Alimentation Couche-Tard, parent company of Circle K convenience stores, named Aaron Smorodin as its new head of M&A and business development earlier this month, a company spokesperson confirmed.
Smorodin previously helped lead Couche-Tard’s business development team since December 2020, when he became director of North American business development, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Other roles Smorodin has held with Couche-Tard since joining the company in early 2016 have included head of business development and North American e-mobility, global fuels; director of North American sourcing and integration, global fuels; and director of fuel operations, central Canada.
Prior to joining Couche-Tard, Smorodin spent over three years in various manager-level roles with Canadian petroleum company Imperial Oil, which is majority owned by ExxonMobil.
Couche-Tard’s spokesperson declined to share specific priorities and plans for Smorodin in his new position, but noted that he’ll be at the forefront of the c-store retailer’s M&A strategy moving forward.
“M&A is a key element in our growth strategy, and Aaron is playing a leading role in identifying and developing opportunities to expand our brand in new and existing markets,” Couche-Tard’s spokesperson said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
Large-scale M&A and regional acquisitions are not only a core part of Couche-Tard’s growth model, but also the biggest source of its c-store footprint. About three-quarters of Couche-Tard’s store network to date has been sourced from M&A, according to the company’s recent investor presentation, where it also notes that “consolidating the U.S. market remains a priority.”
Notable deals Couche-Tard has made in the U.S. in recent years included its purchase of 112 MAPCO Express c-stores across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky, as well as its acquisition of the 45-location Big Red Stores chain in Arkansas.
Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard operates more than 7,100 c-stores in the U.S. It is the second-largest c-store company in North America behind 7-Eleven.
