Store purchase should pump up sales.

• Position: TRIANGLE

The Pantry, a Sanford-based owner and operator of 1,506 convenience stores in the Southeast, agreed to buy 66 from Charlotte-based Petro Express for an undisclosed sum. Fifty-five of the Petro Express stores are in North Carolina, and the rest are in South Carolina. Together, they grossed $629 million in the 12 months ended in October, more than 10% of The Pantry's total in its latest fiscal year. Executives say The...