個案資料

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. had been, up until 2024, growing at an accelerated pace while achieving industry-leading profit margins and related cash flow in the fuel convenience store industry globally. Its growth had been fuelled by acquisition, which in its case meant paying a premium to purchase large groups of stations in current and new markets, primarily in Europe, the United States, and Canada—a global success story. However, the company's future was less certain due to multiple levels of technological disruption under way in the industry. The adoption of electric and autonomous vehicle driving technology was central to this change, along with the continued digitization of the customer experience. Couche-Tard was not immune to these challenges, so to secure its future and ensure profitability amid the dynamic changes taking place in the industry, it would have to consider how to adapt. Should it diversify away from the fuel convenience store industry it had so successfully navigated to this point? How should it adapt its business model to the changes?

This case is intended for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in strategic management, innovation, industry-wide innovation patterns, and disruptive innovation theory. It can also be used in courses designed to help students understand the basic notions behind a company or industry’s business model. The case provides an opportunity for students to explore the business dynamics associated with changes happening in the auto industry in 2024, with a specific focus on the fuel convenience store segment of the industry. It will help students understand the impact the introduction of disruptive new technologies can have on the underlying business and profit models of an industry. After working through the case and assignment questions, students should be able to do the following to some degree: <ul><li>Describe the nature of how companies make money in the fuel convenience store industry. </li><li>Define and explain how Couche-Tard has grown its business and delivered industry-leading financial results for its shareholders.</li><li>Explain how electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technology adoption is under way and how, in many ways, the adoption of these technologies represents a series of “unstoppable trends” in the auto industry.</li><li>Describe how the margins at individual fuel convenience stores, like those discussed in the case for Casey’s Retail Company, will be impacted by lower fuel and merchandise sales, ultimately leading to potentially unprofitable stores in the future.</li><li>Describe what Couche-Tard is doing to try to mitigate the impacts of these changes, particularly through its focus on innovating in and growing the convenience store side of the business.</li></ul>

• disruptive technologies
• disruptive innovation
• auto industry
• electric vehicles
• Autonomous vehicle technology
• convenience stores
• norway