Short answer: Did 7-Eleven buyout Speedway?
Yes, in August 2020, 7-Eleven completed its acquisition of Marathon Petroleum Corp’s Speedway gas station chain for $21 billion, making it the largest convenience store chain in the United States.
How did 7-Eleven successfully acquire Speedway? A detailed look at the acquisition process
In the summer of 2020, news broke that retail giant 7-Eleven was in talks to acquire Speedway, a chain of convenience stores with over 3,900 locations across the United States. The potential deal sparked excitement and speculation among industry analysts and consumers alike – but how did it all come together?
To understand the acquisition process, we have to go back to the beginning of Speedway’s history. The company started as a division of Marathon Petroleum Corporation in 1997, operating under various names until settling on “Speedway” in 2011. Over the years, Speedway grew into one of the largest convenience store chains in America by strategically acquiring other businesses and expanding its presence in key markets.
By contrast, 7-Eleven has been around for nearly a century and has an even more storied history. Founded in Dallas in 1927 as Southland Ice Company (later renamed “Tote’m Stores”), the brand didn’t become known as “7-Eleven” until several decades later when stores began staying open from seven o’clock in the morning until eleven at night, seven days a week.
Despite both companies’ success over time, they faced different challenges leading up to their merger negotiations. For example:
– In recent years, Speedway had struggled with declining sales due to increased competition from grocery stores and online retailers.
– Meanwhile, 7-Eleven’s biggest obstacle wasn’t necessarily financial performance – rather than profitability lagged behind some competitors because it tended not to own many real estate assets or hold long-term leases on properties where it operated.
Against this backdrop, reports emerged that Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd., — Japan’s largest retailer and owner of licensing agreement behind North American network’s operational headquarters — had entered discussions with Marathon Petroleum about purchasing Speedway outright for approximately $22 billion.What followed next is particularly noteworthy: after private equity firm TPG Capital withdrew interest from buying out Speedway the same month, 7-Eleven made the bold move to offer $21 billion for the chain. This put Marathon Petroleum in a unique position and concluded when both parties signed an agreement dropping down from initial price.
So how did 7-Eleven manage to seal the deal where others had failed? Here are three key factors:
1. Scale: Between them, 7-Eleven and Speedway would have over 14,000 stores nationwide – far more than any other convenience store brand in America. By combining their resources and leveraging economies of scale, they could potentially outcompete rivals on pricing, product assortment , private label sales among many existing criteria of performance as well.
2. Technology & Infrastructure : With most consumers migrating towards digital channels since pandemic restricting footfall into physical stores it was clear that importance given to technology build-out infrastructure is paramount .7-elevens acquisition gave it quick access to high-performing fuel distribution network alongwith capability to run multiple leading rewards programs after having acquired Tesoro’s Hawaii retail stations before.
3. Geographical Coverage:
Did 7-Eleven buyout Speedway step by step: Understanding the timeline and key events
In August 2020, news broke out that 7-Eleven was in talks to acquire Speedway from Marathon Petroleum Corporation. This acquisition would add more than 3,900 convenience stores to the already existing 9,800 stores of 7-Eleven across North America.
The deal worth $21 billion has raised several eyebrows in the retail world over the past year. But how did it all happen? Let’s dive into understanding the timeline and key events leading up to this buyout.
May – June 2020:
Marathon Petroleum Corporation considered spinning off Speedway as part of their strategic review process with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs Group Inc as advisors.
July-August 2020:
Public reports emerge stating that Seven & i Holdings Co., who owns 7-Eleven was interested in acquiring Speedway for a possible sum between $22-30 billion.
August – September 2020:
After months of rumors swirling around about interest from potential buyers, it’s confirmed on August 2nd that an agreement had been reached for Seven & i holdings Co Ltd to pay $21 billion cash for Marathon’s retail business (including thousands of Speedway Gas Stations).
October-November 2020:
The deal is facing regulatory hurdles as Federal Trade Commission requested additional information from both parties related to its review under antitrust law guidelines. On December1st both companies announced they entered into a definitive agreement which could close by early or mid-2021 after receiving approval l from shareholders and all necessary authorities.
January-March, pre-closing preparations
As per shareholder consent received during January through March followed smoothly by preparing documentation/analyses necessary we noted among multiple actions same-store sales being reported flat line YOY so growth rates are not impressive meaning competition levels will spike further however overall integration planning looks good!
April-June final steps before closing transaction
Finally reaching mid-year goals laid out initially started to take shape, together holding 14 thousand locations combined! The industry-leading scale in retail and expertise they possess will enable an efficient integration process for mutual benefits. Also, the team started preparing training programs empowering employees on both sides with necessary skills enabling smooth sailing of tasks once new structure inaugurated.
In conclusion:
The buyout of Speedway by 7-Eleven is definitely a game-changer in the convenience retail world and it’s no surprise that there were regulatory hurdles during this deal being finalized with such a large price tag attached to it. However, as per official communications finally all approvals received they are ready to shed old tags & embark into progressive strategy implementation across multiple locations under new leadership so fingers crossed for positive impact resulting from synergies between two ultra-successful brands with immense growth potential.
Did 7-Eleven’s acquisition of Speedway create any frequently asked questions? Here’s what you need to know
The recent acquisition of Speedway by 7-Eleven has left many people with more than a few questions. The most pressing question on everyone’s mind: What does this mean for the customers and store employees? Will there be any major changes or will it still have that regular ‘Speedway’ vibe?
First off, let’s start with what exactly happened in this acquisition. On August 2nd, 2020 – Seven & I Holdings Co., the parent company of 7-Eleven, announced its intention to acquire Speedway from Marathon Petroleum Corp. After months of planning and undergoing regulatory approvals – which faced some hurdles due to antitrust concerns – the deal finally closed in May of this year.
Now that we know what actually happened, what can we expect going forward when walking into our local Speedway convenience store? No doubt change is always inevitable after an acquisition; but so far (as expected), things are expected to remain mostly unchanged at your average Speedway station across the nation, except for perhaps a new logo on signs or merchandise later down the line.
However, it’s not just about customer base who frequent these stores; it also involves their daily grind work staff. Any news around mergers stokes worries among employees about job security and potential layoffs that usually come part-and-parcel pre-or-post-acquisitions like this one. But as per recent updates released by both companies involved, Seven & I intends to keep all existing jobs intact under their purview while creating thousands of additional positions within their network later down-line through expansion plans if adopted soon enough!
Another significant portion of concern could arise amongst competition regulators responsible for anti-trust analysis whose role is vital in ensuring no single entity overrides free market forces enabling them unfair advantage calling foul over elbowing out smaller competitors as they gain enlarged shares in various markets including fuel retail among others.
Finally resarcining light on enhanced benefits Speedways customers may benefit thanks to increased buying power from 7-Eleven! Any fan of Speedway knows that they certainly do a lot of things right, but 7-Eleven’s deeper pockets and extensive nationwide network provides access to better discounts on fuel through the company’s rewards program. So next time you fuel up or purchase your favorite snack at a Speedway store, consider yourself part-and-parcel of something very big.
To wrap it all up – Seven & I Holdings Co.’s acquisition of Speedway has been an interesting journey for both companies involved with no sinister lurking hidden ulterior motives so far, which bodes some assurance for long-term stability for us customers while also offering potential job creation fortitude amongst other benefits we may witness in due course if expansion plans take-off making convenience shopping more fleshed-out than ever before!
