Circle K to Become Couche-Tard's Single Global C-store Brand

LAVAL, Quebec — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is merging its international retail brands under one banner: Circle K.

The Canada-based retailer revealed the creation of its global convenience brand on Tuesday morning. The new Circle K brand will replace Couche-Tard's existing Circle K, Statoil, Mac's and Kangaroo Express branding on stores and service stations across Canada, the United States, Scandinavia, and Central and Eastern Europe. 

The new Circle K brand will also appear on licensed stores across Asia and will be a fundamental part of Couche-Tard's future growth, according to the retailer.

Couche-Tard tapped the company's founding Couche-Tard retail brand in the Province of Québec in Canada due to the specifics of that market. 

The global Circle K brand will begin rolling out to stores in the U.S. in January. It will be seen on service stations in Europe in May, while Canadian customers outside Québec will see the new Circle K brand starting in May 2017.

"Circle K is a brand that is already popular with huge numbers of our customers and employees. Today we are setting out to make it easy for existing and new customers in more countries than ever before to prefer Circle K as their destination for convenience and fuel, with a fresh new look and feel and even better products for people on the go, always combined with fast and friendly service," said Brian Hannasch, president and CEO of Couche-Tard.

The rebranding of Kangaroo Express stores to the new Circle K brand will be completed within six to nine months. 

"This is not about simply combining two brands in the Southeast and rebranding Kangaroo Express to Circle K. It is about creating a new, global brand together. Adopting a single global brand will make us stronger, reinforce our culture and help us focus on making our customers' day that little bit easier," Hannasch said.

Darrell Davis, senior vice president, Operations for Couche-Tard, is taking the lead for the Kangaroo Express transformation.

"This is an exciting time for Kangaroo Express locations and communities, as they are amongst the first in the world to adopt the new Circle K brand," Davis said. "This is much more than a signage exercise. With this global transition we are strengthening our identity and the experience we will offer to all of our guests."

According to Couche-Tard, Circle K is already the company's largest and most international brand. It can be seen today on thousands of stores and service stations in 14 countries around the world and is Couche-Tard's best-positioned brand for carrying into new markets. 

"Adopting a single global brand for Couche-Tard's convenience business and much of its fuel retail business will strengthen its perception by customers and help to align and reinforce Couche-Tard's culture of operational excellence. Best practice sharing and benchmarking across international boundaries will be enhanced and the business will have opportunities to benefit further from economies of scale and a simplified brand portfolio," the company stated.

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