Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores has agreed to acquire 63 stores from the EG Group. The agreement includes stores in Tennessee and Kentucky that operate under the Minit Mart and Certified Oil brands.

Casey’s unveiled its strategic three-year plan back in June, with the first step to increase its store count.

Darren Rebelez, president and chief executive officer at Casey’s, said, “One of the key pillars in our strategic plan is to accelerate our store growth over the next three years and bring Casey’s to more communities. This opportunity is an excellent strategic fit as we look to add locations in Kentucky and Tennessee, which are both within our existing distribution footprint. We look forward to serving more guests in these markets and welcoming the team members from this transaction into the Casey’s family.”

The two companies aim to close the deal by the end of the year and will work together to do so as smoothly as possible, as noted in a company press release. Casey’s will retain all employees within the EG Group’s stores as a part of the sale. 

Originating in the UK, the EG Group was founded in 2001 and has established integral partnerships with global brands as well as building out a proprietary portfolio. “This divestment will enable both parties to execute their strategic plans, respectively. For EG Group, this divestment also represents another important step in executing our deleveraging strategy,” said Zuber Issa, co-founder and co-CEO of EG Group. In May, EG Group sold its UK and Ireland operations to Asda Group for £2.27 billion.

Casey’s operates more than 2,500 convenience stores, making it the third-largest convenience store retailer and, with its proprietary foodservice offerings, the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States.

Read more about Casey’s strategic three year plan in NACS Daily.