Circle K Stores Inc. is an international chain of convenience stores headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Founded in El Paso, Texas, in 1951, Circle K is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canadian multinational operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (TSX: ATD), which acquired the company in 2003. Alimentation Couche-Tard operates a global network of approximately 14,800 stores and employs around 149,000 people.
Circle K is an operating company whose primary business is convenience retail and motor fuel sales. Its stores offer a wide variety of products for sale, including packaged foods, snacks, hot and cold beverages like its Polar Pop and Simply Great Coffee brands, and general merchandise. A significant portion of its locations are co-located with fuel stations. The Circle K brand is Alimentation Couche-Tard's primary international banner, having replaced other legacy brands like Mac's and Kangaroo Express in many markets.
The company's patent litigation posture, based on tracked cases, is that of an operating company defending its business. It has been named as a defendant in one patent suit and has not been tracked as a plaintiff. This suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, a common venue for patent infringement claims.
The single tracked case is Alpha Modus Corp v. Circle K Stores Inc, filed in April 2026. The plaintiff, Alpha Modus Corp., is a subsidiary of a U.S. retail technology company that has filed more than 20 similar lawsuits against other retailers. The patents in that campaign are described as relating to technologies such as AI-driven personalization, real-time consumer analytics, and checkout systems.