fbpx
Wikipedia

Circle K

January 01, 1970

This article is about the convenience store and gas station chain. For the service organization, see Circle K International. For the kosher food markings symbol, see OK Kosher Certification. For other uses, see Circle-k (disambiguation).

Circle K Stores, Inc. is an American chain of convenience stores that is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc., based in Laval, Quebec, Canada.[7] Founded in 1951 in El Paso, Texas, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1990 and went through several owners, before being acquired by Alimentation Couche-Tard in 2003.[2][1] As of February 2020, Circle K has 9,799 stores in North America, 2,697 stores in Europe, and an additional 2,380 stores operating under franchise agreements worldwide.[1]

Circle K Stores, Inc.
A Circle K store in Fort Worth, Texas
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail (convenience stores)
FoundedEl Paso, Texas, U.S. (1951; 73 years ago (1951))
FounderFred Hervey
Headquarters
Tempe, Arizona, U.S.
Number of locations
15,000+
Area served
Several countries
Number of employees
40,000+
ParentAlimentation Couche-Tard, Inc.
Websitecirclek.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3][4][5][6]

In 2015, Circle K unveiled a new logo and brand identity, and Couche-Tard announced that it would deploy the brand globally, including English-speaking Canada (rebranding from the Mac's brand), Europe (rebranding from the Statoil brand), and the United States (rebranding from the Kangaroo Express brand and updating the existing Circle K brand).[1][3]

Overview edit

Since the 1980s, Circle K has been the largest chain of company-owned and operated (non-franchised) convenience stores in the United States.[1][8] With 7,230 stores overall in the United States, Circle K is second to 7-ELEVEN's 9,348 stores (as of July 2019).[9] As of February 2020, there are more than 14,800 stores with the Circle K brand worldwide.[1][10]

Within the United States, Circle K owns and operates stores in 48 states (the two states without being Nebraska and Utah),[1][10] with the largest concentration of stores found in Louisiana.[11] Fuel is sold under various brands, with the Circle K and Shell brands as the most common. Other brands of fuel sold at Circle K stores include Valero, BP, Exxon, Marathon, Irving, Mobil, Esso and Phillips 66. Approximately 13% of stores worldwide do not sell fuel.[1]

Circle K operates stores in the United States, Canada, Europe (the Nordics, Baltics, Poland, Russia, & Ireland), and Hong Kong, and has franchises in Mexico (it partners with the Mexican stores "Tiendas Extra" created by Modelo Group), Cambodia, China, Egypt, Guam, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Macau, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.[1][10] In Hong Kong and Macau, the stores are called OK in reference to the circle around the K. Circle K Hong Kong was founded in 1985 by Li & Fung Retailing (later Fung Retailing) as licensee of the name,[12] but sold back to Couche-Tard in 2020.[13][14] Circle K had 387 franchised locations throughout Hong Kong as of May 2020.[12][15]

 
A Circle K located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

The Circle K brand entered the Canadian market in 2008, in connection with Couche-Tard's acquisition of Irving Oil's convenience store network.[16][17] By 2019, more than 800 Mac's branded stores had been rebranded to Circle K throughout central and western Canada.[18][3]

 
The world's most northern fuel station, in Longyearbyen, Norway

In September 2015, Couche-Tard announced that Circle K would become the worldwide brand of all of its convenience stores, replacing Mac's, Kangaroo Express, Statoil, and Holiday Stationstores brands (except the Couche-Tard brand in Quebec and the INGO brand in Europe).[3][10] This global rebrand included the introduction of a new logo incorporating elements of its existing brands, improvements to its product offerings and technology, and investing in store-level improvements aimed at improving the customer experience.[10][3] The rebranding occurred over the following five years and as of March 2020, all of Europe and 85% of North America had been updated with the Circle K brand and logo.[10]

History edit

 
The former Circle K logo. It can still be seen in New England, Canada, Hong Kong and Macau

Entrepreneur Fred Hervey purchased three Kay's Food Stores in El Paso, Texas, in 1951.[19] Hervey renamed the stores as "Circle K Food Stores, Inc." rather than "Kay." He grew the Circle K chain into neighboring New Mexico and Arizona, which has been the company's home base since 1957. (Hervey would go on to serve two terms as mayor of El Paso.)

By 1975, there were 1,000 Circle K stores across the U.S. In 1979, Circle K first expanded its reach into foreign markets via a licensing agreement which established the first Circle K stores in Japan by UNY.[19] Until 2018, Circle K stores in Japan were run by the FamilyMart Company, that was named Circle K Sunkus Company until 2016[20] and was named Circle K Japan Company until 2004, which licensed the Circle K brand from Alimentation Couche-Tard. In 2018,[21] all Circle K stores in Japan were converted to FamilyMart stores. In 1983, the number of stores increased to 2,180 with the purchase of the 960-store UtoteM chain in the western and southern United States.[22]

Karl Eller, a prominent Phoenix, Arizona businessman, served as the company's CEO from 1983 to 1990. During that time, Eller built Circle K into the second largest convenience store operation and the largest publicly owned convenience store chain in the U.S. with 4,631 stores in 32 states and an additional 1,300 or so licensed or joint venture stores in 13 foreign countries. Under Eller's leadership, the company grew from annual sales of $747 million ($2.29 billion in 2023 dollars[23]) to over $3 billion ($7 billion in 2023 dollars[23]).

