$ATD (-2,26 %) Alimentation Couche-Tard says several potential buyers have made proposals to acquire its convenience stores in the U.S. that overlap with Seven & I Holdings, showing progress on a deal that could help the Canadian retailer win regulatory approval for its proposal to buy its Japanese rival.

The two agreed earlier this year to discuss the possible divestiture of more than 2,000 stores in the U.S. and seek interested parties to address concerns from Seven & I about a merger blocked by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Couche-Tard also resisted any parallels to a failed $24.6 billion merger of grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons.

Seven & I, which operates the 7-Eleven, Speedway and Sunoco stores, has balked at Couche-Tard's unsolicited 7.39 trillion yen ($51.3 billion) takeover offer and is overhauling its business under new Chief Executive Officer Stephen Dacus to increase its value. Despite the resistance, Couche-Tard, the parent company of Circle K, has pushed ahead with the talks by entering into a non-disclosure agreement two months ago to gain access to financial information and potentially increase its bid.

"We have received several indicative proposals from very experienced and credible buyers," Couche-Tard said on a website it set up to explain its proposal to buy Seven&I. "We believe the actionable, strong and broad interest to date clearly demonstrates that we have several clear paths to complete the required divestitures and finalize the transaction."

Several private equity firms have shown strong interest in buying the assets, Filipe Da Silva, Couche-Tard's chief financial officer, said in March.

Couche-Tard also addressed some concerns about a potential merger by highlighting the differences between its proposal and the moribund Kroger-Albertsons combination. The FTC blocked the deal last year on antitrust grounds, saying the divestiture plan was inadequate; Seven & I cited that as a high risk factor for approving a deal with Couche-Tard.

"The convenience store industry in the U.S. is highly fragmented and competitive," Couche-Tard said. "The combination of Couche-Tard and Seven & i results in a deal with less than 13% of U.S. convenience stores."

The Canadian retailer also reiterated that it has "a mandatory reverse termination fee" in case a transaction is not completed.

SOURCE: https://www.japantimes.co.jp

The Circle K petrol station chain $ATD (-2,26 %)
has opened its first new location in the Gothenburg district of Gårda, where there are only fast-charging stations and no more petrol pumps. In February, Circle K had already opened its largest fast-charging location worldwide in Sweden.

The new charging park is located near the center of Gothenburg and offers ten fast chargers as well as a small Circle K supermarket. The Gårda district is "conveniently located on the Swedish highway E6", as they say. The hardware comes from Kempower and provides up to 400 kW. According to the operator, the location is "the largest pure charging station for electric vehicles in Circle K's global network".

In technical terms, Kempower has equipped the site with a charging system consisting of two 600 kW power units and ten individual satellites, each of which can deliver up to 400 kW. The power is distributed dynamically between the connected vehicles. And: "an improved version of Kempower's Autocharge function" will make its debut on site, allowing users to register their car so that future charging processes are automatically initiated and paid for when the charging gun is plugged in.

Hans-Olav Høidahl, EVP European Operations and Global eMobility, describes the new charging park as "an important step in our journey to attract customers with electric vehicles - by offering them easy and convenient charging with a comprehensive retail experience". With ultra-fast chargers, food and drink, Wi-Fi and plenty of seating, the location has been designed to meet the needs of customers.

The launch of the new location in Gårda follows the opening of Circle K's largest charging hub to date in Lärna, Sweden, with 20 HPC charging points for electric cars and six for electric trucks. According to the company, its European network now comprises more than 3,000 charging points. In terms of conventional charging stations, Circle K currently has around 17,000 locations worldwide.

Source: www.electrive.net

Japan's Seven & i Holdings plans to sell a partial stake in Seven Bank to trading house Itochu, with an announcement expected as early as May 30, the Nikkei business reported on Tuesday.

Seven & i will first discuss with Itochu the transfer of a stake of about 10 percent in Seven Bank, worth about 30 billion yen ($208 million), held by group supermarket operators Ito-Yokado and York Benimaru, the Nikkei reported.

Seven & i wants to focus on its core convenience store business as it faces a takeover bid from Canada's $ATD (-2,26 %)

Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Shares in Seven Bank rose more than 8% after the report. A spokesman for Seven & i said he could not immediately comment.

