Eversheds acted for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("Couche-Tard")  who have agreed to acquire Ireland's leading convenience and fuel retailer Topaz, through purchasing the majority share capital (more than 99.86%) of both Topaz Energy Group Limited ("TEGL") and Resource Property Investment Fund plc ("RPIF"), together with the entire share capital of Esso Ireland Limited.    The Eversheds team was led by Gerard Ryan, Corporate Partner in the Dublin office and Robin Johnson, Corporate Partner in the London office with assistance from other lawyers in specialist departments including Real Estate, Corporate, Commercial, Employment, Pensions, Tax and Intellectual Property.
 
On completion, this acquisition will position Couche-Tard as the leading convenience and fuel retailer in Ireland. Topaz is already the leading convenience and fuel retailer in the country, made up of 464 stations across the island of Ireland, following its recent acquisition of the Esso station network. Of the 464 stations, 162 are owned by Topaz and 302 by dealers. The proposed acquisition of Topaz by Couche-Tard also encompasses a commercial fuels operation, with over 30 depots and two owned terminals.   The transaction is subject to regulatory merger approval by the European Commission which Eversheds competition team will now lead on.
 
Couche-Tard is the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry. In the United States, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of number of company-operated stores. In Europe, Couche-Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, with a significant presence in Poland.