The Competition Bureau announced today that it reached an agreement with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and its affiliates related to their proposed acquisition of Wilsons. Wilsons operates and supplies Esso, Wilsons Gas Stops and Go! Store retail gas locations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Bureau concluded that the proposed transaction would likely substantially lessen or prevent competition in the supply of retail gasoline in some markets within these provinces. To resolve the Bureau's concerns, Couche-Tard has agreed to sell 46 Wilsons sites and supply agreements, and one Couche-Tard gas station to a buyer (or buyers) to be approved by the Commissioner of Competition.
As part of the agreement Couche-Tard will sell retail gas sites in the following markets:
- New Brunswick: Bouctouche, Cap Pele, Oak Bay-St-Stephen, Quispamsis, Sackville, Saint John, Saint-Antoine, Shediac, St-Ignace, Sussex, Utopia-Saint George-Pennfield, and Waasis.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Gander.
- Nova Scotia: Barrington Passage, Bedford, Bridgewater, Dartmouth, Digby, Elmsdale-Enfield, Halifax, Lower Sackville, Lunenburg, Mt. Uniacke, Sydney, Truro, Upper Tantallon, West Amherst, and Westville.
- Prince Edward Island: Stratford - Charlottetown and Summerside.
The Commissioner is satisfied that this agreement addresses the competition issues likely to result from the proposed transaction.
The complete agreement is available on the Competition Tribunal's website.
