CEO Interview: Tony El-Nemr and Joe Hamza talk about Nouria’s recent acquisition and future plans

Nouria Energy, the New England family-owned and operated convenience store and fuel retailer, is on a roll. In October, the business, which operates 170 convenience stores, 61 car wash locations, and a wholesale fuel distribution business, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Enmarket, a Southeastern c-store retailer.

“It’s part of our strategy to grow our footprint beyond the Northeast,” states Tony El-Nemr, founder and CEO of the Nouria Energy Corporation. “We are a New England company today, but with this acquisition, we become an East Coast company tomorrow,” he says.

The deal is a significant milestone in Nouria’s 30+ year history, which has seen the company evolve from a single convenience store to one of the industry’s most recognised and respected brands.

The company’s vision has evolved in tandem, as El-Nemr explains.

“Initially, our focus has been on providing excellent customer service and building strong community ties. As we grew, our vision expanded to prioritise innovation and opportunities for our team members and set new standards in convenience and customer experience.

“Today, our vision is about leading the industry through thoughtful growth, operational excellence, and empowering our people while staying true to the values that got us here.”

For Joe Hamza, chief operating officer at Nouria, the company has two key differentiators – agility and a forward-thinking approach – and its strategy is based on those pillars.

He also underscores the importance of operational excellence and Nouria’s prowess in this field – the company won the 2024 CSP Customer Experience Award for its outstanding commitment to customers, for example.

“We emphasise that in everything we do,” he says. “The other thing is our investment in people and our relentless focus on the customer experience. This means consistently innovating, whether through technology, fresh food offerings, store design, or customer amenities, and ensuring that we empower teams with training and the tools they need to deliver exceptional results.

“Regular communication and alignment across leadership allows us to pivot to stay ahead in a very competitive retail landscape,” he says.

Enmarket synergy

The Enmarket acquisition is an excellent strategic fit for Nouria – the company has a strong brand, excellent team, and proven track record in the Southeast, El-Nemr says.

“Strategically, it allows us to bring our values, operational expertise, and innovative offerings, such as our Nouria branded products and fresh food, to a new audience while benefiting from Enmarket’s established presence and community sites,” he says.

Established over 60 years ago, Enmarket is part of the Colonial Group of companies, which decided to divest from convenience marketing and focus on other channels.

“There’s good synergy – it is two strong family businesses getting together. When we got the phone call, we jumped immediately on a plane – – and when we saw those assets, we immediately felt the connection of the two chains. It was like twins separated at birth and reconnected years later,” El-Nemr says.

The Enmarket acquisition comprises 130 stores, 26 car washes, plus a pipeline of new sites – some already under construction and others with permits ready for development. “It’s a very robust, active company,” El-Nemr says.

Geographically, the acquisition aligns perfectly with Nouria’s growth strategy, bridging the company’s stronghold in New England with new opportunities in the Southeast, a region with significant growth.

“That market is exploding,” El-Nemr says. “It aligns with our strategy to expand thoughtfully into markets where we can bring our unique approach to convenience, fresh food, and customer service while learning from Enmarket’s success in its own region,” he says.

El-Nemr says the integration will focus on maintaining the strength of Enmarket while introducing Nouria’s proven systems tools and values.

Nouria plans to work closely with Enmarket’s teams to ensure alignment, starting by listening to their insights and challenges.

“Every integration runs into challenges,” he concedes. “The biggest challenge will be merging two strong cultures, but we see this as an opportunity to create something even better, leveraging the best of both organisations and through cross pollination.”

The Enmarket brand will remain in place for the next two years, but Nouria’s goal is for all company-operated sites to be branded Nouria, whether that’s fuel, backcourt, car washes, food or EV (the company has a big transformation project on many sites to install as many EV charging locations as possible). The aim, states El-Nemr, is to deliver one brand to customers and eliminate confusion.
The wholesale side of the business will not be impacted by the new deal and Nouria will continue to strengthen its strong relationships with Shell, Mobil, Irving, Gulf, Sunoco, Citgo, Valero, Marathon, and will continue its push to grow that division to new heights. The rebranding strategy is only for the company-operated sites, El-Nemr says.

Fresh food and customer experience

Nouria’s brand strategy regarding the Enmarket acquisition will be focused on customer experience, team members and fresh food offers, Hamza says.

Enmarket provides an opportunity to introduce new fresh food offers, while enhancing the retailer’s existing range.

“We are excited to learn from them and incorporate what works well into our broader strategy,” he says.

