Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard's Circle K (No. 9), 7-Eleven Inc., Dallas, (No. 30) and Houston-based BP's ampm (No. 35) were each included on the annual list.
About Circle K, the magazine noted: "Circle K's roots go back to 1951, when Fred Hervey purchased three Kay's Food Stores in El Paso, Texas. Hervey expanded the retail network over the next few decades and entered the international market in 1979. A franchise [image-nocss] program was introduced in 1999, and now more than 6,000 Circle K sites operate around the world."
The SUBWAY restaurant chain, Milford, Conn., was again been named the No. 1 franchise opportunity on the list. The brand was also named the No. 1 Global Franchise opportunity.
This is the 16th time in 22 years of rating franchises that the SUBWAY chain has been recognized with the overall top honor. When the chain was first named to the top spot in 1988, it had about 4,000 locations, mostly in the United States. This year, the chain passed the 30,000 location mark, spanning 87 countries and territories around the globe, putting it only about 3,000 locations away from becoming the single-largest fast-food chain in the world.
Click here to see the complete Franchise 500 list.
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