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C 30 Couche - Tard CIRCLE K Ⓡ ingo PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT BETWEEN ALIMENTATION COUCHE - TARD AND CARREFOUR Laval , Québec , Canada - Massy , France - January 16 , 2021 Preliminary discussions around a transaction , mindful of all stakeholders , had been initiated between Carrefour SA ( << Carrefour >> ) ( Paris : CA ) and Alimentation Couche - Tard Inc. ( « < Couche - Tard » ) ( TSX : ATD.A ) ( TSX : ATD.B ) following a friendly approach from the latter . In light of recent events , these are no longer continuing . Carrefour and Couche - Tard , however , have decided to extend their discussions to examine opportunities for operational partnerships . Among the preliminary areas of cooperation to be explored are sharing best practices on fuel , pooling purchasing volumes , partnering on private labels , improving the customer journey through innovation , and evaluating ways of optimizing product distribution in the overlapping networks . Alexandre Bompard , Chairman and CEO , Carrefour : " Building innovative partnerships is a key part of Carrefour's transformation strategy . The promising partnerships anticipated with North American leader Couche - Tard is fully aligned with this strategy , which has enabled us to return to a profitable growth path . " Brian Hannasch , President and CEO , Couche - Tard : " The opportunity for operational partnerships with Carrefour will further our journey towards becoming a leading global retailer . The discussed areas for cooperation align with our five - year strategic plan , as well as our commitment to strengthening our core convenience and fuel business and pursuing opportunities in multiple , related growth platforms . " About Alimentation Couche - Tard Inc. Couche - Tard is the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry , with a market cap of approximately C $ 46 billion as at January 12 , 2021. In the United States , it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company - operated stores . In Europe , Couche - Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian countries ( Norway , Sweden and Denmark ) , in the Baltic countries ( Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania ) , as well as in Ireland , and has an important presence in Poland . As of October 11 , 2020 , Couche - Tard's network comprised 9,261 convenience stores throughout North America , including 8,085 stores with road transportation fuel dispensing . Its North American network consists of 18 business units , including 14 in the United States covering 47 states and 4 in Canada covering all 10 provinces . Approximately 109,000 people are employed throughout its network and at its service offices in North America . In Europe , Couche - Tard operates a broad retail network across Scandinavia , Ireland , Poland , the Baltics and Russia through 10 business units . As of October 11 , 2020 , Couche - Tard's network comprised 2,722 stores , the majority of which offer road transportation fuel and convenience products while the others are unmanned automated fuel stations which only offer road transportation fuel . Couche - Tard