In 1988, the company sent a letter to its over 8,000 employees announcing that it will cut off the medical coverage of those who become sick or injured as a result of AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse or self-inflicted wounds. The company stated that "There are certain lifestyle decisions that we are just not going to assure the results of."[24]

Fortunes declined in the late 1980s as the U.S. economy began to slow down, and Circle K filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 1990; Eller resigned as CEO. Some underperforming locations were sold or closed. In 1993 the company was purchased by Investcorp, an international investment group, and emerged from bankruptcy.

In 1996, Circle K was acquired by Tosco Corporation, an independent petroleum refiner and marketer, but kept its headquarters in Phoenix. Tosco was purchased in 2001 by Phillips Petroleum, which, in 2002, merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips. In 2003, Circle K was purchased by Alimentation Couche-Tard, a large, multinational convenience store operator based in the Montreal area,[19] for US$830 million ($1.37 billion in 2023 dollars[23]).[25]

In 2005, Taiwan's OK Convenience Store chain terminated its franchise agreement with Circle K.[26]

In 2006, the company acquired the 90-store Spectrum chain serving Georgia and Alabama,[27] the CFM chain in Missouri, 35 Sterling Dairy locations in Northwest Ohio, and 26 stores under various brands from Chico Enterprises of Morgantown, West Virginia.[28] This came after the 2005 rebranding of the various Couche-Tard stores (Mac's, Bigfoot, Dairy Mart, and Handy Andy) under the more nationally known Circle K brand.[29]

In mid-2006, Alimentation Couche-Tard entered into a franchising agreement with ConocoPhillips to brand some of its company-owned stores as Circle K, in the western portion of the U.S. ConocoPhillips remodeled the stores into the Circle K scheme but continued to operate them. The stores continued to have the new ConocoPhillips unified canopy design and ProClean fuels. These stores were spun off as Phillips 66 in May 2012.

Another oil company, Canada-based Irving Oil, leased out its convenience stores operating under the Bluecanoe and Mainway banners in the United States and Atlantic Canada to Couche-Tard, which rebranded the locations to Circle K in July 2008, while still selling Irving-branded fuel. However, the Mainways in Newfoundland and Labrador did not change until summer 2010. The parties had earlier formed a similar partnership in Quebec, with the stores there operated as Couche-Tard.

In April 2009, ExxonMobil sold 43 Phoenix stores to parent company Couche-Tard as part of a sale of the larger On the Run franchise. These 43 stores were to be rebranded under the Circle K name.[30]

In July 2010, Circle K had dropped down to fourth rank in number of stores (3,455), behind 7-ELEVEn (6,523 stores), BP (4,730 stores), and Shell (4,630 convenience stores) in 2010.[9]

 
A Circle K petrol station in Tallinn, Estonia

In April 2012, Circle K purchased Norway-based Statoil Fuel and Retail ASA and its 2300 fuel stations located in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland, and western Russia for $2.8 billion.[31]

On February 10, 2014, Modelo Group sold the Tiendas Extra brand of stores to the Mexican franchise of Circle K, Circulo K.

 
A Circle K with an Exxon fuel station in North Richland Hills, Texas

On December 18, 2014, Couche-Tard announced its acquisition of The Pantry for $860 million all-cash tender ($1.11 billion in 2023 dollars[23]). The acquisition closed in March 2015.[32] Following the closing, all stores that were owned and operated by The Pantry, many of them under the "Kangaroo Express" name, were expected to be rebranded under the Circle K banner.[33]

On August 12, 2015, Circle K opened its first five convenience stores in Costa Rica, Central America, after having bought and rebranded the local convenience store chain Delimart.[citation needed]

 
A Circle K in Richmond Hill, Ontario, converted from an On the Run store after its purchase from Imperial Oil
 
A Circle K fuel pump with the Quality Guaranteed seal

On September 23, 2015, Couche-Tard unveiled a refreshed brand identity for Circle K, and announced that the Statoil (Northern, Central and Eastern Europe) and Mac's (English Canada) brands would be converted to Circle K.[34][35][36]

In 2016, Couche-Tard acquired the Irish service station chain Topaz. In April 2018, Couche-Tard announced that they too would be rebranded to Circle K.[37] Couche-Tard similarly acquired Imperial Oil's Esso retail locations in Ontario (228) and Quebec (50) the same year, and rebranded the convenience stores in Ontario (many of which previously operated under the On the Run brand) to Circle K.[38]

In 2017, Couche-Tard completed its acquisition of CST Brands, adding stores formerly owned by Valero Energy, and a portion of the Ultramar chain in Canada to Circle K (with the latter also switching fuel suppliers to Irving).[39][40][41]

Also in 2017, Couche-Tard bought Holiday Stationstores, a Minnesota-based chain of fuel stations in the Midwestern United States.[42] The company subsequently extended business practices from Holiday to its North American stores, including piloting a food service model adapted from that of Holiday.[43]

