strengthened position

Circle K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard is acquiring the Polish convenience store chain Żabka

Met de overname door Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K van 13.000 Żabka-vestigingen, versterkt de Canadese retailformule haar positie in midden- en Oost-Europa. Foto: Żabka, 2026

Circle K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard has announced that it will acquire the Polish Żabka Group. Żabka operates more than 13,000 outlets, including those at petrol stations, and is Poland’s largest convenience store chain.

The proposed takeover is worth around eight billion euros. The deal would mark the largest acquisition in the Canadian retail company’s history and significantly strengthen Circle K’s presence in Central and Eastern Europe. In Northern and Western Europe, including the Benelux countries and Germany, Alimentation Couche-Tard is currently busy fitting out thousands of petrol station sites with Circle K shops. This follows the acquisition in January 2024 of certain European Retail & Cards activities from TotalEnergies.

At petrol stations

Żabka was founded in 1998 and operates more than 13,000 convenience stores in Poland and Romania, serving around 4.3 million customers every day. The retailer also has around 11.7 million digital users across various online platforms. Dozens of Żabka outlets are located at petrol stations. The chain collaborates with several petrol station chains, such as Avia and smaller local oil companies.

In August 2025, it was announced that Unimot Group, owner of Avia petrol stations in Poland, had entered into a partnership with Żabka Polska to open several Żabka shops at Avia stations.

Transition

With the acquisition of Żabka, Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K aims to offer consumers on the move a range of food and drink products for consumption on the spot or on the go. The petrol station sector is particularly important in this regard, as petrol stations are currently transforming into convenience outlets where motorists spend more time and can then make use of a range of services such as food and drink.

Retail and convenience

Although the parent company behind Circle K originally operated kiosks that were open late into the night (the name Couche-Tard means ‘night owl’), Circle K in Europe developed around the petrol station and the motorist. Now that more and more people are switching to electric vehicles, the future is shifting towards retail and convenience rather than traditional motorway service stations.

In Poland, the announced acquisition of the Żabka Group will complement the existing Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K network, which comprises nearly 400 Circle K petrol stations.

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This article was automatically translated from the original Dutch text into British English.

Author: Paul Blonk

Source: Mobility Energy

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