OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – As CSP’s editors pulled together this year’s Convenience Top 101, a list of the largest convenience-store chains in the United States and Canada, all eyes were on Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K. Would the relative newcomer (Couche-Tard first entered the U.S. in 2001) unseat the godfather of convenience retailing, 7-Eleven Inc.
With its acquisition of The Pantry/Kangaroo Express c-store chain (No. 6 on our list a year ago), among other growth activity, Couche-Tard’s store count is up 1,544 sites over its 2015 profile. But even with 7,276 stores, the Laval, Quebec-based chain didn’t have enough sites to unseat powerhouse 7-Eleven, Dallas, and its 8,273 sites, which is actually five stores fewer than a year ago.
Here are the five biggest movers on CSP’s 2016 Convenience Top 101 ...
View the full Convenience Top 101 list
1. United Pacific
This year: No. 28
Last year: No. 64
Change: 36 positions
In 2015, United Pacific (formerly United Oil Co.) completed the acquisition of 251 gas stations and convenience stores located in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Colorado from Pacific Convenience & Fuels, bringing Gardena, Calif.-based retailer’s network of owned and operated stores to 320 retail locations.
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2. Terrible Herbst
This year: No. 50
Last year: No. 78
Change: 28 positions
Las Vegas-based Terrible Herbst grew by 60 c-stores between November 2014 and November 2015, according to CSPedia data, bumping the chain up 28 positions on CSP’s Convenience Top 101 list.
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3. Blarney Castle Oil
This year: No. 60
Last year: No. 83
Change: 25 positions
This Beer Lake, Mich.-based retailer, dba EZ Mart, acquired 23 convenience stores formerly owned by Blodgett Oil, bringing its total store count to 83, and moving the chain up 25 spots on the Top 101.
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4. Quality Oil Co.
This year: No. 61
Last year: No. 81
Change: 20 positions
In summer 2015, Quality Oil, Winston-Salem, N.C., acquired the assets of GOGAS of Wilmington, N.C., including 19 c-stores. The purchase grew the chain to 81 locations and bumps it up 20 positions on the Top 101.
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5. MotoMart
This year: No. 81
Last year: No. 101
Change: 20 positions
FKG Oil’s MotoMart, Belleville, Ill., only added five stores in 2015 through new construction and small acquisitions, but it was enough, when adding in the consolidation and movement within the Top 101 list itself, to move the chain up from the bottom position to No. 81.
Note: The Convenience Top 101 rankings reflect combined company-operated and franchised store counts in the United States and Canada. They do not include licensed or dealer locations. All statistics accurate as of Dec. 1, 2015.
Click here to view the complete 2016 Convenience Top 101
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