Alimentation Couche-Tard
Encyclopedia
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or simply Couche-Tard is one of the largest company-owned convenience store
operators in the world with up to 6,000 stores across Canada
, the United States
, Mexico
, Japan
, China
, Indonesia
and Guam
.
The company operates its corporate stores under mainly Couche-Tard, Mac's
, Circle K
, On the Run
and also under the affiliated brands 7-jours, Dairy Mart, Daisy Mart and Winks.
The flagship Couche-Tard and Mac's stores, as well as some older Winks outlets, prominently feature a distinctive anthropomorphic red, winking owl. This mascot of a "night owl" (couche-tard in French) was inherited from the Provi-Soir/Winks chain when it was absorbed.
There are 581 corporate stores in Quebec
under the names "Couche-Tard" and "Dépanneur 7 jours", as well as 298 affiliated stores such as "Tabatou". In Ontario
, there are 605 corporate stores and 214 affiliated stores, and in Western Canada, 295 corporate stores and 71 affiliates operated under the names "Mac's
", "Mike's Mart", "Becker's
", "Daisy Mart" and "Winks".
The chain's current status in Quebec is the result of the consolidation of several major convenience store chains in the province during the 1990s. In 1994, Couche-Tard, already a significant convenience-store operator in Quebec, acquired the La Maisonnée and Perrette chains, as well as Mac's stores in Quebec. The combined chain was subsequently rebranded "Dépan-Escompte Couche-Tard". To better reflect the new Depan-Escompte Couche-Tard trademark, a piggy bank
mascot
was introduced and replaced the previous Couche-Tard sleepwalker
mascot from the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, the chain added the Provi-Soir chain previously owned by Provigo
and maintained it as a distinct division. In 1998, Dépan-Escompte Couche-Tard and Provi-Soir stores merged to create the chain in its current form; reverting to the old Couche-Tard name (without "Dépan-Escompte"), but adopting the owl
mascot of Provi-Soir.
Similarly, Silcorp had consolidated several of the largest Ontario convenience-store chains, such as Mac's and Becker's, under its ownership before being itself acquired by Couche-Tard, which had previously acquired Winks as part of its purchase of Provi-Soir, in 1999. As in Quebec, other corporate banners such as Becker's and Mike's Mart are slowly being phased out in favour of the dominant Mac's brand, although new franchised stores are still being opened under the Winks and Daisy Mart brands.
After making some tentative moves in the U.S. under the Mac's brand in the early 2000s, Couche-Tard acquired the Circle K
chain from ConocoPhillips
in 2003, promptly rebranding its existing U.S. locations to the better-known Circle K moniker. The Circle K brand is also franchised in Asia
and elsewhere. Couche-Tard has held the master franchise for Dunkin' Donuts
in Quebec since August 2003, but agreed in August 2008 to terminate this franchise within 12 to 18 months.
Many Couche-Tard locations are gas stations co-branded with Irving Oil
. The first stage of this partnership began in 2001 in Quebec
. Both companies contributed locations to the partnership: some had convenience stores that previously operated under Irving's "Marché Mainway" banner, while others previously sold fuel under the Couche-Tard brand. All these locations now have Couche-Tard convenience stores and Irving-branded fuel.
The partnership expanded in 2008, as Irving leased its remaining Bluecanoe and Mainway convenience stores to Couche-Tard, expanding the latter chain's reach into Atlantic Canada
and New England
under the Circle K
brand. Irving continues to own the buildings and property, and supplies Irving-branded fuel to these stations.
On the Run
stores are owned or franchised by Alimentation Couche-Tard under an agreement announced April 29, 2009. This also includes 43 ExxonMobil stations in the Phoenix, Arizona
market, all of which have been rebranded to Circle K.
for control. Casey's rejected Couche-Tard's offer and was successful in September 2010 in retaining its board of directors vs. Couche-Tard's nominated slate.
Monee, IL - Gas City Station No. 40, 25515 South US Route 45 for $1,250,000
Orland Hills, IL - 9390 W. 171st St. for $650,000
Orland Hills, IL - 16707 LaGrange Road, for $1,650,000
Palos Park, IL 13059 LaGrange Road, for $2,843,540
Sierra Vista, AZ - Gas City Store No. 622, 2275 Buffalo Soldier Trail for $470,000
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
operators in the world with up to 6,000 stores across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
The company operates its corporate stores under mainly Couche-Tard, Mac's
Mac's Convenience Stores
Mac's Convenience Stores, Inc. is a chain of convenience stores in Canada. The Company is divided into three geographic business units: Eastern Canada, Central Canada and Western Canada. It has been owned and operated by Alimentation Couche-Tard since 1999....
, Circle K
Circle K
Circle K is an international chain of convenience stores, founded in 1951, in El Paso, Texas, United States. It is owned and operated by the Canadian-based Alimentation Couche-Tard.-Overview:...
, On the Run
On the Run (convenience store)
thumb|350px|An Esso-branded service station, with On the Run convenience store, in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. This location, owned by [[Imperial Oil]], includes a [[Tim Hortons]] drive-thru and an [[Royal Bank of Canada|RBC]] bank machine....
and also under the affiliated brands 7-jours, Dairy Mart, Daisy Mart and Winks.
The flagship Couche-Tard and Mac's stores, as well as some older Winks outlets, prominently feature a distinctive anthropomorphic red, winking owl. This mascot of a "night owl" (couche-tard in French) was inherited from the Provi-Soir/Winks chain when it was absorbed.