Source: investing.com

The Canadian convenience$ATD (-2,26 %) Alimentation Couche-Tard (TSX:ATD) and Seven & i Holdings (PINL:SVNDF) , operator of 7-Eleven stores, have announced the signing of a confidentiality agreement . This agreement grants Couche-Tard access to Seven & i's financial information as part of its efforts to complete a $47 billion acquisition.

After its illustrious history, this non-disclosure agreement marks a significant step forward in the takeover talks that have been ongoing since August. Couche-Tard, known for its Circle K convenience stores in Canada and the US, is seeking to acquire Seven & i to expand its global footprint. The exact terms of the agreement remain confidential, but include a standstill clause to protect Seven & i from hostile takeovers.

If successful, the acquisition would be the largest takeover of a Japanese company by a foreign buyer. Seven & i shares rose 2.7 percent in early trading in Tokyo following the announcement, outperforming the Nikkei index.

Seven & i had previously cited antitrust hurdles in the USA as the main obstacle to the deal. However, the two companies have been working together since March to find buyers for more than 2,000 stores that could be considered for sale.

Seven & i has accelerated the restructuring of its management and operations. This includes the sale of non-core businesses, the appointment of a new CEO and the appointment of four new board members.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is present in 31 countries and regions with over 16,700 stores, of which approximately 13,100 offer road transportation fuels. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K brands, the company is one of the largest independent convenience store operators in the United States.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc (TSX:ATD) opened trading down 1.31 percent at C$71.96 per share and has lost 5.23 percent since this time last year.

Join the discussion: Find out what everyone is saying about this stock on the Alimentation Couche-Tard Bullboard , and check out the rest of Stockhouse's stock forums and message boards .

The information in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. The full disclaimer can be found here .

Photo: Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Source: themarketonline.ca

Today I went back to my favorite company.

• After my last post about $ATD (-2,26 %) quarterly figures remain positive
• finally reached a fair valuation
• further takeovers planned (with $3382 (-0,05 %) in talks)

In uncertain times, it is important to keep a watchlist so that you can pick up stable shares at bargain prices. I hope we go down a few more levels, another -20% would be nice, even if the short to medium-term price losses hurt.

I currently have almost 30 stocks on my watchlist, some of which are attractive in terms of price, while others are still far too high for me. I have not listed stocks that are already in my portfolio and that I would like to buy (in order of dividend amount):

Hercules Capital $HTGC (+0 %) or Main Street Capital $MAIN (-0,98 %)
Chevron $CVX (-0,49 %)

Vinci SA $DG (+1,25 %)
United Parcel Service $UPS (+0,48 %)
3i Infrastructure $3IN (+0 %)
Iron Mountain $IRM (+1,26 %)
Micro Star International $MSS
Nextera Energy $NEE (-1,15 %)
Partners Group $PGHN (+1,99 %)
Itochu Shoji $8001 (-0,37 %)
Canadian National Railway $CNR (-0,65 %)
Svenska Cellulosa $SCA B (+0,99 %)
VAT $VAT
Investor AB $IVSB
Assa Abloy $ASSA B (+2,53 %)
Linde $LIN (-0,88 %)
John Deere $DE (+1,51 %)
Landstar Systems $LSTR (+1,28 %)
Dover Corporation $DOV (+0 %)
Alimentation Couche-Tard $ATD (-2,26 %)
ASML $ASML (-0,48 %)
Infineon Technologies $IFX (+0,08 %)
Sherwin-Williams $SHW (+0,98 %)
Tencent $700 (-0,42 %)
Microsoft $MSFT (-0,2 %)
S&P Global Inc. $SPGI (-0,08 %) or Moody's Corp. $MCO (+1,03 %)
Visa $V (+0,62 %) or Mastercard $MA (+0,24 %)
Ferrari $RACE (+2,7 %)

Which stocks do you have on your watchlist?

