Circle K brand to enter South Africa

Alimentation Couche-Tard has signed a Master License Agreement with the local company to operate the retail brand across the country.

Alimentation Couche-Tard and Millat Convenience, subsidiary of the Millat Group, have announced a Master License Agreement that will bring Circle K to South Africa. The partnership grants Millat an exclusive license to develop franchised stores in the country with the first site expected to open in late October of 2022 in the Gauteng province.

Millat Group is a privately owned, multinational family business that has built up a portfolio of assets within the tourism and hospitality sector.

“Bringing Circle K to South Africa aligns with our concept of introducing customer-centric brands, experiences, and compelling food service offerings. This further speaks to our strategy to play within the leisure, hospitality, food service and convenience segments. As a brand, Circle K is an acknowledged leader in the convenience retail sector, and this deal will allow for disruption in this space as we are a company with extensive expertise in every facet of convenience and retail,” said Hamza Farooqui, CEO of Millat Group.

This partnership will mark the retailer’s introduction into its 25th country and add new stores to the current approximate network of 1,900 branded locations outside of the United States and Canada.

“Millat Group understands the South African consumer, has a strong track record of building retail, hospitality and food service brands in that country and has exciting plans for the Circle K brand. We are very pleased to be working with them to bring to life our mission to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day,” added Pat Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Global Franchise for Circle K.

The Circle K brand currently operates in several markets across the world, with stores located in regions such as Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania.