COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 44711

Gasoline Stations with Convenience Store

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

37companies1863–2001founding years37still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedCo-operative Group (CWS) Ltd.
1863
FoundedWatts of Lydney Group Ltd.
1880
FoundedCoop Schweiz Genossenschaftsverband
1890
FoundedHale-Halsell Company
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedH.E. Butt Grocery Company
1905
FoundedLookers plc
1908
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedTotal Fina Elf S.A.
1924
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedMinyard Food Stores, Inc.
1932
FoundedIpiranga S.A.
1933
FoundedArriva PLC
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedMurphy Oil Corporation
1950
FoundedENI S.p.A.
1953
FoundedCoborn's, Inc.
1957
FoundedQuikTrip Corporation
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedTesoro Petroleum Corporation
1964
FoundedUny Co., Ltd.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedValero Energy Corporation
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedHo-Chunk Inc.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd. →
Active · founded 1863 · United Kingdom
Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd.
Atlantic Richfield Company →
Active · founded 1870
Atlantic Richfield Company, better known as ARCO, is the seventh-largest U.S.
Watts of Lydney Group Ltd. →
Active · founded 1880 · United Kingdom
Watts of Lydney Group Ltd.
Exxon Mobil Corporation →
Active · founded 1882
Exxon Mobil Corporation is the second largest integrated oil company in the world, trailing only BP p.l.c.
Coop Schweiz Genossenschaftsverband →
Active · founded 1890 · Switzerland
Coop Schweiz Genossenschaftsverband is Switzerland's second-largest food products retailer, behind fellow cooperative…
Nippon Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1893 · Japan
Nippon Oil Corporation is Japan's largest importer and distributor of petroleum products, controlling about 25 percent…
Hale-Halsell Company →
Active · founded 1901
The Hale-Halsell Company has grown from its modest roots as a food supplier to settlers in newly opened Indian…
The Kroger Co. →
Active · founded 1902
Among companies that principally operate grocery stores, The Kroger Co.
H.E. Butt Grocery Company →
Active · founded 1905
H.E.
ChevronTexaco Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
ChevronTexaco Corporation is the creation of the 2001 merger of California-based Chevron Corporation, one of the many…
Lookers plc →
Active · founded 1908 · United Kingdom
Lookers plc is one of the United Kingdom's top five new and used car dealers.
Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation (UDS), based in San Antonio, Texas, is the second largest independent oil…
Total Fina Elf S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
1954/55:Trademark "Total" is created and registered.
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Canada
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of the leading retailers in Canada.
Minyard Food Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
Minyard Food Stores, Inc.
Tesco plc →
Active · founded 1932 · United Kingdom
Late 1970s:As part of an extensive reorganization program, Tesco closes 500 stores.
Ipiranga S.A. →
Active · founded 1933 · Brazil
One of Brazil's largest privately held companies, Ipiranga S.A.
Empresas Copec S.A. →
Active · founded 1934 · Chile
Empresas Copec S.A.
Arriva PLC →
Active · founded 1938 · United Kingdom
Arriva PLC is one of Europe's leading and fastest-growing publicly traded transportation companies.
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
c.
Murphy Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1950
Murphy Oil Corporation is one of the smallest of the U.S.-based integrated oil companies.
Aral AG →
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Aral AG, under the parentage of Deutsche BP AG, is Germany's largest operator of gas stations.
ENI S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1953 · Italy
ENI S.p.A., the former Italian state-owned Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi, is one of the world's top ten oil and natural…
The Coastal Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
The Coastal Corporation, based in Houston with operations in several energy markets, is a Fortune 500 energy company…
Coborn's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Coborn's, Inc.
Pilot Corporation →
Active · founded 1958
Pilot Corporation is one of the largest independent retailers of over-the-road diesel fuel, as well as one of the top…
QuikTrip Corporation →
Active · founded 1958
QuikTrip Corporation operates more than 325 convenience stores in Tulsa, St.
7-Eleven, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
7-Eleven, Inc.--known as The Southland Corporation until April 1999--is the world's largest operator, franchisor, and…
Tesoro Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1964
Tesoro Petroleum Corporation is an independent energy company principally involved in refining, distributing, and…
Giant Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Early 1980s:Competition from the oil majors forces Acridge to close all his stations in the Phoenix metro area and to…
Uny Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1971 · Japan
Early 20th century:[fs54]Choju Nishikawaya opens a footwear store in Nudge, the largest city in Chubu.
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc.
Valero Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
Valero Energy Corporation is the leading independent oil refiner in the United States.
MOL Rt →
Active · founded 1992 · Hungary
Hungary's largest company, MOL Rt (formerly MOL Magyar Olaj- es Gazipari Rt) is also the leading integrated oil company…
Ho-Chunk Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
Ho-Chunk Inc.
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
ConocoPhillips →
Active · founded 2001
ConocoPhillips is the third largest U.S.
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