Most store count growth over the past 12 months came from smaller deals and organic growth.
The will-they, won’t they buzz around Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.’s bid to acquire Tokyo-based Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. had members of the convenience store industry on the edge of their seats for months, only to quietly fizzle out in July 2025 when Couche-Tard called off its pursuit of the parent company of Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc.
Despite the change of heart, Couche-Tard did close on a notable deal in the summer of 2025. The operator of the global Circle K brand became the new owner of GetGo Café+Markets. Couche-Tard picked up approximately 270 GetGo and WetGo locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana from Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle Inc.
While this certainly was a strategic growth move for Couche-Tard, it did not move the needle in terms of the company’s position on the 2026 Convenience Store News Top 100 ranking, compiled in partnership with Nielsen TDLinx using February 2026 data. For another year, Couche-Tard stands firmly in the No. 2 spot between 7-Eleven at No. 1 and Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores Inc. at No. 3.
One recent deal that did shake up this year’s Top 100 ranking was Dallas-based Sunoco LP’s $9.1-billion acquisition of Parkland Corp. As a result of this transaction, which closed in November, Calgary, Alberta-based Parkland exited the U.S. convenience store industry and Sunoco skyrocketed up the ranking, going from No. 72 to No. 29.
Those two transactions aside, though, most of the store count growth over the past 12 months came from smaller deals and organic growth, which saw several convenience retailers make a name for themselves in new markets. So, it should come as no surprise that this year’s Top 100 ranking paints a familiar picture to years past.