Couche-Tard to Build 500 New C-Stores by 2028

C-store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard (Laval, Quebec), whose primary brand is Circle K, plans to build 500 new-to-industry (NTI) sites by fiscal 2028. That plan was detailed by Aaron Brooks, the retailer’s Senior VP of Real Estate, at the company’s annual investor meeting earlier this week, C-Store Dive reports.

These stores will be built in both rural and suburban markets, Brooks said. While Couche-Tard expects to grow its NTI networks in Europe and Hong Kong as well, 90 percent of these locations will be built in North America, he told C-Store Dive.

Each of the 500 NTI sites will be one of two store prototypes: Couche-Tard’s “standard” format, which is mainly used in suburban markets and features a 5200-square-foot store, as well as high-speed diesel fuel, and its newer “core” prototype, which is for rural locations and features a 3900-square-foot store.

While Couche-Tard will be “blitzing” new markets for its more traditional suburban format, the company also expressed confidence in its rural prototype during the investor meeting.

“The number of rural stores you will see built will more than double in the next 12-18 months,” Brooks said.

Couche-Tard operates more than 5700 c-stores in the U.S. It is the second-largest c-store company in North America, behind 7-Eleven.