In November 2018, Circle K opened its first store in New Zealand through master franchisee Pamma Retail Group.[44]

In September 2021, Circle K announced the purchase of 10 convenience and food stores from the Griffin Group in Ireland. All the stores being bought are in Dublin and located in busy areas such as O’Connell Street, College Green, Grafton Street and Sandyford.[45]

In February 2022, Couche-Tard announced that it would rebrand 12 Holiday Stationstores locations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Circle K.[46]

 
The interior of a Circle K in Orlando, Florida

A May 2022 report in The Wall Street Journal reported that Circle K parent Alimentation Couche-Tard is in talks to buy EG Group. Should a deal go through, it would significantly boost Circle K's presence in several U.S. markets (especially Florida, New England and Ohio) as well as giving it a location in every state except Utah. Internationally, it would give Circle K access to Australia, Western Europe, and EG Group's home market of the United Kingdom.[47] Some have speculated that the deal may be in response to Alimentation Couche-Tard having been outbid by its primary rival 7-Eleven for the American Speedway chain.[48]

Wage violations edit

A 2021 report on wage theft by the Center for Public Integrity named Circle K as one of the "worst offenders" in the United States.[49] A class-action lawsuit was brought against the company in 2014,[50][51] for which the company agreed in 2019 to pay a settlement of US$8.3 million.[52] Circle K settled a similar class-action lawsuit in 2015 as well.[53]

Frosters and Polar Pops edit

Fountain drinks at Circle K are sold in Polar Pop cups, previously called Thirst Busters, and are available in expanded polystyrene cups. In areas where polystyrene containers are illegal, plastic or paper cups are offered. The 52-ounce cups are plastic. Most American locations offer any size, 32 ounce or under, for under $1, while 52 ounces or above cups are priced at over a dollar. The price point of its 44-ounce size (marketed as "Epic XL" in some regions) may vary, as it may be under or over $1, depending on the region.

The Polar Pop was first introduced in Bigfoot convenience stores by Johnson Oil Company in Columbus, Indiana, prior to its acquisition by Alimentation Couche-Tard. After the acquisition, the company began rebranding fountain drinks in other stores owned by Couche-Tard. As of 2018, Circle K sells 17 Polar Pops every second in the United States.[54]

The Froster, which was introduced to Mac's stores in 1998, became very popular throughout Western Canada and Ontario. The American version of the Froster was introduced in 1999.

Sponsorship edit

Circle K was a part-time primary sponsor of the No. 28 IndyCar Series racecar driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport between 2011 and 2013. In 2014, it switched to KVSH Racing driver Sébastien Bourdais. Circle K, along with Oberto Sausage Company, currently sponsors Marco Andretti.

In 2017, Circle K went to NASCAR, sponsoring Matt Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing with full livery for six races. It was on the car when Kenseth won his final NASCAR Cup Race at that year's fall race at Phoenix Raceway.

Also in 2017, Circle K became the official shirt sponsor of United Soccer League side North Carolina FC[55] and signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with the Lithuanian Basketball League.[56]

Due to its sizable presence in Greater Cleveland, from the former Lawson/Dairy Mart stores, Circle K sponsors the Cleveland Guardians strikeout sign. It is located in center field at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The "K" logo represents the "K" used for strikeouts in traditional baseball scorekeeping and is replicated with each strikeout. The same sponsorship is in place with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. If the Diamondbacks strikeout ten batters or more, the game's attendees receive a voucher for a free cup of Polar Pop, while Guardians fans receive the same voucher after select home games.

In May 2017, a sponsored Circle K Power Cube was introduced into the online game Ingress.[57]

