Alimentation Couche-Tard

THE 2019 POWER 25 HQ: LAVAL, QUEBEC STORE COUNT: 8,389

With roots north of the border in Canada, Alimentation Couche-Tard is the largest convenience-store operator in that country and has been vying for the No. 1 ranking in WGB sister brand CSP’s annual count of U.S. c-stores for some time. Its North American network of Circle K stores consists of 15 business units, including 11 in the United States covering 48 states and the District of Columbia, and four in Canada covering all provinces (under the Mac’s and Couche-Tard flags). The publicly traded company also has a franchise division that oversees international units. In June 2018, the chain began rebranding about 400 Corner Stores to Circle K as part of a global brand initiative it started in 2016. That Corner Stores acquisition came in 2016, when the chain negotiated the purchase of CST Brands Inc. Circle K stores offer a wide variety of branded, proprietary and private-label items, as well as a recently revamped coffee program and its well-known Polar Pop fountain brand. The company in February also announced that it would partner with another Canadian company to open a recreational cannabis store in Ontario.