Store design and experience will remain top priorities and Nouria intends to ensure all locations reflect its own high standards.

In terms of the menu, there will be nuances specific to the demographics in the Southeast region. “We will enhance the menu, improve the quality of the food a bit, and ensure we are delivering offerings at the highest standard possible in those stores. We are extremely excited about that opportunity,” Hamza says.

Future growth

Nouria has ambitious growth targets. In January 2022, the company set out a plan to quadruple the business in 10 years. In January 2025, just three years in, it will be almost halfway to achieving that goal, El-Nemr says. “Maybe I need to raise the bar,” he smiles.

Expansion in the West, and outside of the US, is not ruled out either.

“We will go where the opportunities arise,” El-Nemr says, adding that the business already has an offshore centre that supports operation overseas.

“Well-managed operations can grow as long as you keep your eye on the ball,” he maintains.

“The name of the game is economies of scale in order to compete with the bigger brands,” Hamza adds.

“Consolidation has accelerated, and now we are seeing these massive mega players dominate the market. It is becoming increasingly challenging for smaller retailers to keep up and stay competitive.. Our strategy to expand into the Southeast and establish ourselves as a multi-regional player opens the door to a thriving market with a growing population. There’s a clear unmet demand for quality in the area, and we’re excited to bring a fresh perspective and unique value to our offerings.There is also an opportunity for adding more stores in that market and filling in between New England and the Southeast,” he says.

Fresh food focus and new tech

High standards for fresh foods and store interiors will remain a key focus at Nouria moving forward.

“One thing we have learned over the years is that quality trumps everything else, especially for fresh food,” Hamza says.

“We combine fresh food and thoughtful design of stores to drive foot traffic and build loyalty over time. There’s significant room for innovation with the acquisition and meeting evolving expectations in that market Our differentiation in terms of service and technology will help us grow the business and expand it,” he says.

Nouria’s tech focus is centered firmly on the customer experience and making each trip into the store more efficient and pleasurable, Hamza says.

This includes the ability to order ahead. Hamza reveals Nouria is planning to introduce order at the pump or EV charging point. “Beyond that, there’s home delivery and we see that business rising over time. As people are ordering more and more online, there’s a huge opportunity in that space and especially in that new acquisition, which we are closing on early next year.”

In addition to ordering at the pump or EV charge point, Nouria is trialing ordering for collection at the drive-thru – it has five drive-thru locations, with a sixth one imminent.

According to Hamza, this service is ideal for mothers with children in the car, who can order at the pump, pick up products at the window and leave. “It’s making it as convenient as possible,” he says.

And, while the drive-thru offers a limited menu, ordering ahead enables customers to access the wider Nouria product range in-store.

Strong team focus

Despite growth – the business doubled in size from 2015 – Nouria retains its strong people focus.
“I started this business 35 plus years ago – 35 years ago, today and tomorrow, people are everything,” El-Nemr says. “We believe in empowering our team members with a focus on open communication, training and our champion program,” he says.

Nouria’s champion program aligns front line employees’ talents with the right jobs and was introduced in 2022.

According to Hamza, the Nouria Champion Program aims to give a helping hand to the majority of our young teammates who step into our company at the store level, usually with little to no job know-how.for example. “Our managers are equipped to spot the natural flair or interest these young folks have, be it in areas like food service, merchandising, or guest service, based on their day-to-day actions and behavior. Once our managers pick up on these, they flag these individuals for the program.,” he says.

It’s paying dividends, creating loyalty over time and successful journeys within the company.

Hamza reports that the early results have shown a significant decrease in staff over. “It took us two and half years to get this program up and running. People have to understand it and live it and believe in it – the store managers and DMs etc. – in order to succeed but we are on our way driving and this,” he says.

Future outlook

Nouria’s future looks bright, and its focus is unwavering.

“The biggest lesson is staying true to your core values while embracing change,” El-Nemr says. “That means putting people first, maintaining a sense of community and leading with integrity. Growth is exciting but you have to balance those ambitions with the culture that brought you success in the first place. You should never ever forget where you started from.”

To meet its 10-year growth plan, Nouria anticipates expanding into new regions over the decade and not just the East Coast. The company will also continue to innovate in fresh food and leverage technology to refine convenience, he says.

The champion program and creating a workplace where people are proud to grow their careers will be key features, too.

“We have cultured our company by empowering our people and delivering exceptional customer service and building a legacy for growth, community and innovation,” El-Nemr says. “This acquisition is about bringing together the best of two great companies. Stay tuned for our next adventure.”