Couche-Tard to acquire Wilsons c-store, fuel network in Atlantic Canada

The Wilsons network comprises 79 corporate-owned and operated convenience and fuel retail locations, and 147 dealer sites.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. entered a binding agreement to acquire an independent convenience store and fuel network in Atlantic Canada under the Esso, Wilsons Gas Stops and Go! Store brands, according to a company’s press release.

The Wilsons network comprises locations operating in all four Atlantic Canada provinces and includes 79 corporate-owned and operated convenience retail and fuel locations, 147 dealer locations (of which two are corporately owned), and a marine fuel terminal in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The networks were operated by Cape D'Or Holdings Limited, Barrington Terminals Limited and other related holding entities.

Couche-Tard intends to acquire the Wilsons network with some assets to be purchased by a third-party acquisition partner to be determined following a review of the proposed transaction by the Canadian Competition Bureau.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of the 2022 calendar year and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including under the Competition Act. The transaction will be financed using the Couche-Tard's available cash and or existing credit facilities.

Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with more than 14,200 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K banners, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores in the United States and it is a leader in the convenience store industry and road transportation fuel retail in Canada, Scandinavia, the Baltics, as well as in Ireland. It also has an important presence in Poland and Hong Kong.