The Top 100 Convenience Store Chains of 2019

NATIONAL REPORT — There’s a new trifecta at the helm of the 2019 Convenience Store NewsTop 100 ranking. This year, Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) joins stalwarts 7-Eleven Inc. and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in the top three positions on the annual list.

These three players now control a significant portion of the U.S. convenience store market. In all, they operate 14 percent of the industry’s total stores and account for 35 percent of the stores operated by the Top 100 chains.

The new trifecta has been created as Findlay, Ohio-based MPC, parent company to the Speedway chain, moved up one spot on the Top100 following its strategic merger with San Antonio-based Andeavor on Oct. 1, 2018. The $23.3-billion transaction created a retail powerhouse that stretches from coast to coast.

According to the latest figures compiled in partnership with TDLinx, a service of Nielsen, MPC has a total store count of 5,875 locations, with 3,319 corporate stores and 2,556 franchise/licensee stores. This count was enough to push it past last year's No. 3, Houston-based Shell Oil/Motiva Enterprises LLC, with a total store count of 4,202 locations.

However, MPC has its work cut out for it if the company wants to catch the long-time Top 100 leaders: No. 1 Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven with 9,280 total U.S. stores and No 2. Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard with 7,021 U.S. stores. (Both have global operations as well.)

7-Eleven secured its spot atop the U.S. c-store industry with its January 2018 acquisition of roughly 1,030 Sunoco convenience stores located in 17 states. Meanwhile, Couche-Tard, the parent company of Circle K, boosted its portfolio over the past 12 months — and solidified its grip on the No. 2 spot — with the acquisition of Holiday Stationstores Inc. The assets purchased included 522 c-stores in 10 states.

The Convenience Store News Top 100 is the industry’s longest-running accounting of the largest convenience store chains by store count.