GoMart

Industry| Retail (Convenience stores)
Founded| 1971 in Gassaway, West Virginia, US
Founders| John D. Heater
Headquarters|

Gassaway, West Virginia

United States

Areas served

| West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky

Key people

* John D. Heater (President, Former CEO)
* Sam Heater (Treasurer)
* Betty J. Heater (Vice-President)
* Paul Gaughan (General manager)

Products|

* coffee
* candy
* prepared foods
* gasoline
* oil products
* dairy
* snacks
* various assortment of beverages

Owner| John D. Heater

Number of employees

| 1,200
Parent| Heater Oil Company
Website| www.gomart.com

GoMart, Inc. is a convenience store chain based in Gassaway, West Virginia. The company currently operates over 100 stores in most of the state of West Virginia, and border areas of Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. All Go-Mart stations are unbranded. Go-Mart is the 53rd-largest convenience store chain in the United States.[1]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 1914–1970s: Precursor
* 1.2 1970s: Founding
* 1.3 1980s–present: Expansion
* 2 References
* 3 External links

## History[edit]

### 1914–1970s: Precursor[edit]

Go-Mart traces its history to 1914 when brothers Fred, Charles and Rod Heater, operating as the Heater Oil Co., began selling axle grease, kerosene and other petroleum products to farms and businesses in central West Virginia, using flat-bottomed boats on the Little Kanawha River.

By the early 1920s the Heater brothers were operating bulk plants along railroad lines, and following the Great Depression and the death of Charles Heater, Fred Heater decided to centralize the business in Gassaway, where it is headquartered today. In the early 1960s, Fred Heater's health was failing and he sold the business to his sons, John, William and James.

### 1970s: Founding[edit]

When self-service gasoline pumps were legalized in West Virginia in 1970, the Heaters built the state's first self-service gas station, in Shinnston, and called it "Go-Tron." Six months later they rebuilt their Gassaway store into their first convenience food and gas store and Manager Karen Sattler named it "Go-Mart" after an employee contest. By 1977, Go-Mart had 16 stores.

### 1980s–present: Expansion[edit]

Originally it used Chevron branding, as Chevron did not do business in the area, although it sourced its gasoline privately. When Chevron moved into the area as a part of the collapse of Gulf Oil (Chevron ultimately withdrew from West Virginia in 2010),[2] it switched to unbranded products, and later converted some stations to Shell. The company now employs approximately 1,200 people and is the state's 41st largest private employer.[3]

## References[edit]

1. ^ 53 Top Convenience Stores GoMart Inc.
2. ^ Abcede, Angel (December 7, 2009). "Eastern Withdrawal for Chevron | CSP Daily News / Magazine | Petroleum – CSP Information Group, Inc. – news for convenience & petroleum retailing". Cspnet.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
3. ^ http://www.csnews.com/csn/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003188288[permanent dead link]

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Go-Mart company profile at Yahoo! Biz

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eastern|

* 108 Shop
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Southern|

* 7-Eleven
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Western|

* 7-Eleven
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* Circle K
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Former|

* ampm
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* Daily Stop
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* v
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Major convenience stores in Europe

Northern|

* 7-Eleven
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* Circle K
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* Costcutter
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* Jones Convenience Stores
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* WHSmith

Southern|

* Couche-Tard
* Mac's
* Minipreço Express
* On the Run
* Provi-Soir
* Spar
* Supercor Exprés

Eastern|

* Billa
* Carrefour Express
* CBA
* Chorten
* Dixy
* Eurocash
* Freshmarket
* Groszek
* Lietuvos Spauda
* Livio
* Magnit
* Piotr i Paweł
* Polomarket
* Pyaterochka
* R-kiosk
* Ruch
* Rosa
* Shop & Go
* Spar
* Społem
* Viva
* Żabka

Western|

* AH To Go
* avec.
* Carrefour City
* Chez Jean
* Coop Pronto
* Daily Monop'
* Franprix
* k kiosk
* Marché Plus
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* Monop'
* On the Run
* Petit Casino
* Proxy Delhaize
* Relay
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Former|

* David Sands
* Jacksons Stores
* Local Plus
* Małpka Express
* Mills
* Morrisons M Local
* Opencor
* Siwa
* Somerfield
* Ugo

* v
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Major convenience stores in North America

Canada|

* 7-Eleven
* Becker's
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* Circle K
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* WHSmith

Honduras|

* Circle K

Mexico|

* 7-Eleven
* Circle K
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* Tiendas

United
States|

* 7-Eleven / Speedway / Stripes
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* Circle K
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* Dari Mart
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* Cumberland Farms
* Kwik Shop
* Loaf 'N Jug
* Minit Mart
* Quik Stop
* Smith's Express
* Tom Thumb
* Turkey Hill Minit Markets
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* Global
* GPM Investments
* Village Pantry
* Go-Mart
* High's Dairy Store
* Jr. Food Mart
* Jr. Food Stores
* Kroger Convenience Stores
* Kum & Go
* Kwik Fill / Red Apple / Country Fair
* Kwik Trip / Kwik Star
* Lawson
* Love's
* MAPCO Express
* Murphy USA
* QuickChek
* On the Go
* Pilot Flying J
* Plaid Pantry
* Quality Dairy Company
* QuikTrip
* RaceTrac / RaceWay
* Road Ranger
* Roady's Truck Stops
* Royal Farms
* Rutter's
* Sheetz
* Stewart's Shops
* Stuckey's
* Thorntons Inc.
* Tom's
* Town Pump
* TravelCenters of America
* United Dairy Farmers
* USA Gasoline
* Wawa
* Weigel's
* WHSmith

Former|

* BP Connect
* CST
* Getty
* Mac's
* Town & Country
* PDQ Food Stores
* Tedeschi
* Tesoro
* Giant
* SuperAmerica
* Uni-Mart
* UtoteM
* White Hen
* Wilco

* v
* t
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Major convenience stores in Oceania

Australia|

* 7-Eleven
* BP Connect
* EzyMart
* Foodary
* IGA Xpress
* NewsLink
* NightOwl Convenience Stores
* Spar Express
* WHSmith

New Zealand|

* BP Connect
* Circle K
* Night 'n Day
* Woolworths @ Gull

* List of convenience stores

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