The Convenience Store Decisions Group has been acquired by Harbor Communications, the Westlake, Ohio-based publisher of Club & Resort Business. Terms were not disclosed.
The deal, which includes Convenience Store Decisions magazine, CSDecisions.com, the National Convenience Store Advisory Group (NCSAG) and the Convenience Store Foodservice Show, reunites CSD with its founder Bill Donohue, co-founder and co-owner of Harbor Communications.
Convenience Store Decisions
is read by 44,000 executives and management personnel at the headquarters of convenience store chains, franchises, petroleum marketers and independents. Donohue launched Convenience Store Decisions in 1990 when he was president of Donohue Meehan Publishing, a company acquired by Penton Media in 1998.
“Harbor Communications sees a bright future for CSD,” said Donohue. “Our experience with the c-store market will enable us to meet and exceed the expectations of advertisers and readers, and we’re looking forward to serving this dynamic and growing industry.”
The Harbor Communications team brings many years of industry experience to CSD. Dan Ramella, president of Harbor Communications, is the former president and chief operating officer of Penton Media and a former publisher of Penton’s Restaurant Hospitality. Tom McIntyre, publisher of Club & Resort Business, and the former publisher of Penton’s Food Management, will become Group Publisher of Convenience Store Decisions and Club & Resort Business, a monthly magazine that serves the $60 billion club and resort market.
John Lofstock will remain Editor-in-Chief and was promoted to Editorial Director of the Convenience Store Decisions Group.
“We are very excited to bring Convenience Store Decisions into the Harbor Communications family,” McIntyre said. “I think everyone realizes this magazine and the entire CSDecisions Group have enormous potential. Our plan is to hit the ground running to begin transforming the brand into the premiere source of news and information in the industry. We expect to accomplish great things.”
In addition to overseeing the magazine, Lofstock, the CSD Group Editorial Director, will direct all Web site, NCSAG and trade show content.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Convenience Store Decisions that will provide immediate long-term stability,” Lofstock said. “I am impressed with the energy and enthusiasm Bill, Dan and Tom have showed the CSD staff and I look forward to leveraging their industry experience to continue delivering the quality editorial product the industry deserves.”
