Beverage and snack sales traditionally make Super Bowl Sunday a big day for the convenience industry, but a 2021 General Motors ad about electric vehicles (EV) that aired during the big game prompted an opportunity for c-store chain Circle K to boast about its EV charging leadership.
Leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, General Motors launched an electrical vehicle campaign where comedian Will Ferrell attacks the nation of Norway for being ahead on EVs. Circle K responded with its own campaign, “We’re ready,” where Norsemen-actress Silje Torp Færavaag and its own employees play leading roles: https://youtu.be/bPsFziaUj2A
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and its global brand, Circle K, made it official: “Yes, Will Ferrell – Circle K loves Norway and we’re ready!” By being number one for EV charging offers in Norway – home to its premier global electric vehicle laboratory – Circle K responded that it’s ready for the future today with EV charging solutions.
They’re Ready
Circle K leads the way in Norway for EV charging and has more charging stations and home and office charging solutions than any other fuel retailer in Norway. For the last three years, Norway has been home to the company’s global EV lab, where a dedicated team is learning all it can about electric vehicle charging and building a more sustainable future. Starting this year, Circle K is bringing that know-how to North America, and plans to be ready and waiting as more EV customers hit the roads, making their customers’ lives a little easier every day.
“We are very pleased to have started our journey in Norway, where Circle K is the No. 1 destination for EV customers,” said Circle K President and CEO Brian Hannasch. “We are meeting those customers at our stores and in their homes and offices, creating a total solution for their charging needs. With our great team, growing expertise and progressive locations in Norway, we have learned so much in the last few years, and we are excited to bring that knowledge and solutions to our global network, including North America, over the coming months and years.”
Currently, Circle K operates a high-speed charging network with more than 500 chargers on its forecourts in Norway. The chargers are a combination of company-owned high-speed EV chargers and partner charging offers with Tesla and Ionity.
At its busiest Norwegian Circle K highway locations, the sites are equipped with 20-40 high-speed chargers. In downtown Oslo, Circle K was the first to begin replacing fuel pumps with high-speed chargers. Circle K has also expanded its offer with over 4,200 home and workplace charge points.
North America Is Next
As the premier EV charging provider in Norway, the company said it is ready to bring its capacity and knowledge to North America and other parts of its global network to further its journey toward a more sustainable future. In the coming months, the company will start to roll-out electric vehicle charging solutions at North America locations, beginning in its Quebec and California markets, with a combination of Circle K branded chargers and partner charging solutions.
Circle K is Couche-Tard’s global brand outside of Quebec, Canada. In Europe, Couche-Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as in Ireland, and has an important presence in Poland.
As of Oct. 11, 2020, Couche-Tard’s network comprised 9,261 convenience stores throughout North America, including 8,085 stores with road transportation fuel dispensing. Its North American network consists of 18 business units, including 14 in the United States covering 47 states and four in Canada covering all 10 provinces. Approximately 109,000 people are employed throughout its network and at its service offices in North America.