Explanatory notes edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Our Company". Couche-Tard. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "History and Timeline". Circle K Stores, Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e . Couche-Tard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  4. ^ ""Bensin-Statoil" døpes om til "Circle K"" (in Norwegian). E24. September 22, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  5. ^ "Topaz Rebrands to Circle K in Ireland". RTE. April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Accueil dépanneurs Couche-Tard". Couche-tard.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  7. ^ "Circle K Corp/The - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg News.
  8. ^ Albrecht, W. Steve; Stice, Earl K.; Stice, James D. (2008). Financial Accounting (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western. p. 217. ISBN 978-0324645576. OCLC 159958977.
  9. ^ a b "Top 100 Convenience Store Chains". Convenience Store News. July 30, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Circle K's Global Rebranding Effort Marches Across North America". Convenience Store News. March 31, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  11. ^ "Store Locator". Circle K Stores, Inc. May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  12. ^ a b . Convenience Retail Asia. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  13. ^ (PDF). Convenience Retail Asia. November 5, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  14. ^ (PDF). Convenience Retail Asia. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Store Locator". Circle K Hong Kong. May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Couche-Tard inks deal to run stores at Irving gas stations". The Globe and Mail. May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Couche-Tard to take over Irving Blue Canoes". Marketing Magazine. May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "Couche-Tard Enters Year Four of Circle K Rebranding Campaign". Convenience Store News. September 17, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  19. ^ a b c "History and timeline". Circle K. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  20. ^ "Japan's FamilyMart, UNY to merge in September 2016". Reuters. March 10, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  21. ^ "ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD INC.ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM For Fiscal year ended April 29, 2018" (PDF). couche-tard.com. July 9, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  22. ^ "Circle K-Utotem". The New York Times. December 29, 1983. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Noble, Kenneth B. (August 6, 1988). "Company Halting Health Plan On Some 'Life Style' Illnesses". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  25. ^ "Couche-Tard to purchase Circle K". msnbc.com. October 6, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  26. ^ Amy Chang-Chien Hsueh; Josephine Hsu (June 30, 2010). (PDF). USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Global Agricultural Information Network. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  27. ^ "Couche-Tard acquires Spectrum Stores a 90 store chain in the Southeast Region (U.S.)". PR Newswire. April 11, 2006.
  28. ^ "Circle K Acquires 26 Stores in Three States". Convenience Store News. November 9, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  29. ^ "Couche-Tard Rebrands Midwest Stores to Circle K: Process should take approximately two years". Convenience Store News. September 12, 2004.
  30. ^ . Convenience Store News. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009.
  31. ^ Koranyi, Balazs (April 18, 2012). "Couche-Tard enters Europe with $2.8 billion Norway buy". Reuters. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  32. ^ "Couche-Tard, Pantry Complete Merger". cspdailynews.com. March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  33. ^ "Cary's The Pantry stores sells for $861M to Circle K parent". bizjournals.com. December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  34. ^ "All Edmonton Mac's locations rebranded as Circle K stores by 2019". Edmonton Journal. September 7, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  35. ^ "Mac's stores to be renamed Circle K, says owner Couche-Tard". CBC News. September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  36. ^ . CSPNet. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  37. ^ Halpin, Hayley. "Service station Topaz rebrands to Circle K, as €55 million investment announced". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  38. ^ "Imperial Oil to sell Esso stations for $2.8B". CBC News. Canadian Press. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  39. ^ "A dozen N.L. Ultramar stations being converted to Irving and Circle K as part of joint venture". The Telegram. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  40. ^ "Irving purchases St. Peters Road Ultramar, rebranding to begin soon". CBC News. July 5, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  41. ^ Intiar, Inda (July 4, 2018). "Irving Oil Buys 13 Ultramar Gas Stations Across Atlantic Canada". Huddle. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  42. ^ "Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announces closing date of the acquisition of Holiday". PR Newswire. December 15, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  43. ^ "Circle K Stores Begin Piloting Holiday's Grab-and-Go Concept". Convenience Store News. July 11, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  44. ^ Hutching, Chris (November 20, 2018). "Circle K enters convenience store competition in Auckland, with plans for petrol too". Stuff. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  45. ^ "Circle K makes foray onto Irish high street with stores purchase". independent. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  46. ^ Lindenberg, Greg (March 30, 2022). "Couche-Tard Rebranding 12 Holiday Stationstores to Circle K". CSP Daily News. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  47. ^ "Couche-Tard, EG Group in Merger Talks: Report".
  48. ^ Liz Hoffman; Cara Lombardo (April 29, 2022). "Convenience-Store Giants Couche-Tard, EG Group in Deal Talks". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Wikidata Q114685803. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  49. ^ Fernández Campbell, Alexia; Yerardi, Joe (May 4, 2021). "Ripping off workers without consequences". Center for Public Integrity.
  50. ^ Sieroty, Chris (June 17, 2014). "Convenience Store Employees Sue For Overtime Pay". KNPR.
  51. ^ "Judge OKs Circle K Overtime Suit as National Class-Action". csnews.com. August 27, 2015.
  52. ^ Ferrara, David (January 3, 2019). "Circle K settles overtime suit in Las Vegas for about $8.3M". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  53. ^ Bucher, Anne (December 8, 2015). "Circle K Wage and Hour Class Action Settlement". TopClassActions.
  54. ^ "Circle K Kicks Off First Multi-National Polar Pop Promo". Convenience Store News. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  55. ^ . northcarolinafc.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  56. ^ "LKL rėmėjų gretas papildė dar viena itin solidi įmonė". Krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Basketball League. October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  57. ^ "After the success of their XM folding research produced enhanced Power Cubes,..." Retrieved February 12, 2018.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Circle K.
  • Official website USA and Canada site
  • Official website Ireland site

