Dive Brief:
- Good Oil Company is moving into Ohio with its purchase of the Big Mike’s Gas N Go c-store chain, according to a Thursday announcement from Matrix Capital, which advised Big Mike’s during the sale.
- Big Mike’s owns five locations in the greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas of southwest Ohio. Good Oil, meanwhile, currently operates over a dozen Good To Go c-stores in Indiana and Illinois.
- The deal comes as M&A is picking up in the c-store industry, including Sunoco agreeing to buy Parkland Corp. and several smaller deals from The Kent Companies, Minuteman Food Mart and Blarney Castle Oil.
Dive Insight:
Good Oil currently has 14 Good to Go stores in northern Indiana as well as one site near Chicago, in Bedford Park, Illinois. Those stores feature a fresh food program called It’s All Good Cafe, which offers fried chicken, fish and shrimp as well as sandwiches, pizza and a number of sides, according to the retailer’s website.
With its purchase of Big Mike’s, Good Oil is getting a business with “a strong commitment to friendly staff, expansive retail offerings, and clean, modern stores,” according to the release from Matrix Capital. These five locations officially reopened under the Good To Go banner on April 30, according to a separate announcement from Good Oil.
“Acquiring these five stores from Big Mike’s is a meaningful step in our mission to bring the Good To Go experience to more communities,” said Meachele Thomas, COO of Good Oil.
One of the stores is located alongside a Domino’s pizza and have two drive-thrus, according to Big Mike’s website. All sites offer grab and go food, beverages, groceries, tobacco, lottery, wine and craft beer.
While M&A has been picking up recently, 2025 has thus far been lighter on c-stores entering new states via acquisitions than 2024. That year included major deals like Mexican company FEMSA expanding into the U.S. by buying Delek US Holdings’ retail assets and Casey’s General Stores acquiring CEFCO’s parent company, introducing the Midwest retailer to Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.