#aktien
#watchlist
#crash
#stock
#market

It's growing... but read for yourself... $ATD (-2,26 %)

Quarterly highlights

• Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders was $641.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 compared to $623.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Adjusted net income attributable to the Company's shareholders was approximately $641.0 million compared to $625.0 million for the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 2.6%.
• Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders was $0.68 per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2025, compared to $0.65 per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Adjusted diluted net income per share was $0.68 , an increase of 4.6% compared to $0.65 in the corresponding quarter of the prior year.
• Total revenue from goods and services amounted to USD 5.3 billion , an increase of 5.0%. Comparable goods revenue decreased by 0.1 % in the US, while it increased by 0.2 % in Europe and other regions and by 2.8 % in Canada.
• The gross margin for goods and services rose by 0.9 % to 34.0 % in the USA, fell by 0.2 % to 39.0 % in Europe and other regions and fell by 1.8 % to 32.4 % in Canada.
• Fuel volumes for road transportation fell by 3.0 % in the USA and by 0.9 % in Europe and other regions, while they rose by 3.6 % in Canada.
• The gross margin for road transportation fuels was 44.28 cents per gallon in the US (an increase of 1.09 cents per gallon), 9.29 cents per gallon in Europe and other regions (an increase of 0.73 cents per gallon) and 13.54 cents per gallon in Canada (an increase of 0.55 cents per gallon).

Summary of the third quarter of the financial year 2025

For the third quarter ended February 2, 2025, Couche-Tard reported net income attributable to shareholders of the Company of $641.4 million, representing $0.68 per share on a diluted basis, compared to $623.4 million for the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2024, representing $0.65 per share on a diluted basis. Results for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 were impacted by pre-tax net foreign exchange gain of $12.3 million and pre-tax acquisition costs of $8.7 million. The results for the comparable quarter of financial year 2024 were impacted by a pre-tax acquisition cost of USD 5.6 million and a pre-tax net foreign exchange gain of USD 5.4 million. Excluding these items, adjusted net income attributable to the Company's shareholders was approximately $641.0 million, or $0.68 per share on a diluted basis for the third quarter of fiscal 2025, compared to $625.0 million, or $0.65 per share on a diluted basis for the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2024. This represents an increase in adjusted diluted net income per share of 4.6% . This increase is primarily due to higher on-road fuel gross margin, the contribution from acquisitions, organic growth in our convenience businesses and the positive impact of the share repurchase program, partially offset by the impact of strategic investments on operating expenses and depreciation and amortization. All financial information presented is in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Key items for the third quarter of the 2025 financial year

• Approximately one year after the acquisition of certain European retail assets from TotalEnergies, our annual operating cost synergies reached approximately EUR 13.0 million ( USD 14.0 million ) as of February 2, 2025. The synergies are on track and are expected to reach EUR 120.0 million ( USD 127.0 million ) in financial year 2027 and EUR 170.0 million ( USD 179.0 million ) in financial year 2029. These synergies should lead to a reduction in operating, selling, general and administrative expenses and an increase in revenue through the implementation of the Group's best practices in operations, customer offerings and concepts.

Further changes to our network in the third quarter of financial year 2025

• We acquired 38 company-owned stores, including 20 Hutch's branded stores in the US states of Oklahoma and Kansas and 15 stores in the Netherlands . This means that we have acquired a total of 40 company-owned stores through various transactions since the beginning of the 2025 financial year. We have completed these transactions with our available cash.
• We have completed the construction of 31 stores and the relocation or conversion of 8 stores and now have a total of 69 stores since the beginning of the 2025 financial year. As at February 2, 2025, a further 56 stores were under construction and are scheduled to open in the coming quarters.

Revenue

Our revenue totaled USD 20.9 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, an increase of USD 1.3 billion, or 6.5%, compared to the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2024, primarily due to the contribution from acquisitions and higher sales in our wholesale fuel business, partially offset by a lower average selling price for on-road fuel, weak fuel demand and traffic impacts from the unusual winter conditions in the United States, as well as the net negative impact of approximately USD 212.0 million from the translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, our revenue increased by USD 4.9 billion or 9.5 % compared to the same period in financial year 2024, mainly due to similar factors as in the third quarter. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of around USD 204.0 million on our revenue.