Overview
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
under the names "Couche-Tard" and "Dépanneur 7 jours", as well as 298 affiliated stores such as "Tabatou". In Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, there are 605 corporate stores and 214 affiliated stores, and in Western Canada, 295 corporate stores and 71 affiliates operated under the names "Mac's
Mac's Convenience Stores
Mac's Convenience Stores, Inc. is a chain of convenience stores in Canada. The Company is divided into three geographic business units: Eastern Canada, Central Canada and Western Canada. It has been owned and operated by Alimentation Couche-Tard since 1999....
", "Mike's Mart", "Becker's
Becker's
Becker Milk Co. Ltd. is a real estate investment company, best known for its former dairy and conveniece store businesses. Becker Milk Company was founded in 1957 in Toronto.-Convenience Stores:...
", "Daisy Mart" and "Winks".
The chain's current status in Quebec is the result of the consolidation of several major convenience store chains in the province during the 1990s. In 1994, Couche-Tard, already a significant convenience-store operator in Quebec, acquired the La Maisonnée and Perrette chains, as well as Mac's stores in Quebec. The combined chain was subsequently rebranded "Dépan-Escompte Couche-Tard". To better reflect the new Depan-Escompte Couche-Tard trademark, a piggy bank
Piggy bank
Piggy bank is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used...
mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
was introduced and replaced the previous Couche-Tard sleepwalker
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness...
mascot from the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, the chain added the Provi-Soir chain previously owned by Provigo
Provigo
Provigo is a grocery retailer based in Quebec, Canada, consisting of over 300 stores and franchises throughout the province. A majority of the stores are located in the Montreal area. It is owned by Loblaw Companies Limited. Provigo is similar to Ontario's Your Independent Grocer/Zehrs banners, as...
and maintained it as a distinct division. In 1998, Dépan-Escompte Couche-Tard and Provi-Soir stores merged to create the chain in its current form; reverting to the old Couche-Tard name (without "Dépan-Escompte"), but adopting the owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
mascot of Provi-Soir.
Similarly, Silcorp had consolidated several of the largest Ontario convenience-store chains, such as Mac's and Becker's, under its ownership before being itself acquired by Couche-Tard, which had previously acquired Winks as part of its purchase of Provi-Soir, in 1999. As in Quebec, other corporate banners such as Becker's and Mike's Mart are slowly being phased out in favour of the dominant Mac's brand, although new franchised stores are still being opened under the Winks and Daisy Mart brands.
After making some tentative moves in the U.S. under the Mac's brand in the early 2000s, Couche-Tard acquired the Circle K
Circle K
Circle K is an international chain of convenience stores, founded in 1951, in El Paso, Texas, United States. It is owned and operated by the Canadian-based Alimentation Couche-Tard.-Overview:...
chain from ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
in 2003, promptly rebranding its existing U.S. locations to the better-known Circle K moniker. The Circle K brand is also franchised in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and elsewhere. Couche-Tard has held the master franchise for Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
in Quebec since August 2003, but agreed in August 2008 to terminate this franchise within 12 to 18 months.
Irving Oil stores
Irving Oil
Irving Oil is a gasoline, oil, and natural gas producing and exporting company. It is also one of the few energy companies in Canada to publicly support the Kyoto Accord. Irving Oil operates one large oil refinery...
. The first stage of this partnership began in 2001 in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Both companies contributed locations to the partnership: some had convenience stores that previously operated under Irving's "Marché Mainway" banner, while others previously sold fuel under the Couche-Tard brand. All these locations now have Couche-Tard convenience stores and Irving-branded fuel.
The partnership expanded in 2008, as Irving leased its remaining Bluecanoe and Mainway convenience stores to Couche-Tard, expanding the latter chain's reach into Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
under the Circle K
Circle K
Circle K is an international chain of convenience stores, founded in 1951, in El Paso, Texas, United States. It is owned and operated by the Canadian-based Alimentation Couche-Tard.-Overview:...
brand. Irving continues to own the buildings and property, and supplies Irving-branded fuel to these stations.
On the Run stores
In the United States, approximately 470 ExxonMobilExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
On the Run
On the Run (convenience store)
thumb|350px|An Esso-branded service station, with On the Run convenience store, in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. This location, owned by [[Imperial Oil]], includes a [[Tim Hortons]] drive-thru and an [[Royal Bank of Canada|RBC]] bank machine....
stores are owned or franchised by Alimentation Couche-Tard under an agreement announced April 29, 2009. This also includes 43 ExxonMobil stations in the Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
market, all of which have been rebranded to Circle K.
Casey's General Stores
In March 2010, Couche-Tard offered $1.9 billion for control of the Iowa-based chain, and later announced a proxy fightProxy fight
A proxy fight or proxy battle is an event that may occur when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the corporate governance, often focusing on directorial and management positions. Corporate activists may attempt to persuade shareholders to use their proxy votes A proxy...
for control. Casey's rejected Couche-Tard's offer and was successful in September 2010 in retaining its board of directors vs. Couche-Tard's nominated slate.
Gas City purchases
In April 2011, Couche-Tard purchased the following properties from bankrupt Gas City, Ltd. (Frankfort, IL):Monee, IL - Gas City Station No. 40, 25515 South US Route 45 for $1,250,000
Orland Hills, IL - 9390 W. 171st St. for $650,000
Orland Hills, IL - 16707 LaGrange Road, for $1,650,000
Palos Park, IL 13059 LaGrange Road, for $2,843,540
Sierra Vista, AZ - Gas City Store No. 622, 2275 Buffalo Soldier Trail for $470,000