January 01, 1970
circle, this, article, about, convenience, store, station, chain, service, organization, international, kosher, food, markings, symbol, kosher, certification, other, uses, circle, disambiguation, help, expand, this, article, with, text, translated, from, corre. This article is about the convenience store and gas station chain For the service organization see Circle K International For the kosher food markings symbol see OK Kosher Certification For other uses see Circle k disambiguation You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese May 2020 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the Japanese article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Consider adding a topic to this template there are already 3 701 articles in the main category and specifying topic will aid in categorization Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Japanese Wikipedia article at ja サークルK see its history for attribution You may also add the template Translated ja サークルK to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation Circle K Stores Inc is an American chain of convenience stores that is headquartered in Tempe Arizona and owned by Alimentation Couche Tard Inc based in Laval Quebec Canada 7 Founded in 1951 in El Paso Texas the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1990 and went through several owners before being acquired by Alimentation Couche Tard in 2003 2 1 As of February 2020 Circle K has 9 799 stores in North America 2 697 stores in Europe and an additional 2 380 stores operating under franchise agreements worldwide 1 Circle K Stores Inc A Circle K store in Fort Worth TexasCompany typeSubsidiaryIndustryRetail convenience stores FoundedEl Paso Texas U S 1951 73 years ago 1951 FounderFred HerveyHeadquartersTempe Arizona U S Number of locations15 000 Area servedSeveral countries CambodiaCanadaChinaCosta RicaDenmarkEgyptEstoniaGuamHondurasHong KongIndonesiaIrelandLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMalaysiaMongoliaMexicoMoroccoNew ZealandNorwayPhilippinesPolandSouth AfricaSwedenUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnamNumber of employees40 000 ParentAlimentation Couche Tard Inc Websitecirclek wbr comFootnotes references 1 2 3 4 5 6 In 2015 Circle K unveiled a new logo and brand identity and Couche Tard announced that it would deploy the brand globally including English speaking Canada rebranding from the Mac s brand Europe rebranding from the Statoil brand and the United States rebranding from the Kangaroo Express brand and updating the existing Circle K brand 1 3 Contents 1 Overview 2 History 3 Wage violations 4 Frosters and Polar Pops 5 Sponsorship 6 Explanatory notes 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksOverview editSince the 1980s Circle K has been the largest chain of company owned and operated non franchised convenience stores in the United States 1 8 With 7 230 stores overall in the United States Circle K is second to 7 ELEVEN s 9 348 stores as of July 2019 9 As of February 2020 there are more than 14 800 stores with the Circle K brand worldwide 1 10 Within the United States Circle K owns and operates stores in 48 states the two states without being Nebraska and Utah 1 10 with the largest concentration of stores found in Louisiana 11 Fuel is sold under various brands with the Circle K and Shell brands as the most common Other brands of fuel sold at Circle K stores include Valero BP Exxon Marathon Irving Mobil Esso and Phillips 66 Approximately 13 of stores worldwide do not sell fuel 1 Circle K operates stores in the United States Canada Europe the Nordics Baltics Poland Russia amp Ireland and Hong Kong and has franchises in Mexico it partners with the Mexican stores Tiendas Extra created by Modelo Group Cambodia China Egypt Guam Honduras Indonesia Jamaica Macau New Zealand Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam 1 10 In Hong Kong and Macau the stores are called OK in reference to the circle around the K Circle K Hong Kong was founded in 1985 by Li amp Fung Retailing later Fung Retailing as licensee of the name 12 but sold back to Couche Tard in 2020 13 14 Circle K had 387 franchised locations throughout Hong Kong as of May 2020 12 15 nbsp A Circle K located in Causeway Bay Hong Kong The Circle K brand entered the Canadian market in 2008 in connection with Couche Tard s acquisition of Irving Oil s convenience store network 16 17 By 2019 more than 800 Mac s branded stores had been rebranded to Circle K throughout central and western Canada 18 3 nbsp The world s most northern fuel station in Longyearbyen Norway In September 2015 Couche Tard announced that Circle K would become the worldwide brand of all of its convenience stores replacing Mac s Kangaroo Express Statoil and Holiday Stationstores brands except the Couche Tard brand in Quebec and the INGO brand in Europe 3 10 This global rebrand included the introduction of a new logo incorporating elements of its existing brands improvements to its product offerings and technology and investing in store level improvements aimed at improving the customer experience 10 3 The rebranding occurred over the following five years and as of March 2020 all of Europe and 85 of North America had been updated with the Circle K brand and logo 10 History edit nbsp The former Circle K logo It can still be seen in New England Canada Hong Kong and Macau Entrepreneur Fred Hervey purchased three Kay s Food Stores in El Paso Texas in 1951 19 Hervey renamed the stores as Circle K Food Stores Inc rather than Kay He grew the Circle K chain into neighboring New Mexico and Arizona which has been the company s home base since 1957 Hervey would go on to serve two terms as mayor of El Paso By 1975 there were 1 000 Circle K stores across the U S In 1979 Circle K first expanded its reach into foreign markets via a licensing agreement which established