Manitoba Mac’s fade away in rebranding as Circle K

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This article was published 05/10/2018 (2758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Bill, my friend,” says Keanu Reeves’ character in the surprise hit movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure of three decades ago, “Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.”

Indeed, they are.

What’s strange is that all the Mac’s Convenience Stores in Manitoba are being renamed Circle K. Quebec-based parent company, Alimentation Couche-Tard, is retiring the Mac’s name in favour of its more widely used brand, Circle K.

Couche-Tard has made many convenience store acquisitions over the years — it purchased Mac’s in 1999 and Circle K in 2003 — and felt it was time to put them all under the same brand.

“They had different names under its umbrella and it really made more sense to go with the one global brand,” said Dayna Palmer, Couche-Tard marketing manager for Western Canada based in Calgary.

“We want to be the McDonald’s, the Starbucks, of the convenience store world,” Palmer said. “So when you walk into a place, whether it’s in Thailand, whether it’s in Norway, whether it’s in Arizona or Manitoba, you know you’re getting the same customer service and products.”

Circle K is in 14 countries other than Canada and the U.S., including China, Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

The Circle K name won out over Mac’s because it’s Couche-Tard’s main store name, particularly in the United States. It is also large in Ontario. The Mac’s brand dominated in Western Canada with 305 stores.

There were 16 Mac’s stores in Winnipeg, 21 in Manitoba, before the signs started being changed. There were two existing Circle Ks in Winnipeg, one on Gateway Road and the other on Kildare Avenue, prior to the rebranding.

The changeover began in May in Western Canada and in Manitoba just in the past month. The conversion of Mac’s stores is expected to be completed by spring next year, Palmer said.

“One of the biggest things people believe is that this is an American chain coming up (and purchasing the Mac’s stores), but that’s not the case. Canadians actually own Circle K. It’s still a very proud Canadian brand,” Palmer said.

Circle K originated in El Paso, Texas, as Kay Foods it was renamed Circle K, a ranch-type name, when it changed ownership.

The Mac’s stores have existed for 57 years. Mac’s Milk Ltd. was founded in 1961 by Ontario businessmen Ken and Carl McGowen. The name changed to Mac’s Convenience Stores in 1975.

Other Couche-Tard store names to be rebranded as Circle K include Kangaroo Express (purchased by Couche-Tard in 2014) and Statoil (purchased in 2012) in the U.S., Canada, Europe and other countries.

However, the Couche-Tard store name in Quebec will remain because the brand is very strong there.

The change has been in the works for several years. There will be no layoffs of Mac’s workforce of 8,000 people at 800 Mac’s stores in Canada.

The Mac’s stores will remain virtually the same, except for the sign in front and some renovations where required. “I promise you Frosters aren’t going anywhere,” Palmer said. Frosters are Mac’s equivalent of competitor 7-Eleven’s Slurpee.

But going with a global brand allows the company to initiate any changes or introduce new products across all its stores.

For example, Circle K will soon be introducing a new product called “Real Hot Dogs” that are made from an assortment of sausages like the honey mesquite, a Gouda cheese sausage, an Angus beef, with unique toppings available like warm macaroni and cheese.

Palmer said there will be some public events next spring once the signage change is completed. “It’s a little cold right now,” she said.

The majority of Circle K stores are open 24 hours, seven days a week.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca