Goodbye, Circle K: 2 Peoria gas stations on the same road are changing brands

PEORIA — The Circle K presence along Knoxville Avenue in Peoria has decreased. But the BP presence appears ready to increase.

Circle K no longer is the banner under which gasoline stations/convenience stores at 2312 N. Knoxville Ave. and 4245 N. Knoxville Ave. are operating. As of earlier this week, they also were closed.

Nobody at either location answered telephone calls Tuesday morning. Signs on both businesses state they are transitioning to the BP flag. It wasn't clear when they might reopen.

Gas prices:Why gas prices are higher around Peoria than they are in most Illinois metro areas

BP spokespeople did not respond to an emailed message sent over the weekend.

Why Circle K closed the locations

Circle K closed the two Peoria stations as part of a network-optimization strategy announced in March, according to Chris Barnes, a spokesman for parent company Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Under that plan, enacted last year, Couche-Tard was to sell 306 of about 10,000 service stations and convenience stores it has across North America. The Knoxville Avenue properties are among them, according to Barnes.

"Through this process, we have identified sites that no longer fit our strategic objectives, either from a brand perspective or from a regional-scale perspective," Couche-Tard President/CEO Brian Hannasch said in a news release.

Couche-Tard, which is French for "night owl," is based in suburban Montreal. Circle K has five other gas stations/convenience stores in Peoria.

Both Knoxville Avenue locations were BP stations at previous points in their histories, but Couche-Tard rebranded them in early 2019 as Circle K. The change was part of a global campaign.