the first Circle K stores in Japan by UNY 19 Until 2018 Circle K stores in Japan were run by the FamilyMart Company that was named Circle K Sunkus Company until 2016 20 and was named Circle K Japan Company until 2004 which licensed the Circle K brand from Alimentation Couche Tard In 2018 21 all Circle K stores in Japan were converted to FamilyMart stores In 1983 the number of stores increased to 2 180 with the purchase of the 960 store UtoteM chain in the western and southern United States 22 Karl Eller a prominent Phoenix Arizona businessman served as the company s CEO from 1983 to 1990 During that time Eller built Circle K into the second largest convenience store operation and the largest publicly owned convenience store chain in the U S with 4 631 stores in 32 states and an additional 1 300 or so licensed or joint venture stores in 13 foreign countries Under Eller s leadership the company grew from annual sales of 747 million 2 29 billion in 2023 dollars 23 to over 3 billion 7 billion in 2023 dollars 23 In 1988 the company sent a letter to its over 8 000 employees announcing that it will cut off the medical coverage of those who become sick or injured as a result of AIDS alcohol drug abuse or self inflicted wounds The company stated that There are certain lifestyle decisions that we are just not going to assure the results of 24 Fortunes declined in the late 1980s as the U S economy began to slow down and Circle K filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 1990 Eller resigned as CEO Some underperforming locations were sold or closed In 1993 the company was purchased by Investcorp an international investment group and emerged from bankruptcy In 1996 Circle K was acquired by Tosco Corporation an independent petroleum refiner and marketer but kept its headquarters in Phoenix Tosco was purchased in 2001 by Phillips Petroleum which in 2002 merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips In 2003 Circle K was purchased by Alimentation Couche Tard a large multinational convenience store operator based in the Montreal area 19 for US 830 million 1 37 billion in 2023 dollars 23 25 In 2005 Taiwan s OK Convenience Store chain terminated its franchise agreement with Circle K 26 In 2006 the company acquired the 90 store Spectrum chain serving Georgia and Alabama 27 the CFM chain in Missouri 35 Sterling Dairy locations in Northwest Ohio and 26 stores under various brands from Chico Enterprises of Morgantown West Virginia 28 This came after the 2005 rebranding of the various Couche Tard stores Mac s Bigfoot Dairy Mart and Handy Andy under the more nationally known Circle K brand 29 In mid 2006 Alimentation Couche Tard entered into a franchising agreement with ConocoPhillips to brand some of its company owned stores as Circle K in the western portion of the U S ConocoPhillips remodeled the stores into the Circle K scheme but continued to operate them The stores continued to have the new ConocoPhillips unified canopy design and ProClean fuels These stores were spun off as Phillips 66 in May 2012 Another oil company Canada based Irving Oil leased out its convenience stores operating under the Bluecanoe and Mainway banners in the United States and Atlantic Canada to Couche Tard which rebranded the locations to Circle K in July 2008 while still selling Irving branded fuel However the Mainways in Newfoundland and Labrador did not change until summer 2010 The parties had earlier formed a similar partnership in Quebec with the stores there operated as Couche Tard In April 2009 ExxonMobil sold 43 Phoenix stores to parent company Couche Tard as part of a sale of the larger On the Run franchise These 43 stores were to be rebranded under the Circle K name 30 In July 2010 Circle K had dropped down to fourth rank in number of stores 3 455 behind 7 ELEVEn 6 523 stores BP 4 730 stores and Shell 4 630 convenience stores in 2010 9 nbsp A Circle K petrol station in Tallinn Estonia In April 2012 Circle K purchased Norway based Statoil Fuel and Retail ASA and its 2300 fuel stations located in Scandinavia the Baltics Poland and western Russia for 2 8 billion 31 On February 10 2014 Modelo Group sold the Tiendas Extra brand of stores to the Mexican franchise of Circle K Circulo K nbsp A Circle K with an Exxon fuel station in North Richland Hills Texas On December 18 2014 Couche Tard announced its acquisition of The Pantry for 860 million all cash tender 1 11 billion in 2023 dollars 23 The acquisition closed in March 2015 32 Following the closing all stores that were owned and operated by The Pantry many of them under the Kangaroo Express name were expected to be rebranded under the Circle K banner 33 On August 12 2015 Circle K opened its first five convenience stores in Costa Rica Central America after having bought and rebranded the local convenience store chain Delimart citation needed nbsp A Circle K in Richmond Hill Ontario converted from an On the Run store after its purchase from Imperial Oil nbsp A Circle K fuel pump with the Quality Guaranteed seal On September 23 2015 Couche Tard unveiled a refreshed brand identity for Circle K and announced that the Statoil Northern Central and Eastern Europe and Mac s English Canada brands would be converted to Circle K 34 35 36 In 2016 Couche Tard acquired the Irish service station chain Topaz In April 2018 Couche Tard announced that they too would be rebranded to Circle K 37 Couche Tard similarly acquired Imperial Oil s Esso retail locations in Ontario 228 and Quebec 50 the same year and rebranded the convenience stores in Ontario many of which previously operated under the On the Run brand to Circle K 38 In 2017 Couche Tard completed its acquisition of CST Brands adding stores formerly owned by Valero Energy and a portion of the Ultramar chain in Canada to Circle K with the latter also switching fuel suppliers to Irving 39 40 41 Also in 2017 Couche Tard bought