Updated: Sunoco moves swiftly after Parkland takeover with major staff changes
Sunoco LP closed its acquisition of Parkland Corporation on Oct. 31, 2025, and it didn’t take long for the Texas‑based fuel distributor to make significant personnel changes.
Several Parkland employees updated their LinkedIn profiles last week to announce their departure and express gratitude for their time at the Calgary-based energy and retail company, without indicating any move to Sunoco.
Others updated their profiles to show Sunoco as their new employer.
The number of Parkland staffers not making the transition to Sunoco were numerous.
They include Derek Weidl, director, loyalty programs; Shawn Mandel, chief digital and data officer; Jennifer Nicol Sylvestre, director of people and culture nextgen; Lyla Garzouzi, senior vice-president, corporate services; regional operations manager Chris Ricciuti; as well as a number of executive support staff.
Weidl said in his LinkedIn post that his last day at Parkland was Nov. 3 “after 11 years of working across M&M Food Market and Journie Rewards brands.”
“It’s been a wild ride of customer‑centric marketing across loyalty, e‑commerce and digital marketing; crossed with food, fuel, convenience, EV and other nooks and crannies,” he wrote. “I am looking forward to resetting and recharging.”
Sunoco and Parkland did not respond to requests for comment.
Industry experts say the reduced headcount indicates Sunoco is moving aggressively to streamline and integrate its new Canadian operations.
“Sometimes when one company buys another, the new combined entity lays off staff that they feel are redundant or are no longer required. The idea is to create cost synergies that help justify and pay for the acquisition,” says Bruce Winder, an analyst and consultant at Bruce Winder Retail. “This may be the case here.”
Sunoco’s acquisition of Parkland, valued at about US$9.1 billion including debt, brings roughly 3,600 to 4,000 retail and commercial fuel and convenience locations under Sunoco’s control, along with Parkland’s Burnaby, B.C., refinery capable of processing about 55,000 barrels per day.
READ: U.S.-based Sunoco signs deal to purchase Parkland Corp.
Canadian brands, including Ultramar, Pioneer, Fas Gas Plus, Esso and On the Run convenience stores, are now part of the Sunoco portfolio.
Shareholders approved the deal on June 24, and Parkland’s shares were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange on November 4.
Winder says we may see “the U.S. operation take the lead on strategy and overall management,” with what remains of the Canadian entity serving as “more of an operational division.”
“It is too early to tell though, but I would not be surprised if this transpires,” Winder tells CSNC.
Matthew Mendelsohn, CEO of Social Capital Partners, a nonprofit that studies public policy, says he is not surprised by the Parkland layoffs and last month expressed disappointment that Canada approved Sunoco’s purchase of the company.
“This will mean some of our energy infrastructure and retail gas distribution network in much of western Canada are controlled by a U.S. company chaired by a Trump loyalist,” he wrote on LinkedIn, referring to Ray Washburne.
While foreign investment can be beneficial, Mendelsohn says, “a lot of mergers or acquisitions end up taking head-office jobs, research jobs and IP out of Canada. It undermines our long-term quality of jobs, productivity, economic growth, and wealth.”
Canada acknowledged these risks in March, updating the Investment Canada Act to assess “economic security” in foreign investments, including whether they could disrupt supply chains, weaken innovation, or compromise economic sovereignty.
READ: Parkland-Sunoco deal receives Investment Canada Act approval
“But in terms of actually saying no to acquisitions,” Mendelsohn tells CSNC, “the government hasn’t been doing that. The government almost never says no to foreign takeovers—even with all the ‘elbows-up, sovereignty-to-be-in-control-of-our-destiny’ rhetoric.”
Observers will also be keeping a close eye on how Sunoco manages the brands it inherited, including M&M Food Market, which Parkland acquired in early 2022, as well as partnerships with other brands. This includes Triple O’s, whose restaurants are in c‑store and fuel‑site locations across Western Canada and some sites in Ontario.
Winder believes Sunoco may either maintain the various Canadian brands in Canada or harmonize them across both Canada and the U.S.
READ: Parkland, Sunoco clear key U.S. regulatory hurdle for acquisition
“At some point in the near future, Sunoco will review all existing agreements and partnerships to determine whether to renew or exit them,” he says. “They will carry out a brand rationalization and develop a new go‑forward branding strategy for North America.”
Either way, Winder says, this is a major shake‑up for the Canadian c‑store and fuel retail market. It could turn Parkland—which activist investor Engine Capital had criticized over the years for its “chronic underperformance” —into a more competitive fuel and convenience retailer.
“It has the potential to shake up the market to some degree, as Parkland was a significant distributor and retailer,” he notes. “It now has more scale, a potentially lower cost structure and the resources of Sunoco behind it.”
During its Q3 earnings call, Sunoco said it will release full 2026 guidance early next year and expressed confidence that the Parkland acquisition will deliver a double-digit boost to earnings.
