South Florida C-store Chain Rebrands to Circle K Following Acquisition

KEY WEST, Fla. — Dion's Quik Marts, a staple of the Florida Keys, has rebranded all of its locations to Circle K following the chain's acquisition by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., parent company to the global Circle K brand.

The transition happened rapidly, with five stores closed last Wednesday and reopened with the new branding on Thursday, followed by five more closing on Thursday and reopening on Friday, according to Key News. The exception was a one-off Dion's mini-grocery, which was not part of the deal.

Dion's was known for its deli foods and classic fried chicken, which was based on a Dion family recipe. Dion Oil's founders Larry and Flo Dion introduced Quik Chik to the public in the 1980s, and the food offering has remained a popular item at Dion's Quik Marts through the company's existence, including Dion Oil's previous acquisition by Uphoff Ventures LLC in 2016.

The purchase of Dion's brought industry veteran Steven Uphoff back into the convenience store game. The founder of Southside Oil and Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores (MACS), his companies ran 78 Uppy's c-stores until 2013, when they were bought out by Sunoco.

Though Uphoff Ventures owned several c-stores brands, Dion's was the only one it directly ran.

Key News also reported that the acquisition happened relatively quickly, with Joshua Crider, Dion's director of operations, telling the outlet that he only had about six hours to prepare for the rebranding after receiving an email informing him of the transition.

Quik Chik will continue to be available at the new Circle K locations, along with Dion's other deli items. 

Details of the acquisition have not been made publicly available at this time.