Holiday Stationstores a Minnesota based chain of fuel stations in the Midwestern United States 42 The company subsequently extended business practices from Holiday to its North American stores including piloting a food service model adapted from that of Holiday 43 In November 2018 Circle K opened its first store in New Zealand through master franchisee Pamma Retail Group 44 In September 2021 Circle K announced the purchase of 10 convenience and food stores from the Griffin Group in Ireland All the stores being bought are in Dublin and located in busy areas such as O Connell Street College Green Grafton Street and Sandyford 45 In February 2022 Couche Tard announced that it would rebrand 12 Holiday Stationstores locations in Sioux Falls South Dakota to Circle K 46 nbsp The interior of a Circle K in Orlando Florida A May 2022 report in The Wall Street Journal reported that Circle K parent Alimentation Couche Tard is in talks to buy EG Group Should a deal go through it would significantly boost Circle K s presence in several U S markets especially Florida New England and Ohio as well as giving it a location in every state except Utah Internationally it would give Circle K access to Australia Western Europe and EG Group s home market of the United Kingdom 47 Some have speculated that the deal may be in response to Alimentation Couche Tard having been outbid by its primary rival 7 Eleven for the American Speedway chain 48 Wage violations editA 2021 report on wage theft by the Center for Public Integrity named Circle K as one of the worst offenders in the United States 49 A class action lawsuit was brought against the company in 2014 50 51 for which the company agreed in 2019 to pay a settlement of US 8 3 million 52 Circle K settled a similar class action lawsuit in 2015 as well 53 Frosters and Polar Pops editFountain drinks at Circle K are sold in Polar Pop cups previously called Thirst Busters and are available in expanded polystyrene cups In areas where polystyrene containers are illegal plastic or paper cups are offered The 52 ounce cups are plastic Most American locations offer any size 32 ounce or under for under 1 while 52 ounces or above cups are priced at over a dollar The price point of its 44 ounce size marketed as Epic XL in some regions may vary as it may be under or over 1 depending on the region The Polar Pop was first introduced in Bigfoot convenience stores by Johnson Oil Company in Columbus Indiana prior to its acquisition by Alimentation Couche Tard After the acquisition the company began rebranding fountain drinks in other stores owned by Couche Tard As of 2018 Circle K sells 17 Polar Pops every second in the United States 54 The Froster which was introduced to Mac s stores in 1998 became very popular throughout Western Canada and Ontario The American version of the Froster was introduced in 1999 Sponsorship editCircle K was a part time primary sponsor of the No 28 IndyCar Series racecar driven by Ryan Hunter Reay of Andretti Autosport between 2011 and 2013 In 2014 it switched to KVSH Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais Circle K along with Oberto Sausage Company currently sponsors Marco Andretti In 2017 Circle K went to NASCAR sponsoring Matt Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing with full livery for six races It was on the car when Kenseth won his final NASCAR Cup Race at that year s fall race at Phoenix Raceway Also in 2017 Circle K became the official shirt sponsor of United Soccer League side North Carolina FC 55 and signed a two year sponsorship agreement with the Lithuanian Basketball League 56 Due to its sizable presence in Greater Cleveland from the former Lawson Dairy Mart stores Circle K sponsors the Cleveland Guardians strikeout sign It is located in center field at Progressive Field in Cleveland Ohio The K logo represents the K used for strikeouts in traditional baseball scorekeeping and is replicated with each strikeout The same sponsorship is in place with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix Arizona If the Diamondbacks strikeout ten batters or more the game s attendees receive a voucher for a free cup of Polar Pop while Guardians fans receive the same voucher after select home games In May 2017 a sponsored Circle K Power Cube was introduced into the online game Ingress 57 Explanatory notes editSee also edit nbsp Arizona portal nbsp Companies portal Circle K Sunkus List of automotive fuel retailers List of convenience storesReferences edit a b c d e f g h i Our Company Couche Tard Retrieved May 2 2020 a b History and Timeline Circle K Stores Inc Retrieved May 2 2020 a b c d e Global Circle K Couche Tard Archived from the original on August 12 2020 Retrieved May 2 2020 Bensin Statoil dopes om til Circle K in Norwegian E24 September 22 2015 Retrieved November 22 2015 Topaz Rebrands to Circle K in Ireland RTE April 13 2018 Retrieved April 13 2018 Accueil depanneurs Couche Tard Couche tard com Retrieved February 29 2012 Circle K Corp The Company Profile and News Bloomberg News Albrecht W Steve Stice Earl K Stice James D 2008 Financial Accounting 10th ed Mason OH Thomson South Western p 217 ISBN 978 0324645576 OCLC 159958977 a b Top 100 Convenience Store Chains Convenience Store News July 30 2019 Retrieved May 2 2020 a b c d e f Circle K s Global Rebranding Effort Marches Across North America Convenience Store News March 31 2020 Retrieved May 2 2020 Store Locator Circle K Stores Inc May 2 2020 Retrieved May 2 2020 a b About Circle K Convenience Retail Asia Archived from the original on July 18 2020 Retrieved May 2 2020 Convenience Retail Asia to sell 340 Circle K stores to Alimentation Couche Tard the owner of the Circle K brand PDF Convenience Retail Asia November 5 2020 Archived from the original PDF on March 2 2021 Retrieved March 2 2021 Completion of the very substantial disposal in relation to the convenience store