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Circle K and Corner Stores Merger/Acquisition - Branding
Circle K and Corner Stores merged their branding in 2017, and have since started rebranding the Corner Stores to only showcase Circle K branding.
LOGO Evolution
- Circle K and Corner Stores merged in 2017. Before the merger, each company had its own different logo — with Circle K showcasing a red and white logo with the letter K as the prominent feature.
- Corner Stores logo before the merger featured the words "Corner Store" in yellow and blue lettering.
- In 2016, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent company of the Circle K brand announced they are making Circle K their global brand, which kicked off "a massive rebranding initiative on the part of the convenience store retailer."
- The merger and the rebranding connected to the merger signified that the logos of Corner Store were slowly getting replaced by Circle K logos instead.
- In 2018, Alimentation Couche-Tard reported that all of its newly acquired Corner Store locations in the US will now carry the global Circle K banner. The efforts will begin in Texas and continue across the country, with the full rebranding taking place in 2019 and 2020.
- Moreover, Circle K changed its logo to feature the words "Circle K" in red and white lettering instead of just the letter K.
- Both company's logos directly prior and after the merger have been compiled in the attached document.
BRANDING
- As mentioned above, right after the merger in 2017 of the two companies, Couche-Tard announced that they are launching a new, global convenience brand called Circle K that will replace the existing Circle K and Corner Store brands.
- The new Circle K brand was designed to replace Couche-Tard’s existing Circle K, Statoil, Mac’s and Kangaroo Express branding for both in store and on service stations across Canada, the USA, Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe.
- Additionally, the new Circle K brand is "set to appear on licensed stores worldwide and will be a fundamental part of Couche-Tard’s future growth."
- In 2018, the company started switching their branding to fully incorporate the Circle K brand within Corner Stores in Texas. At the Texas locations, customers were the first to be able to find Circle K store "layout and promotions, private-label merchandise and Polar Pop offers, as well as all the other quality products and service that have made the brand a global leader in the convenience industry."
- As of spring 2018, according to Couche-Tard, over 2,500 stores in Europe and 1,450 locations in North America carry the new Circle K logo and brand.
- In 2019, the company had another 132 locations in the St. Louis metro area and central and southern Illinois incorporate full Circle K branding for all Corner Stores. According to a Circle K spokesperson, "by the end of 2019, the majority of the company’s more than 200 locations in the St. Louis metro area and Illinois markets will carry Circle K branded fuel."