AN EAST Lancashire forecourt giant has extended its share of the American market with a new £238million acquisition.

Euro Garages, based in Guide, has bought Minit Mart's 225 branded convenience stores and petrol stations across the midwest from TravelCenters of America LLC.

And following their acquisition of 762 sites from Kroger Co, which included stores such as Turkey Hill, Loaf ‘N Jug, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb and Quik Stop, EG now have more than 1,000 sites across the States.

The Minit Mart deal, valued at $305m (£238m), is the latest in a long line of acquisitions for the group.

As part of the Kroger Deal, EG Group established their North American headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Lancashire Telegraph reported in February that the founders Mohsin and Zuber Issa had struck a multi-million pound deal with NRGValue Retail B.V, to buy 97 site Esso branded networks in the Netherlands, taking their European presences to more than 2,600 sites.

Mohsin Issa, Founder and co-CEO, EG Group commented “We have a firm commitment to growing our presence in the USA, the world’s largest convenience market and are extremely pleased to have signed definitive transaction documents to acquire the Minit Mart network from TravelCenters. The Minit Mart portfolio will be a strong addition to our business.

"Our group’s ability to maintain consistency in brand standards along with delivering the right customer experience have made EG Group a partner of choice.

"Our proven track record of developing similar portfolios, creating career opportunities and being able to leverage our relationships with leading retail brands to meet customer needs and align with market trends is second to none.”

Zuber Issa, Founder and co-CEO, EG Group added: “For the past 17 years, we have had a vision of becoming a leading gas station/convenience store operator around the world. This is another exciting international milestone on our growth journey. The Minit Mart acquisition will underpin a more sustainable network, allow us to explore further real estate development prospects and more importantly provide further growth opportunities in the USA for all our colleagues.

"We all look forward to welcoming the talented people at Minit Mart into the EG Group family and will work together to provide customers with an even better retail experience by expanding our convenience store proposition.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.