business and update on payment of special cash dividend and resignation of director PDF Convenience Retail Asia December 21 2020 Archived from the original PDF on March 2 2021 Retrieved March 2 2021 Store Locator Circle K Hong Kong May 2 2020 Retrieved May 2 2020 Couche Tard inks deal to run stores at Irving gas stations The Globe and Mail May 9 2008 Retrieved May 2 2020 Couche Tard to take over Irving Blue Canoes Marketing Magazine May 9 2008 Retrieved May 2 2020 Couche Tard Enters Year Four of Circle K Rebranding Campaign Convenience Store News September 17 2019 Retrieved May 2 2020 a b c History and timeline Circle K Retrieved February 27 2020 Japan s FamilyMart UNY to merge in September 2016 Reuters March 10 2015 Retrieved October 21 2020 ALIMENTATION COUCHE TARD INC ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM For Fiscal year ended April 29 2018 PDF couche tard com July 9 2018 Retrieved October 21 2020 Circle K Utotem The New York Times December 29 1983 Retrieved January 17 2021 a b c d 1634 1699 McCusker J J 1997 How Much Is That in Real Money A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States Addenda et Corrigenda PDF American Antiquarian Society 1700 1799 McCusker J J 1992 How Much Is That in Real Money A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States PDF American Antiquarian Society 1800 present Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Consumer Price Index estimate 1800 Retrieved February 29 2024 Noble Kenneth B August 6 1988 Company Halting Health Plan On Some Life Style Illnesses The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved February 27 2019 Couche Tard to purchase Circle K msnbc com October 6 2003 Retrieved October 21 2020 Amy Chang Chien Hsueh Josephine Hsu June 30 2010 Taiwan Convenience Stores 2010 PDF USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Global Agricultural Information Network Archived from the original PDF on September 23 2015 Retrieved May 17 2014 Couche Tard acquires Spectrum Stores a 90 store chain in the Southeast Region U S PR Newswire April 11 2006 Circle K Acquires 26 Stores in Three States Convenience Store News November 9 2011 Retrieved February 27 2019 Couche Tard Rebrands Midwest Stores to Circle K Process should take approximately two years Convenience Store News September 12 2004 Couche Tard Acquires ExxonMobil Franchised On the Run Stores Convenience Store News Archived from the original on July 5 2009 Koranyi Balazs April 18 2012 Couche Tard enters Europe with 2 8 billion Norway buy Reuters Retrieved April 3 2023 Couche Tard Pantry Complete Merger cspdailynews com March 16 2015 Retrieved March 16 2015 Cary s The Pantry stores sells for 861M to Circle K parent bizjournals com December 18 2014 Retrieved December 18 2014 All Edmonton Mac s locations rebranded as Circle K stores by 2019 Edmonton Journal September 7 2018 Retrieved September 11 2018 Mac s stores to be renamed Circle K says owner Couche Tard CBC News September 22 2015 Retrieved September 22 2015 Circle K Transformation Goes Beyond Rebranding CSPNet Archived from the original on September 25 2015 Retrieved September 25 2015 Halpin Hayley Service station Topaz rebrands to Circle K as 55 million investment announced TheJournal ie Retrieved June 14 2018 Imperial Oil to sell Esso stations for 2 8B CBC News Canadian Press Retrieved June 14 2018 A dozen N L Ultramar stations being converted to Irving and Circle K as part of joint venture The Telegram Retrieved June 30 2019 Irving purchases St Peters Road Ultramar rebranding to begin soon CBC News July 5 2018 Retrieved June 30 2019 Intiar Inda July 4 2018 Irving Oil Buys 13 Ultramar Gas Stations Across Atlantic Canada Huddle Retrieved June 30 2019 Alimentation Couche Tard Inc announces closing date of the acquisition of Holiday PR Newswire December 15 2017 Retrieved April 3 2020 Circle K Stores Begin Piloting Holiday s Grab and Go Concept Convenience Store News July 11 2019 Retrieved August 22 2022 Hutching Chris November 20 2018 Circle K enters convenience store competition in Auckland with plans for petrol too Stuff Retrieved April 4 2023 Circle K makes foray onto Irish high street with stores purchase independent September 10 2021 Retrieved September 10 2021 Lindenberg Greg March 30 2022 Couche Tard Rebranding 12 Holiday Stationstores to Circle K CSP Daily News Retrieved August 22 2022 Couche Tard EG Group in Merger Talks Report Liz Hoffman Cara Lombardo April 29 2022 Convenience Store Giants Couche Tard EG Group in Deal Talks The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Wikidata Q114685803 Retrieved October 26 2022 Fernandez Campbell Alexia Yerardi Joe May 4 2021 Ripping off workers without consequences Center for Public Integrity Sieroty Chris June 17 2014 Convenience Store Employees Sue For Overtime Pay KNPR Judge OKs Circle K Overtime Suit as National Class Action csnews com August 27 2015 Ferrara David January 3 2019 Circle K settles overtime suit in Las Vegas for about 8 3M Las Vegas Review Journal Bucher Anne December 8 2015 Circle K Wage and Hour Class Action Settlement TopClassActions Circle K Kicks Off First Multi National Polar Pop Promo Convenience Store News Retrieved May 23 2021 North Carolina Football Club Unveils Jersey Sponsorships For NCFC And NC Courage northcarolinafc com Archived from the original on November 16 2017 Retrieved October 12 2019 LKL remeju gretas papilde dar viena itin solidi įmone Krepsinis net in Lithuanian Lithuanian Basketball League October 6 2017 Retrieved October 8 2017 After the success of their XM folding research produced enhanced Power Cubes Retrieved February 12 2018 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Circle K Official website USA and Canada site Official website Ireland site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Circle K amp oldid 1220022422, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.