*(Downtown Toronto. Photo: Google Street View)*

By Craig Patterson

Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is welcoming applicants to operate the first new franchises under its Circle K banner, which recently launched in Canada as part of a name change. The expansion begins in the Ontario market, and the company has more information on its franchising website: http://franchise-circlek.com.

Circle K locations have been popping up all over the country in Couche-Tard locations formerly branded with names such as Mac’s — in September of 2015, the company announced that it would adopt the Circle K brand on all of its stores in English Canada, while retaining the Couche-Tard name for its locations in Quebec.

The announced Ontario franchise expansion begins immediately. "At Circle K, we are committed to growing our brand globally and look forward to providing business partners in Ontario with the full range of Circle K branded products and service," said Matt McCure, Vice President, Circle K Worldwide Franchise. "We are excited that through this franchise offer, more retailers will be able to join us in our mission to become the world's preferred destination for convenience and fuel."

Franchisees gain access to Circle K's private brands as well as comprehensive training and continued education of the brand, not to mention operational and marketing support. The new franchise stores will display the Circle K logo, which began in Texas in 1951.

Couche-Tard is one of the world’s largest convenience store retailers with almost 10,000 locations in North America, with more than 2,200 of them in Canada. It is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores in the United States, as well as a leader in Canada. In Europe, Couche-Tard operates convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as in Ireland and Poland.

In addition, under licensing agreements, Couche-Tard operates more than 1,800 stores under the Circle K banner in 14 countries and territories including China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, which brings the worldwide total network to more than 15,700 stores.

Craig Patterson, now based in Toronto, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief Retail Insider. He's also a retail and real estate consultant, retail tour guide and public speaker.

Follow him on Twitter @RetailInsider_, LinkedIn at Craig Patterson, or email him at: craig@retail-insider.com.

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