Coleman Oil Co. doubled its convenience retail locations with the purchase of Pullman, Wash.-based Busch Distributing Inc. and its six Sunset Marts, serving the Palouse region of North Idaho and Eastern Washington state. The acquisition took effect on Dec. 1.
The half dozen Sunset Marts join Coleman’s convenience retail roster of four Dyna Mart and two other locations, each offering fuel, QSRs and even a travel center, which is located in North Lewiston, Wash.
“We were fortunate that we were able to find a company with similar values to our own,” Busch Distributors CEO Eric Bush said in a statement. “Coleman is a third generation family business. They are retaining the staff of Busch Distributors and Sunset Marts.”
A joint statement from the companies outlined the deal as also including Busch’s marketing and distribution assets along with four bulk fuel plants, transportation fleet and Chevron lubricants business. Also part of the deal are 24 commercial fueling network cardlock and CFNnet sites that are either service stations and/or unstaffed fueling stations, bringing Coleman’s total of CFN sties to 90.
Busch Distributors was founded in 1963 by Tom Busch and has remained a family operation since, with son Steve Busch and grandson Eric Busch continuing to grow the company’s retail and commercial footprint by expanding into fuel dealer sales and petroleum equipment.
Coleman Oil was founded by Bob Coleman Sr. in 1953. His son, Bob Coleman Jr., began working at his father’s business in 1980 and acquired it in 1995. Ian Coleman, the grandson of Bob Coleman Sr., joined the business in 2015 and is its president.
Coleman Oil now has a lubricants division, 14 bulk fuel storage and delivery facilities, biodiesel and renewable fuel sales and a rail logistics operation in north central and northern Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana.