Act Two

LAVAL, QUEBEC -- Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT) yesterday acquired a six-store convenience chain in Lafayette, Ind., where the company has had a presence since acquiring the Johnson Oil Co. Inc. earlier this year.

Terms of the deal and the company from which the stores were acquired were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to complete this transaction in Lafayette, which has a population of over 100,000 and is a university town that typifies our target market," said Alain Bouchard, chairman, president and CEO of Couche-Tard.

Bouchard said the company would take control of the stores in January, adding the company is not through acquiring stores in the Midwest market.

"We remain on the lookout for opportunities to increase our presence in this major market, where we are intending to double our network in the next two or three years," Bouchard said.

The acquisition increases ACT's store count in the United States to 227, primarily under the Bigfoot banner. The company operates 2,000 stores in North America.