Who We Are

The Alimentation Couche-Tard story starts with the opening of a first convenience store by Alain Bouchard in Laval, Québec. Over the next two decades, Alimentation Couche-Tard will never cease to grow, both organically and through acquisitions, and becomes the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry and a major player in the sector in North America.

Alimentation Couche-Tard makes its first breakthrough in the United States in 2001, with the acquisition of 225 Bigfoot stores from the Johnson Oil Company Inc., all located in the Midwest. With a solid management team, one of the best profitability track records in the U.S. convenience retailing industry, and strong growth potential in a booming, highly fragmented market, Bigfoot is a perfect fit for Alimentation Couche-Tard.

In 2003, Alimentation Couche-Tard acquires the Circle K Corporation from ConocoPhillips Company. This transaction significantly grows the Alimentation Couche-Tard network, with the addition of 1,663 Circle K corporate stores located in 16 states and another 627 stores with a franchising or licensing relationship in the U.S. and worldwide.

In 2012, the acquisition of Statoil Fuel & Retail, a leading Scandinavian road transportation fuel and convenience retailer, marks Alimentation Couche-Tard’s entry into Europe. Statoil Fuel & Retail operates a broad retail network across Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark), Poland, the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Russia. It has approximately 2,300 stores, the majority of which offer fuel and convenience products while the others are automated (fuel only) stations.

Alimentation Couche-Tard announces the creation of a new, global convenience brand: Circle K. Over time, the Circle K brand will progressively replace the company’s other brands (Mac’s, Statoil, Kangaroo Express, Topaz, CST), except for Couche-Tard which remains the flagship brand in the Province of Québec. Operating under a single global brand has many advantages, from an enhanced customer recognition and a stronger internal culture to the creation of operational efficiencies and best practice sharing across the network.

In 2015, Alimentation Couche-Tard acquires The Pantry Inc., a leading convenience store operator in the southeastern United States and one of the largest independently operated convenience store chains in the United States. The Pantry operates approximately 1,500 stores in 13 states under select banners, including Kangaroo Express, its primary operating banner. The Pantry’s stores offer a broad selection of merchandise, as well as fuel and other services.

In 2016, Alimentation Couche-Tard enters the Irish market with the acquisition of Topaz Energy Group Ltd., the leading convenience and fuel retailer in Ireland. The Topaz network is made up of 444 stations across the island of Ireland, more than 30 depots and two owned terminals.

Alimentation Couche-Tard is always looking for growth opportunities in the Canadian market. In 2016, the company acquires 279 Esso-branded fuel and convenience sites in Ontario and Québec from Imperial Oil Retail. The majority of these sites (229) are located in Ontario, mostly in the Greater Toronto Area. The Québec sites (50) are located in the Greater Montréal Area. The agreement also includes 13 land banks and 2 dealer sites, as well as a long-term supply agreement for Esso-branded fuel.

Two major acquisitions, both in the United States, occur in 2017. With the acquisition of Holiday Stationstores, Inc., Alimentation Couche-Tard consolidates its stronghold in the Midwest region. The Holiday network includes 522 company-operated and franchise locations in 10 U.S. states, two food commissaries, and a fuel terminal. Meanwhile, the acquisition of CST Brands from the Parkland Fuel Corporation significantly adds to Alimentation Couche-Tard’s store network in the United States and Canada, with close to 1,300 stores, including 666 locations in Texas.

In late 2020, Alimentation Couche-Tard achieves a significant milestone in its growth strategy with the acquisition of Circle K franchise stores in Hong Kong and Macau from Convenience Retail Asia (BVI). This adds 341 corporate stores in Hong Kong and 32 franchised sites in Macau to the global network. More importantly, it provides Alimentation Couche-Tard with its long-sought-after platform in Asia from which to launch its regional growth ambitions.