The Top 100 Convenience Store Chains of 2019

Melissa Kress

NATIONAL REPORT — There’s a new trifecta at the helm of the 2019 Convenience Store News Top 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 Top 100 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.

2019 Rank 2018 Rank Company, City, State  Total U.S. Store Count
1 1 7-Eleven Inc., Irving, Texas 9,280
2 2 Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., Laval, Quebec, Canada 7,021
3 4 Marathon Petroleum Corp., Findlay, Ohio 5,875
4 3 Shell Oil/Motiva Enterprises LLC, Houston 4,202
5 5 Chevron Corp., San Ramon, Calif. 3,766
6 6 Exxon Mobil Corp., Irving, Texas 3,323
7 7 BP North America, Houston 3,047
8 8 Casey's General Stores Inc., Ankeny, Iowa 2,138
9 9 Sunoco LP, Dallas 1,769
10 11 CITGO Petroleum Corp., Houston 1,383
11 12 GPM Investments LLC, Richmond, Va. 1,198
12 13 ConocoPhillips/Phillips 66, Houston 1,106
13 16 EG Group (U.S. HQ), Cincinnati 989
14 14 Cumberland Farms Inc., Westborough, Mass. 939
15 17 Wawa Inc., Media, Pa. 842
16 15 Valero Energy Corp., San Antonio 832
17 18 QuikTrip Corp., Tulsa, Okla.  798
18 19 RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., Atlanta 766
19 20 Pilot Flying J, Knoxville, Tenn. 696
20 22 Kwik Trip Inc., La Crosse, Wis. 646
21 21 Military, Arlington, Va. 623
22 23 Sheetz Inc., Altoona, Pa. 588
23 25 Love's Country Stores Inc., Oklahoma City 480
24 27 Kum & Go LC, Des Moines, Iowa 399
25 26 CHS Inc., Inver Grove Heights, Minn. 394

Click below to download the full 2019 ranking.

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