# Circle K

> Circle K is a global convenience-store and road-transportation fuel banner owned by Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard. Born in 1951 as three grocery stores in El Paso, Texas, it now runs roughly 17,000 stores across 29 countries, selling gasoline, coffee, fountain drinks like Polar Pop, packaged food, tobacco, car washes and EV charging, and pairing all of it with the free Inner Circle rewards program to keep drivers coming back.

- **Founded:** 1951
- **Headquarters:** Tempe, Arizona, United States (Circle K); Laval, Quebec, Canada (parent Alimentation Couche-Tard)
- **Founders:** Fred Hervey (Founder)
- **Team size:** ~149,000 employees (Couche-Tard group)
- **Products:** Road-transportation fuel, Convenience stores, Fresh Food, Fast, Polar Pop and Froster, Inner Circle rewards
- **Notable:** Grew from three El Paso grocery stores (1951) to roughly 17,000 stores across 29 countries and territories., Consolidated Mac's, Statoil, Kangaroo Express and Holiday Stationstores into a single global Circle K brand starting in 2015., Acquired by Couche-Tard for ~US$830 million in 2003, then scaled the banner worldwide.

## Products & services

- **Road-transportation fuel** — Gasoline and diesel sold at the majority of Circle K stores, the traffic driver for the whole model.
- **Convenience stores** — Company-operated and franchised stores selling snacks, packaged food, tobacco, groceries and everyday essentials.
- **Fresh Food, Fast** — Hot-food and packaged-sandwich program, with Take Away Fresh Cafe offers at select locations.
- **Polar Pop and Froster** — Signature fountain and frozen slushy drinks with a cult following, plus Simply Great Coffee and Joker Mad Energy.
- **Inner Circle rewards** — Free loyalty program: 3 cents/gal off standard, 5 cents/gal premium, stackable with Easy Pay for up to 15 cents/gal.
- **Sip & Save** — Drink subscription giving members refills like a 79-cent Polar Pop of any size.
- **Easy Pay** — Enrolled payment card that saves 10 cents per gallon and links to Inner Circle.
- **Car wash** — Unlimited-wash subscriptions, expanded through the 2022 purchase of True Blue Car Wash.
- **EV charging** — Fast-charging network at the forecourt, including Europe's charging-only sites and a US rollout with IONNA.

## Achievements

- Grew from three El Paso grocery stores (1951) to roughly 17,000 stores across 29 countries and territories.
- Consolidated Mac's, Statoil, Kangaroo Express and Holiday Stationstores into a single global Circle K brand starting in 2015.
- Acquired by Couche-Tard for ~US$830 million in 2003, then scaled the banner worldwide.
- Closed the $1.57 billion acquisition of GetGo Cafe + Market in June 2025.
- Announced a ~$8.7 billion agreement in 2026 to acquire a controlling stake in Poland's Zabka Group, its largest deal ever.

## Latest updates

- **2024-09** — Alex Miller became President and CEO of parent Alimentation Couche-Tard, only the third chief executive in the company's history.
- **2025-06** — Closed the $1.57 billion acquisition of GetGo Cafe + Market from Giant Eagle (~270 locations).
- **2025-07** — Couche-Tard withdrew its ~$47 billion bid for 7-Eleven parent Seven & i Holdings, citing a lack of constructive engagement.
- **2026-04** — Announced an EV-charging partnership with IONNA to install fast chargers at 350+ US Circle K locations.
- **2026-07** — Announced an agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Poland's Zabka Group for roughly $8.7 billion, its largest acquisition to date.

## Links

- Website: https://circlek.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/circle-k
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mycirclek
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CircleKOfficial
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circlekstores/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/CircleKGreatLakes
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@circlekcanada

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/circle-k
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13