Who Owns Fas Mart?

Fas Mart was founded in 1974 in Mechanicsville, Virginia, just north of Richmond, by Frank B. Bradley III. It began as a small gas station with a pay booth and grew into one of Virginia's leading convenience store chains through the 1980s and 1990s, pioneering features such as in-store banking and a proprietary food program.

In the mid-1990s, Southern Retailers, operator of the 22-store Southern Express chain founded by Owais Dagra, acquired the larger 42-store Fas Mart chain and converted all stores to the Fas Mart name. The combined company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001, citing surging fuel costs.

In 2003, the chain was purchased out of bankruptcy by GPM Investments, a group of investors including current ARKO chairman Arie Kotler. The acquisition, roughly 170 Fas Mart and Shore Stop locations, formed the foundation of GPM's retail business. Through two decades of acquisitions, GPM folded chains such as Road Ranger, Village Pantry, and E-Z Mart into the portfolio, rebranding many acquired stores to Fas Mart. In 2024 and 2025, ARKO began rolling out the fas craves foodservice concept, with the first fas craves new-to-industry stores opening in early 2026.