Circle K, a privately owned company headquartered in Canada, was founded in 1951 and employs approximately 47,400 individuals. It operates as a convenience store chain, originally established in El Paso, Texas. After filing for bankruptcy protection in 1990 and undergoing multiple ownership changes, it was acquired by the Canadian multinational operator Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc. in 2003. As of February 2020, Circle K maintained a presence of 9,799 stores across North America, 2,697 stores in Europe, and an additional 2,380 stores globally under franchise agreements.