum Corp.

Anabi Oil markets under the Shell, 76, Sinclair, and its own Anabi brand. Founded in 1991, the family-owned business has over 300 company-owned convenience stores in the United States.

EDISON PLANS 40,000 CHARGING STATIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ROSEMEAD, CA. — Southern California Edison has announced a $436 million plan to add 40,000 charging stations for electric vehicles in Southern California.

Under the utility's program, called "Ready to Charge," Edison plans to increase the number of passenger car chargers installed in Southern California from about 3,000 to more than 40,000 over the next four years.

The budget, which has been approved by the Public Utility Commission of California, is sufficient to add approximately 38,000 new charging ports to the SCE service area in four years. Edison officials said they will target public schools, city halls, libraries, hospitals, shopping centers, apartments, town homes, and apartments, offering programs to help install electric vehicle chargers. Edison will supply the power to the new charging stations.

The utility also noted that in underprivileged communities they plan to add incentives to existing multifamily complexes — and new complexes that have not yet been built — to add vehicle chargers. These incentives include offering rebates and, in some cases, covering installation and infrastructure costs for installation.

Under the new program, SCE officials estimate that more than 9,000 chargers will be added annually going forward.

"We need more chargers to ensure that these EV drivers can be recharged anytime, anywhere," said Carter Prescott, director of eMobility and Building Electrification at SCE, announcing the program. "And SCE will continue to lead in the electrification of transportation and ensuring an effective framework for the future of clean air in the community."

To meet California's mandated goal of "carbon neutral" by 2045, it is estimated approximately 26 million cars and 6 million trucks in the state would need to be EVs. An estimated 280,000 of them are currently registered in SCE's territory.

Southern California Edison is a Rosemead, CA-based investor-owned utility that serves parts of the Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

NEW MEXICO COURT RULES STATIONS LIABLE FOR DUIS

SANTA FE, NM. — In a decision that may have ripple effects across the petroleum industry and beyond, the New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that gasoline stations may be liable if they allow intoxicated drivers to buy fuel.

In a split decision, the New Mexico justices ruled in Morris v. Giant Four Corners Inc., that "Gasoline is required to operate most vehicles today. Providing gasoline to an intoxicated driver is like providing car keys to an intoxicated driver."

Under the ruling, gasoline stations would now have a legal obligation to keep intoxicated drivers from getting fuel.

"There are so many problems with this," explained Benny Hodges, Hodges Oil, Belen, NM. He noted that the majority of gasoline sales are pay-at-the-pump, so clerks generally do not interact with the majority of their fuel customers.

He also noted that there was no scientific way for a clerk to determine if the person filling up the tank was under the influence. "Are we going to have to give Breathalyzer tests to let someone fill up their tank?" asked Hodges.

New Mexico currently has no law prohibiting the sale of gasoline to inebriated drivers. However there is a law against selling alcohol to an inebriated person.

In the past, the New Mexico Court had ruled that if the owner of a vehicle gave it to an intoxicated person to drive, the owner could be liable for any injuries caused by drunken driving.

In their latest decision, the Court concluded that selling gasoline to an intoxicated driver was the same as giving them a vehicle to drive.

The decision comes from an incident in 2011 after a drunk driver refueled their vehicle, then returned to the highway, crossed the center line, and killed a person.

Dissenting Justice Barbara Vigil wrote that selling and serving alcohol is regulated and the liability should not be extended to retail sales of nonalcoholic goods.

"This sea change in the law could have far-reaching consequences for retail businesses," noted Vigil, such as tire shops, mechanics and auto parts stores.

SMOKER FRIENDLY ACQUIRES SMOKE 'N GO

BOULDER, CO. — The Cigarette Store LLC, doing business as Smoker Friendly, has acquired 21 Smoke 'N GO, LLC. stores based out of Abbeville, LA.

Smoker Friendly acquired the stores from the Hoyt family and will operate them as part of the Smoker Friendly business.

Terry Gallagher Jr., Smoker Friendly CEO, noted, "We've been friends with Fred Hoyt for many years, so when he reached out earlier in the year expressing a desire to exit the business, we were able to get a transaction put together pretty quickly. We are very excited about the stores and our opportunity in Louisiana."

Hoyt noted, "Our transaction was seamless and could not have gone better. Our former associates are in good hands with a terrific operation. These stores provide a great opportunity for Smoker Friendly to grow in Louisiana."

Gallagher added, "We are actively pursuing additional acquisitions and are extremely bullish on our growth opportunities."

The purchase of Smoke 'N GO is the fourth acquisition Smoker Friendly has completed in the last 20 months, bringing the company's store count to 181, operating in eight states.

Boulder-based The Cigarette Store is the largest tobacco store retailer in the U.S. and operates a mix of tobacco stores, cigar lounges, liquor stores and fueling locations under the Smoker Friendly, Tobacco Depot, and Gasamat banners.

Originally published in the November 2021 issue of O&A Marketing News.
Copyright 2021 by KAL Publications Inc.