CHICAGO — In early July, Alimentation Couche-Tard and Canadian cannabis retailer Fire & Flower opened two Fire & Flower shops adjacent to Circle K stores in Grande Prairie and Calgary, Alberta.
Now, CSP explores what went behind the partnership—and what this means for convenience retailers looking to invest in CBD and cannabis.
On this episode of At Your Convenience, CSP editor Brett Dworski chats with Nadia Vattovaz, CFO and executive vice president of Fire & Flower, on how this partnership came to fruition and what attracted Fire & Flower to the convenience-store industry and Circle K specifically.
Edmonton, Alberta-based Fire & Flower operates 50 cannabis retail stores in Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon territory. Its products include flower vaporizers, pipes, grinders, rolling papers, concentrate accessories, beauty items and more.
Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard is No. 2 on CSP’s 2020 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by size. Its network consists of about 9,900 c-stores in North America, approximately 6,000 in 48 U.S. states and the District of Columbia under the Circle K and Holiday Stationstores banners, and the rest in all 10 provinces in Canada under the Circle K and Couche-Tard banners. It also operates or licenses stores in 22 other countries or territories worldwide.
"At Your Convenience" brings industry experts and analysts together with CSP editors to discuss the latest in c-store news and trends. From mergers and acquisitions to foodservice and technology, the podcast delivers the story straight to listeners in short-format episodes, perfect for the morning commute or a quick break at the office.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.