COLUMBIA, Mo. — MFA Oil Co., through its MFA Petroleum Co. (MPC) business unit, acquired 13 Big O Tires stores in the Kansas City, Mo. metro area that were operated by Big O Tires franchisor TBC Corp.
The acquisition expands MFA Oil’s Big O network of stores to 35 in a tri-state area: Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. Eight of the acquired stores are in Missouri and five in Kansas.
“This is a major expansion for our company,” said Charlie Alexander, senior director of Big O Tires for MPC.
“It strengthens our current presence and helps us build the Big O Tires brand throughout the Kansas City area. We are excited to serve the KC market.”
Terms of the deal, which makes MFA the second largest Big O Tires franchisee nationwide, were not disclosed. Leeds West Groups operates 39 Big O’s franchise.
The originally acquired outlets were national tire and battery retail outlets sold by TBC in 2017 to West Coast Big O Tires franchisee Mark Rhee, who planned to convert them into Big O Tires stores.
Rhee sold the more than 40 NTB properties it acquired in 2017, including those in the Kansas City area, to TBC in March 2020.
MFA did not disclose whether the acquired outlets are on leased properties or if TBC owned any outright.
MFA/MPC — finalist in tire trade’ 2022 Best jobs Survey — was a franchisee of Big O Tires since 1998, originally in a 50/50 partnership with TBC. MFA bought out TBC’s stake in 2015.
Agreement will make MFA/MPC one of the largest tire retailers in the Kansas City area, competing with Bridgestone Retail (more than 20 Firestone Complete Auto Care and 10 Tires Plus stores); Discount Tire (10 stores); Telle Tire/KC Complete Auto Service (five stores); and Goodyear Auto Service (five stores).
Based in Colombia MFA oil is a farmer-owned cooperative that supplies fuel, lubricants and propane to its more than 40,000 member customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
The deal comes on the heels of TBC’s recent announcement which it expects to open 10 Big O-branded stores in the first quarter as it moves forward with plans to bring the franchise program nationwide.