Revenue from goods and services

Total revenue from goods and services for the third quarter of financial year 2025 amounted to USD 5.3 billion, an increase of USD 253.0 million compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a net negative effect of approximately USD 42.0 million. The remaining increase of approximately USD 295.0 million or 5.9% is mainly due to the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 248.0 million and organic growth. Comparable merchandise sales decreased by 0.1% in the United States as many regions were affected by unusual winter conditions and customers remained cautious in their spending. Comparable merchandise revenue increased 0.2% in Europe and other regions, supported by cigarette sales in the Netherlands as new legislation was favorable to our industry, partially offset by the category's continued struggles in Asia due to tax increases. In Canada, comparable store merchandise sales increased by 2.8%, driven by strong growth in the alcohol category. This was partially offset by a decline in sales of other nicotine products, both of which were also due to new legislation.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, growth in trade and service sales amounted to USD 743.4 million or 5.5 % compared to the corresponding period in financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of approximately USD 57.0 million . Comparable store sales decreased by 0.9 % in the US, 1.0 % in Europe and other regions and 1.0 % in Canada.

Revenue from road transportation fuels

Total revenue from road transportation fuels amounted to USD 15.4 billion in the third quarter of financial year 2025 , an increase of USD 1.1 billion compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a net negative effect of approximately USD 164.0 million . The remaining increase of approximately USD 1.3 billion or 8.7% is mainly due to the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 2.0 billion and higher revenues from our European wholesale activities as a result of a change in our business model. This increase was partially offset by a lower average selling price for road transportation fuels, which had a negative impact of approximately USD 906.0 million, and weak fuel demand. Fuel volumes for road transportation in the USA fell by 3.0% on a comparable basis. This was due to unusual winter conditions and lower traffic volumes in regions where we have a strong presence. In Europe and other regions, fuel volumes for road transportation fell by 0.9 % on a like-for-like basis, while in Canada they rose by 3.6 % .

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, revenue from the road transportation fuel business increased by USD 4.2 billion or 11.2% compared to the same period in financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of approximately USD 144.0 million . Fuel volumes for road transportation in comparable stores decreased by 2.1 % in the USA, by 0.8 % in Europe and other regions and increased by 0.9 % in Canada.

Other revenue

Total other income for the third quarter of financial year 2025 amounted to USD 192.2 million, a decrease of USD 57.2 million compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a net negative effect of approximately USD 5.0 million. The remaining decrease of approximately USD 52.0 million, or 20.9%, is mainly due to lower revenues from our heating oil and marine fuel products as a result of lower demand, partially offset by the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 14.0 million.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, other income totalled USD 454.7 million, a decrease of USD 62.8 million or 12.1 % compared to the same period in financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of approximately USD 3.0 million .

Gross profit

Our gross profit amounted to USD 3.8 billion in the third quarter of the 2025 financial year. This represents an increase of USD 322.7 million, or 9.4%, compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024, mainly due to the contribution from acquisitions, a higher gross margin in Road Freight and improved gross margins in Goods and Services , partially offset by weak fuel demand in the US. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of around USD 32.0 million .

In the first three quarters of fiscal 2025, our gross profit increased by USD 771.9 million, or 8.3%, compared to the first three quarters of fiscal 2024, primarily due to similar factors as in the third quarter. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of around USD 37.0 million.

Gross profit from goods and services

In the third quarter of financial year 2025, our gross profit from goods and services amounted to USD 1.8 billion, an increase of USD 118.0 million compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of approximately USD 16.0 million. The remaining increase of approximately USD 134.0 million or 7.8% is mainly due to the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 89.0 million and an improved gross margin from goods and services in the US. Our gross margin from goods and services increased by 0.9% to 34.0% in the USA due to improved delivery conditions, while it fell by 0.2% to 39.0% in Europe and other regions. Our gross margin in the goods and services segment fell by 1.8% to 32.4% in Canada. This is due to a change in the product mix, as the new alcohol sales have a lower margin than the other nicotine products that are no longer sold in our stores.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, our gross profit from goods and services amounted to USD 4.9 billion, an increase of USD 270.9 million compared to the first three quarters of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of around USD 21.0 million . Our gross margin from goods and services declined by 0.2% to 33.8% in the USA, by 0.3% to 39.0% in Europe and other regions and by 0.2% to 33.6% in Canada.

