Couche-Tard's Leader Earns a Place in the Hall of Fame

This year's retailer inductee into the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame is Brian Hannasch, president and CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Hannasch is certainly deserving of the honor. During his tenure at the helm of the Laval, Quebec-based company, Couche-Tard has made aggressive moves to grow its presence across the globe. Among its major acquisitions were The Pantry Inc., the parent of Kangaroo Express; CST Brands Inc., parent company of Corner Stores; and Holiday Cos., the parent of Holiday Stationstores. And those are just the U.S. deals.

Under Hannasch's leadership, Couche-Tard also embarked on a mission to unite the retailer's brands under one global banner: Circle K. This includes most of its 16,000 stores across the world, except those in Quebec which continue displaying the Couche-Tard logo.

And let's not forget the progress Couche-Tard has made on the technology front. With Hannasch as CEO for the past decade, the Circle K parent company has become a leader in electric vehicle charging in Norway, a program it is preparing to bring to the United States. It is rolling out Pay by Plate payment technology across its network, starting in Sweden.

Couche-Tard also developed proprietary dual-facing technology, Lift, which is found at the checkout counter and offers unique values to build basket size.

To continue innovating, the company established the Circle K Venture Fund to explore opportunities with companies that are developing forward-looking solutions that enhance the customer experience and improve efficiency. To date, Couche-Tard has invested more than half of the fund's initial $100 million.

There is no doubt that Hannasch is not only leading Couche-Tard in its convenience journey, but also its technology journey.