Gate Petroleum Co. will close the store in front of its headquarters April 19 and begin clearing the site for development of a new, larger store there.
Spokeswoman Misty Skipper said the new store will be built this fall. She did not have a more specific date.
Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum wants to demolish the 5,052-square-foot store at 9540 San Jose Blvd. and build a 6,400-square-foot location with more gas pumps.
It will be the model used for new Gate stores in development in Nocatee and elsewhere. It will include the Gate Fresh Kitchen and other features.
The existing store was built in 2000.
Dollar Express workers face layoffs
Dollar Express submitted 10 Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification notices to the state April 4 that it will lay off 125 employees June 30 at 17 stores in Florida, including two in Jacksonville
Charlotte, N.C.-based Dollar Express said 20 employees would be laid off at 8625 Old Kings Road S. and 3801 University Blvd. W. Those are operating as Family Dollar stores.
The Charlotte Observer reported April 3 that 2,700 full- and part-time Dollar Express employees across the country could lose their jobs resulting from the company being bought by Dollar General.
Dollar Express operates 323 discount stores in 26 states, a chain of former Family Dollar stores owned since late 2015 by private equity firm Sycamore Partners.
InvestorPlace.com reported April 6 that Dollar General Corp. announced it would buy all the Dollar Express stores.
Dollar Express was created in late 2015 through a merger deal between Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.
The Consumerist site explained that Dollar Tree and Dollar General competed to buy Family Dollar last year. Dollar Tree prevailed, but to satisfy Federal Trade Commission requirements, needed to sell off more than 300 stores, which it did to Sycamore Partners.
InvestorPlace.com said it was not known when the Dollar General acquisition of Dollar Express will close and that Dollar General has not said what it plans to do with the Dollar Express locations once it acquires them.
The site said employees of the retail chain have reportedly been told that their last day of employment under Dollar Express will be June 2. Employees also are saying that Dollar General is planning to rebrand all Dollar Express stores under its own name.
Foundation for Greyhound OK’d for construction
The city approved the permit Tuesday for the foundation of the new Greyhound Bus Lines terminal Downtown at 1111 W. Forsyth St.
Balfour Beatty Construction will build the project at a job cost of $8 million.
Plans show an enclosed 9,661-square-foot intercity bus terminal with canopies. When it opens early next year, the Greyhound facility will relocate its operations from Bay and Pearl streets.
The Greyhound terminal is the first phase of the $33 million Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Regional Transportation Center.
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