Gross profit from road transportation fuels

In the third quarter of financial year 2025, our gross profit from road transportation fuels amounted to USD 1.9 billion, an increase of USD 188.5 million compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of approximately USD 16.0 million. The remaining increase of USD 204.0 million, or 12.2%, was mainly due to the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 122.0 million and an improved gross margin for road transportation fuels1 in all regions, partially offset by weak fuel demand and traffic in the US due to unusual winter conditions. In the U.S., our on-road fuel gross margin was 44.28 cents per gallon (an increase of 1.09 cents per gallon), in Europe and other regions it was 9.29 U.S. cents per liter (an increase of 0.73 U.S. cents per liter) and in Canada it was 13.54 CA cents per liter (an increase of 0.55 CA cents per liter). Fuel margins remained healthy across our network thanks to the continued optimization of our supply chain and strong execution in our stores. In Europe and other regions, the gross margin for road fuels was also negatively impacted by a change in our wholesale activities.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, our gross profit from road transportation fuels was USD 5.0 billion, an increase of USD 458.7 million compared to the first three quarters of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency operations into US dollars had a net negative impact of approximately USD 16.0 million . The gross margin for transportation fuels1 was 46.02 cents per gallon in the US, 9.48 cents per gallon in Europe and other regions and 13.35 cents per gallon in Canada .

Other income Gross profit

In the third quarter of financial year 2025, gross profit from other income amounted to USD 69.8 million, an increase of USD 16.2 million or 30.2 % compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024, mainly due to the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 12.0 million . The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of around USD 1.0 million on gross profit from other income.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, gross profit from other income amounted to USD 166.3 million, an increase of USD 42.3 million or 34.1% compared to the same period in financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative impact of around USD 1.0 million on gross profit from other income.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and impairment ("EBITDA ") and adjusted EBITDA

In the third quarter of financial year 2025, EBITDA amounted to USD 1.6 billion, an increase of USD 164.0 million or 11.2% compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of financial year 2025 increased by USD 167.1 million, or 11.3%, compared to the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024, mainly due to the higher gross margin for road transportation fuels, the contribution from acquisitions of approximately USD 104.0 million and organic growth in our convenience business, partially offset by weak fuel demand. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of approximately USD 12.0 million.

For the first three quarters of FY 2025, EBITDA amounted to USD 4.7 billion, an increase of USD 277.0 million, or 6.2%, compared to the first three quarters of FY 2024. Adjusted EBITDA for the first three quarters of FY 2025 increased by USD 276.4 million, or 6.2%, compared to the first three quarters of FY 2024, primarily due to the contribution from acquisitions of approx. 389.0 million and a higher gross margin for road transportation fuels in Europe and other regions, partially offset by a lower gross margin for road transportation fuels in the United States and a slowdown in traffic and fuel demand as low-income consumers were impacted by challenging economic conditions. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a net negative effect of approximately USD 15.0 million.

Depreciation, amortization and impairment ("depreciation")

In the third quarter of financial year 2025, our depreciation and amortization expenses increased by USD 118.7 million, or 22.1%, compared to the third quarter of financial year 2024. This is primarily due to the impact of capital expenditures related to business acquisitions of approximately USD 70.0 million, equipment replacements and ongoing improvements to our network. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a positive net effect of around USD 6.0 million on depreciation and amortization.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, our depreciation and amortization expenses increased by USD 297.0 million compared to the first three quarters of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a positive net effect of around USD 6.0 million. The remaining increase of USD 303.0 million or 23.9 % is mainly due to similar factors as in the third quarter.

Income taxes

The income tax rate for the third quarter was 21.0% compared to 22.0% for the corresponding quarter of financial year 2024. The income tax rate for the first three quarters of financial year 2025 was 22.6%, similar to the corresponding period of financial year 2024. The decrease in the third quarter of financial year 2025 is mainly due to the impact of a different composition of our income in the various jurisdictions in which we operate.

Net profit attributable to shareholders of the company and adjusted net profit attributable to shareholders of the company

Net income attributable to shareholders of the Company amounted to USD 641.4 million in the third quarter of financial year 2025 compared to USD 623.4 million in the third quarter of financial year 2024. This represents an increase of USD 18.0 million or 2.9 %. Diluted net earnings per share amounted to USD 0.68, compared to USD 0.65 in the same quarter of the previous year. The translation of our foreign currency transactions into US dollars had a negative net effect of around USD 6.0 million on the net profit attributable to the shareholders of the company in the third quarter of financial year 2025.

