Couche-Tard turns to Asia to continue its c-store expansion

After conquering part of Europe and North America´s convenience store market, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is setting its eyes on Asia, where it plans to bring the Circle K brand to Thailand and India.

Co-founder and Chairman Alain Bouchard told shareholders on Tuesday that the Canadian company was detailing an expansion plan to enter both of these growing markets. Increasing its presence in Southern China, where Couche-Tard has no stores but is present through licensing agreements, in another of its main goals, reports Bloomberg.

Bouchard told Bloomberg that the company was currently in phase of connecting with people and companies, and studying the characteristics of the market to better understand it.

The company is currently involved in the rebranding of more than 10,000 stores, which generally combine a convenience store and a fuel site, into the Circle K brand. The process is expected to be finished by next year.

Recently, Couche-Tard agreed to buy CST Brands for approximately $4.4 billion.