The Kent Cos. has completed its acquisition of Ponchatoula, La.-based B&B Petroleum. This strategic expansion strengthens The Kent Cos.’ presence across the Southeast and marks its ninth state of operation.
“We are thrilled to officially enter the Louisiana market and continue growing the Kent Kwik footprint across the Southeast,” said Bill Kent, owner and CEO of The Kent Cos. “B&B Petroleum has built a strong reputation for quality and community, which perfectly aligns with our family values and brand promise of ‘Making Your Life Easy’ for our guests and team members.”
Founded in West Texas by the late Buck Kent in 1957, The Kent Cos. began as Kent Oil and Kent Distributors and still remains a family-owned business today. The Kent Cos. are comprised of multiple entities, including Kent Kwik convenience stores, Mr. Payroll Check
Cashing, Rustic Café, Huddle House, Baskin Robbins, Kent Car Washes, Kent Lubrication
Centers, WesTex Urgent Cares, Prince Signs, Kent Tire Co. and Kent Fuels.
The Kent Cos.’ expansion into Louisiana is a natural progression of its five-year growth strategy aimed at extending eastward from its Texas roots.
The chain has been intentional about growing eastward across the Southeast for the last several years, and Louisiana felt like the natural next step, noted Meredith Bright, director of corporate communications & brand development and head of human resources. “It’s a great fit for our brand, our people and our future, both geographically and culturally.”
Included in the acquisition are 15 Chevron-branded convenience stores, along with Subway and Red Bird Café locations. These stores will transition to the Kent Kwik brand. The company plans to move quickly on the rebranding process. Guests should start noticing the changes in the near future.
“We’re proud to continue offering Chevron fuel. We believe Chevron’s fuel brand aligns perfectly with our standards of quality and guest satisfaction,” said Bright.
Still, the chain recognizes that B&B Petroleum had a real strength in foodservice, Bright continued. “That’s something we don’t want to lose, in fact, we want to build on it. Our goal is to blend Kent Kwik’s recognizable brand and local support with the great food and loyal customer base that B&B created.”
With the addition of these new locations, The Kent Cos. now operates 130 company-owned convenience stores/travel centers across nine states and supplies fuel to more than 150 dealer sites across six states.
“It has been an incredible journey building and growing B&B Petroleum over the years. We are proud of what our team has accomplished and the strong relationships we’ve built with our customers and partners. We believe this acquisition with Kent Cos. aligns with our values and marks a meaningful step forward that will allow the business to continue evolving and serving its customers. As we close this chapter, we leave with immense gratitude for everyone who has been part of this journey and pride in all that we’ve achieved together,” said Art Bonneval and Jay Barzenick, owners, B&B Petroleum.
The Kent Cos. is continuing to evaluate growth opportunities, both through acquisitions in the future and new-to-industry stores. “We’re very excited about what’s ahead, and we plan to continue building on this momentum,” said Bright.
This acquisition furthers a trend of consolidation activity happening in the convenience store industry. Only earlier in October, Anabi Oil reached an agreement to acquire Nevada-based Green Valley Grocery, upping its store count by 87 locations.
RaceTrac also grew through its acquisition of quick-service restaurant Potbelly, adding 445 sandwich shops to its 800-plus store footprint.
While many chains are growing their footprint through small-chain acquisitions, larger chains, too, are facing mergers and acquisitions. It wasn’t long ago when Sunoco agreed to acquire Canadian Parkland Corp. in a $9.1 billion deal, 400-store Maverik acquired 400-store Kum & Go or Alimentation Couche-Tard made a bid for 7-Eleven.
“There’s certainly a lot of movement happening in our industry right now, and growth through acquisition is part of that. For us, though, it’s never just about numbers, it’s about people and purpose. We look for opportunities that make sense for our team, our guests and the communities we serve,” said Bright.