Adjusted net income attributable to the shareholders of the Company amounted to approximately USD 641.0 million in the third quarter of financial year 2025 compared to USD 625.0 million in the third quarter of financial year 2024. This corresponds to an increase of USD 16.0 million or 2.6 %. Adjusted diluted net earnings per share amounted to USD 0.68 in the third quarter of the 2025 financial year, compared to USD 0.65 in the corresponding quarter of the 2024 financial year. This corresponds to an increase of 4.6 %.

In the first three quarters of financial year 2025, net income attributable to the company's shareholders amounted to USD 2.1 billion, a decrease of USD 135.7 million or 6.0 % compared to the first three quarters of financial year 2024. Diluted net income per share amounted to USD 2.25 compared to USD 2.35 in the corresponding period of financial year 2024. The translation of our foreign currency operations into US dollars had a net negative impact of approximately USD 8.0 million on net income attributable to the Company's shareholders for the first three quarters of financial year 2025.

Adjusted net income attributable to shareholders of the Company for the first three quarters of fiscal 2025 amounted to USD 2.1 billion, a decrease of USD 119.0 million, or 5.3 %, compared to the first three quarters of fiscal 2024. Adjusted diluted net income per share amounted to USD 2.25 for the first three quarters of fiscal 2025, compared to USD 2.32 for the first three quarters of fiscal 2024, a decrease of 3.0 %.

Dividends

During its meeting on March 18, 2025, the Board of Directors announced a quarterly dividend of 19.5 CA cents per share for the third quarter of the 2025 financial year to shareholders of record on March 27, 2025 and approved its payment effective April 10, 2025.

Alex Miller, President and Chief Executive Officer said: "We are pleased to report positive business improvements this quarter. While consumers continue to be cautious in their spending, we are seeing encouraging signs of resilience. Comparable store sales were positive in both Canada and Europe compared to the prior year quarter, and we saw sequential improvement in the U.S., but were impacted by historic winter storms in our southern businesses. The grocery sector continued to grow in the US as our menu deal promotions performed well and were extended to Canada. In our fuel business, we are maintaining our market share in the US and our margins are in line with recent quarters. With inflationary pressures continuing, our top priority is to win our customers by offering them the products and services they want at a compelling price."

Filipe Da Silva , Chief Financial Officer added: "We made remarkable progress this quarter, delivering our strongest performance improvement in over a year as we continue to navigate challenging consumer trends, particularly in the United States. Our results reflect a balanced mix of organic growth and acquisitions and demonstrate the strength of our globally diversified network, the success of our integration activities and our commitment to long-term, sustainable growth. This quarter also marks the first anniversary of the acquisition of certain TotalEnergies assets. TotalEnergies is on track to realize synergies and continues to deliver solid results thanks to the dedicated efforts of all our team members."

Source: newswire.ca

The Circle K petrol station chain has opened its largest fast-charging station in Sweden to date. The charging park in Järna, southwest of Stockholm, offers 20 HPC charging points for electric cars and six more for electric trucks. Circle K also plans to open its first own location in Sweden dedicated exclusively to charging electric vehicles in the spring.

Circle K describes the new 30,000 square meter site in Järna as its flagship filling station. Due to its strategic location, the filling station chain sees great potential for the charging park.

The area for electric cars, which is covered and equipped with solar modules, offers ten Alpitronic Hyperchargers with an output of up to 400 kW each. Two CCS and one CHAdeMO connection are available per charging station. However, as only two connections can be used simultaneously, there are 20 fast-charging points. The charging points are set up according to a "drive-through" concept, but can only be accessed by vehicles to a limited extent.

The situation is different with the other three charging stations set up next to them, although they do not have a roof. The fast chargers, also supplied by Alpitronic, each offer a maximum output of up to 400 kW and two CCS charging options. These are also suitable for e-trucks. It is not clear from the press release whether they are exclusive.

According to Circle K, the new fast-charging location was designed to offer "a safe, efficient and smooth charging experience in combination with a spacious store". The wishes of customers are said to have been taken into account. In addition to the "drive-through" solution, where electric cars drive in and out in one direction, illuminated areas and clearly marked crosswalks were also on the wish list.

