Applegreen’s US arm has bought seven forecourt sites with S-Mart branded convenience stores in South Carolina, and a wholesale fuels distribution business, from Carolina Convenience Corporation.

The S-Mart stores offer BP- and Exxon-branded fuel as well as a full array of convenience merchandise, and one of the stores is co-branded with a Hardee’s restaurant. Carolina Convenience Corporation will continue to operate the Hardee’s business.

The wholesale business supplied BP, ExxonMobil, and Sunoco fuel to numerous dealers, primarily in the Columbia market with a handful of dealers in eastern South Carolina. It also supplied unbranded motor fuel to a few dealers.

As part of the transaction, Applegreen retained the convenience store employees at the acquired stores.

Last year Applegreen bought 34 sites in South Carolina with the acquisition of Brandi Group, and it has agreed a deal to lease a network of 43 petrol filling station sites in Florida from CrossAmerica Partners (CAP), which is expected to complete, subject to a number of conditions, in the third quarter of this year.

Earlier this month it agreed a £320m deal in the UK to take over the motorway services operator Welcome Break.