Courtesy Stewart’s Shops
Stewart’s Shops, the locally based convenience store giant, is expanding again with the purchase of the of its Blueox Neighborhood Market convenience store chain.
Stewart’s will acquire seven stores and rebrand six of them to Stewart’s, under the deal.
The Blueox stores have gasoline pumps.
“We look forward to the opportunity to further serve the Blueox market that they have served so well for the past three plus decades and we look forward to welcoming Blueox employees to the Stewart’s family,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake.
Blueox Corp. President Jared Bartle said the decision to sell “did not come easily. Our stores, and especially the people in our stores, are deeply embedded into our corporate culture and it’s for that reason we sought a buyer whose priorities most closely aligned with ours.
“This was very important to Blueox. As we realign our long-term goals and continue to reinvest in the delivery and service divisions of our company, I’m excited at the opportunities to come.”
Blueox will continue under the name Blueox Energy Products & Services. At one time, it had 11 convenience stores known as Nice-n-Easy.
The company is based in Oxford in Chenango County.
Renamed in 1986, Blueox Corp. grew to 11 stores made up of both Nice N Easy franchise sites and Big Blue Convenience Stores, serving rural markets in upstate New York. Their residential and commercial delivery and service operations will continue to grow and operate under the name Blueox Energy Products & Services.
Julia Miller, senior vice president of Blueox Corp., said it is increasingly difficult for a mid-sized chains to compete and invest in locations at the same time.
She said the company wanted to give stores and employees a home before they were forced out of the market. Miller said Blueox chose Stewart’s for its shared values.
“Stewarts is known for taking care of their employees with their ESOP program and their career opportunities. We have employees that have been with us over 25 years, which is almost unheard of in convenience retail. We wanted them to land someplace that cared for them as much as we have over the years.” Miller said.
The sale is expected to close in September 2021. Blueox will continue to operate its energy business, delivering fuel oil, kerosene and propane, and it will continue to service and replace energy equipment including furnaces, boilers and hot water heaters.
There are seven Blueox Neighborhood Markets. They are located in Fort Plain, Bridgewater, Norwich, Hamilton, Oxford, Mt. Upton and Ithaca.