"We've thought of pretty much everything here," says Jeremy Knights, CEO of Circle K Sverige AB. So it's hardly surprising that the site also has a large store with food and drink. If you don't want to leave your car, you can also order your food and have it delivered to your vehicle. For everyone else, there is seating outside and inside.

While the location in Järna offers conventional fuel as well as electricity, the situation will be different at another location, which is also due to open in the spring: Circle K Gårda is to be the first location of the filling station chain where only electric vehicles can be charged.

$ATD (-2,26 %)
#tankstelle
#marke
#couchetard
#eauto
#emobility

Circle K Ireland Energy's pre-tax profits almost halved last year to €6.9 million.

New accounts from Circle K Energy Ireland Ltd show that pre-tax profits fell by 46 percent, while revenue fell by 27 percent from €1.72 billion to €1.25 billion in the 12 months to the end of April.

The company's main activity is the marketing and distribution of fuels and petroleum products, as Circle K reports its retail sales here as a separate business.

The pre-tax profit of EUR 6.9 million follows a pre-tax profit of EUR 12.7 million in the previous year.

The directors state that "lower selling prices for fuel and petroleum products reflected the fall in commodity market prices and resulted in lower revenue than the previous year".

The company's distribution costs also fell accordingly by 27 percent from 1.66 billion euros to 1.2 billion euros.

The company's gross profit of €39.8 million was 28 percent lower than the previous year's gross profit of €55.77 million, "resulting in the gross profit margin remaining reasonably stable in both years," the directors said.

The directors state that a transfer pricing policy is in place to ensure that sales of petroleum products between group companies are made at arm's length, which may have an impact on the company's operating profit year on year.

They state that as a result, operating profit fell by 28 percent from €15.34 million to €10.95 million and higher net financial expenses of €3.98 million contributed to the €6.9 million decline in pre-tax profit.

The company recorded an after-tax profit of 5.58 million euros, following a corporation tax charge of 1.3 million euros.

On the future development of the company, the directors state that the company is "well positioned to grow its business for the foreseeable future. The company will focus on growing organically."

The number of employees fell from 150 to 147, as personnel costs increased slightly from EUR 8.92 million to EUR 8.96 million.

Personnel costs include severance payments of € 283,000, which will be preceded by a payment under this heading of € 163,000 in the 2023 financial year.

Executive Board remuneration increased from € 1.29 million to € 1.92 million.

The profit includes non-cash depreciation and amortization of € 6.5 million.

At the end of April, the company had equity of 77.17 million euros, including 4.2 million euros in cash.

The Circle K brand sought to expand here last year, buying nine service stations and convenience stores from Pelco, the retail group run by Paul Fitzgerald and Lynda Fitzgerald.

Pelco reported sales of €59 million and a pre-tax profit of €1.43 million in 2023.

Last month, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) launched an extensive investigation into the planned purchase of Circle K.

If the deal is approved, the expansion would increase the total number of Circle K locations in Ireland to 419 and the number of stores from 168 to 177.

Circle K's ultimate parent company is Canada-based $ATD (-2,26 %) Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Source: breakingnews.ie

The Japanese Ito family, which owns the 7-Eleven subsidiary $8183 & I , wants to use the capital of US fund Apollo Global Management and the owner of Japanese competitor FamilyMart to prevent a possible takeover by Canadian conglomerate $ATD (-2,26 %) Couche-Tard .

55 billion needed

Apollo Global Management has agreed to contribute 1.5 trillion yen (9.1 billion euros) to the deal, while Familymart's Itochu is expected to invest over one trillion yen (6 billion euros). The total amount needed for the acquisition is estimated at 9 trillion yen (55 billion euros) and will be backed by major Japanese banks, reports The Japan Times.

This strategic move is in response to an unsolicited takeover bid from Canada's Couche-Tard last year, which raised significant concerns at Seven & I. The Board of Directors is currently reviewing both offers and points out that many details still require further clarification. At the same time, Seven & I is working on a restructuring plan to separate its profitable convenience store business from its weaker retail segments.

Damage if the deal does not work out, if not other companies will be found.

Source: retaildetail.eu