Dive Brief:
- Wholesale distributor Waring Oil Co. has acquired the commercial fuels division of Lavigne Oil Co., effective Aug. 26, for an undisclosed amount, according to a joint announcement from the companies.
- Waring services convenience retailers across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, while Lavigne specializes in Louisiana. The deal is expected to increase Waring’s wholesale capabilities and expand its service base, according to the announcement.
- Although both companies have an undisclosed number of dealer convenience stores, none of those locations are expected to be included in the acquisition, Kevin Cutrer, salesperson with Waring, confirmed to C-Store Dive.
Dive Insight:
Waring services fuel from a variety of outlets, such as Chevron Texaco, Sunoco and BP’s Castrol arm, Blue Leaf. BioBlend and others. Meanwhile, Lavigne has strictly been a Shell distributor and even offers Shell-branding opportunities for c-stores in Louisiana.
All fuel tanks owned by Lavigne will transition to Waring as part of the acquisition, the companies said.
“Waring Oil is committed to providing excellent products and services to the Lavigne Oil customers,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Waring and Lavigne will remain paramount as we work through the details of this transaction. We will work extremely hard to ensure this transition is as seamless as possible for all involved.”
Vicksburg, Mississippi-based Waring was founded as a Phillips 66 wholesale distributor in the 1950s. In 1979, the company opened a c-store in Vicksburg under the Interstate Food Shop banner. Waring eventually grew its company-operated banner to more than 40 locations across Mississippi and Louisiana before selling to The Pantry, Inc. in 2006. Alimentation Couche-Tard, parent of Circle K convenience stores, acquired The Pantry in late 2014.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Lavigne provides over 100 million gallons of fuel annually to retailers across the Southeast, according to its website. One of its c-store customers is the three-location Chips To Go chain in Baton Rouge, Cutrer said.
