The Thirst Buster fountain drink was introduced in 1983. In 1979, Circle K entered the international market when a licensing agreement established the first Circle K stores in Japan; Circle K stores in Japan are run by the Corporation, which licenses the Circle K brand from Alimentation Couche-Tard. All operations were rebranded into Circle K by the end of 2018. Within the United States, Circle K owns and operates stores in 35 states, primarily in the , especially , , and Especially. . These 43 stores were to be rebranded under the Circle K name.
In 1983, the number of stores increased to 2,180 with the purchase of the 960-store chain. In 1996, Circle K was acquired by , an independent petroleum refiner and marketer, but kept its headquarters in Phoenix. In April 2009, sold 43 stores to parent company Couche-Tard as part of a sale of the larger franchise. In July 2010, Circle K had dropped down to fourth rank in number of stores 3,455 , behind 6,523 stores , 4,730 stores and 4,630 convenience stores in 2010. According to the Circle K website, Circle K grew its retail network through a series of acquisitions conducted during the next few decades, which were incorporated into the Circle K brand. Circle K previously operated in the , and , acting as the food-store portions of many stations.
Couche-Tard similarly acquired 's retail locations in Ontario 228 and Quebec 50 the same year, and rebranded the convenience stores in Ontario many of which previously operating under the On the Run brand to Circle K. In Europe, Circle K is present in , , , , , , , , and the. The same sponsorship is in place with the at ; if the Diamondbacks strike out ten batters or more, that game's attendees receive a for a free cup of Polar Pop, while Indians fans receive the same voucher after select home games. Circle K Hong Kong was founded in 1985 by Retailing later Fung Retailing as licensee of the name and is now part of Convenience Retail Asia Limited. Circle K, along with , currently sponsors. ConocoPhillips remodeled the stores into the Circle K scheme but continued to operate them.
In April 2018, Couche-Tard announced that they too would be rebranded to Circle K. Archived from on July 5, 2009. He grew the Circle K chain into neighboring New Mexico and Arizona, which has been the company's home base since 1957 Hervey would go on to serve two terms as mayor of El Paso. Fuel is sold under various brands, with the Circle K and brands the most common. These stores were spun off as in May 2012.
Circle K currently has 349 locations throughout Hong Kong. In April 2006 Circle K purchased over 90 store in the Alabama and Georgia area from West Point, Ga based Spectrum Stores. It is present in most of the 50 U. The parties had earlier formed a similar partnership in , with the stores there operated as Couche-Tard. Tosco was purchased in 2001 by Phillips Petroleum, which, in 2002, merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips. Other brands of fuel sold at Circle K stores include , , , , , , and. The acquisition closed in March 2015.
On February 10, 2014, Modelo Group Sold the brand of stores to the Mexican franchise of Circle K, Circulo K. In 2014 it switched to driver. Some underperforming locations were sold or closed. Archived from on November 16, 2017. Circle K station in Circle K Stores Inc. On September 23, 2015, Couche-Tard unveiled a refreshed brand identity for Circle K, and announced that the Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and English Canada brands would be converted to Circle K. The Polar Pop brand is also used at Couche-Tard-branded stores.
However, the Mainways in did not change until summer 2010. The Circle K brand re-entered the Canadian market in 2008, in connection with Couche-Tard's acquisition of 's convenience store network. In 2016, Couche-Tard acquired the Irish service station chain. Another oil company, -based , leased out its convenience stores operating under the Bluecanoe and Mainway banners in the United States and to Couche-Tard, which rebranded the locations to Circle K in July 2008, while still selling Irving-branded fuel. During that time, Eller built Circle K into the second largest convenience store operation and the largest publicly owned convenience store chain in the U.
Also in 2017, Circle K became the official shirt sponsor of side and signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with the. It is one of Circle K's flagship products today. Most American locations offer any size for under one American dollar, except for their 52-ounce or above cups, which are priced at over a dollar. The Canadian Froster which was introduced to macs stores in 1998 and became very popular throughout western Canada and Ontario. In May 2017, a sponsored Circle K Power Cube was introduced into the online game.
The 52-ounce cups are plastic. On August 12, 2015 Circle K opened its first five convenience stores in , Central America after having bought and rebranded the local convenience store chain Delimart. In 2015, Circle K unveiled a new logo and brand identity, and Couche-Tard announced that it would deploy the brand in English-speaking Canada in parallel with, and in some cases rebranded from the chain , and in Europe to replace. In 2017, Couche-Tard completed its acquisition of , adding stores formerly owned by , and a portion of the chain in Canada to Circle K with the latter also switching fuel suppliers to Irving. In 2017, Circle K went to in sponsoring and for six races with a full livery. A small number of stores do not sell gasoline. In 1993 the company was purchased by , an international investment group, and emerged from bankruptcy.