Select Louisiana Circle K Stores Transitioning to Kangaroo Express Banner

LAVAL, Quebec — As part of its network optimization initiative, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is franchising several locations in Louisiana. 

The roughly dozen convenience stores currently carry the Circle K banner, but will change to franchised Kangaroo Express locations over the coming months. The c-stores are located in Baton Rouge, Hammond, Lafayette, Monroe, Shreveport and Slidell, WAFB reported.

Director of Communications Chris Barnes told Convenience Store News that Circle K is Couche-Tard's lead brand for all existing and new sites, while Kangaroo Express is offered via its franchising program for "a very small subset of sites that do not fit with the Circle K brand and market strategy."

Couche-Tard acquired more than 1,500 company-operated Kangaroo Express stores through its roughly $1.7-billion deal for Cary, N.C.-based The Pantry Inc. in 2015. The majority of those stores were converted to Circle K company-operated sites, while a select group of Kangaroo Express stores were made available for sale to become the foundation of the Kangaroo Express Franchise Program.

The latest additions to the franchise program are the result of network optimization moves. In March 2021, Couche-Tard tapped NRC Realty & Capital Advisors LLC to coordinate and manage the sale of 269 sites across 25 states in the United States, as well as 37 sites across six provinces in Canada.

Laval-based Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with close to 14,200 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel.