Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. confirms that it has closed its acquisition of Convenience Retail Asia (BVI) Limited. The transaction, which was originally announced on November 4, 2020, was approved by the shareholders of Circle K HK’s parent company and all customary closing conditions, as specified in the purchase agreement, have been completed.
Circle K HK operates a network of Circle K-licensed convenience stores, with 340 company-operated sites in Hong Kong and 33 franchised sites in Macau. This acquisition represents a significant milestone for Couche–Tard as it provides the Company with a platform in Asia from which to launch its regional growth ambitions.
Brian Hannasch, President and CEO of Couche-Tard, said: “Circle K Hong Kong is one of the best convenience store operators in Asia and will be an excellent fit within our company. We are pleased to have completed this transaction rapidly and are excited to work with our new teams to advance our growth strategy in the region.”
About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
Couche-Tard is the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry. In the United States, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores. In Europe, Couche-Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as in Ireland, and has an important presence in Poland.
As of October 11, 2020, Couche-Tard’s network comprised 9,261 convenience stores throughout North America, including 8,085 stores with road transportation fuel dispensing. Its North American network consists of 18 business units, including 14 in the United States covering 47 states and 4 in Canada covering all 10 provinces. Approximately 109,000 people are employed throughout its network and at its service offices in North America.
In Europe, Couche-Tard operates a broad retail network across Scandinavia, Ireland, Poland, the Baltics and Russia through 10 business units. As of October 11, 2020, Couche-Tard’s network comprised 2,722 stores, the majority of which offer road transportation fuel and convenience products while the others are unmanned automated fuel stations which only offer road transportation fuel. Couche-Tard also offers other products, including aviation fuel and energy for stationary engines. Including employees at branded franchise stores, approximately 22,000 people work in its retail network, terminals and service offices across Europe.
In addition, under licensing agreements, more than 2,220 stores were operated under the Circle K banner in 15 other countries and territories (Cambodia, Egypt, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Macau, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam), which brings the worldwide total network to more than 14,200 stores.
For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or to consult its quarterly Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit: https://corpo.couche-tard.com.
