Becker's
Becker's is a Canadian chain of independent convenience stores selling products of Alimentation Couche-Tard company. The original Becker Milk Company was founded in 1957 in Toronto, Ontario. The chain grew from 5 to 500 stores and was sold in 2006 to Alimentation Couche-Tard. The company converted the company-owned stores to Mac's Milk and later to Circle K, leaving a remnant of affiliate Becker's stores. Starting in 2013, Alimentation Couche-Tard began expanding the affiliate program. There are now over 40 stores in Ontario.[2]
 | |
 Becker store in Ontario | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| TSX: BEK.B | |
| Fate | Assets sold to Mac's Convenience Stores in 1996 Name and products retired in 1999 & 2006 respectively |
| Successors | Name revived in November 2013 |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Frank Bazos (1901-1994)[1] |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Area served | Southern Ontario |
Key people | Frank Anthony Bazos, co-founder, Robert W. Lowe Sr., co-founder |
| Products | Real estate |
Convenience stores
Becker's Milk was a franchised chain of convenience stores in Ontario, Canada. The company had over 500 stores, owned 74 retail stores and 91 franchised locations before being sold to Mac's Convenience Stores. The founders of Beckers were Frank Bazos and Robert W. Lowe Sr.
Dairy
Becker Milk products included stored branded items:
- Milk
- Cream
- Fruit Juices
- Soda Pop (cola, grape, cream soda, ginger ale, lime, root beer)
- Popsicles (chocolate, banana)
- Ice Cream
- Jungle Joose
Rush
The progressive rock group Rush listed Becker's Chocolate Milk in the "Special Thanks" section on many of their albums.
Asset sale to Silcorp
The assets of Becker's were acquired by Silcorp, parent company of rival Mac's Convenience Stores in November 1996. Becker's continues operation as a property owner. Silcorp was acquired by Alimentation Couche-Tard in April 1999. Since that merger, the Becker's name has been retired, as Couche-Tard focuses on its core Mac's banner. The Becker's flower is now part of the Daisy Mart banner, an independent network of stores affiliated with Mac's in Ontario.
Milk products under the Becker's trade name were sold in Becker's, Mac's, Mike's Mart, and Winks locations until May 2006.
Rebirth
In November 2013, an Oakville, Ontario Mac's store was converted to the Becker's banner, including street-facing signs, and window clings. The store carries the Circle K brands, such as Frosters slush drinks.
A partial list of remaining or recently opened Becker's stores includes the following locations.
- Acton, Ontario at 352 Queen Street (opened late 2015)
- North of Bowmanville, Ontario, on Highway 35/115
- Brampton, Ontario, located at the intersection of 8044 Dixie Road and Orenda Road
- Brampton, Ontario, on Rutherford Road, just before Williams Parkway
- Burlington, Ontario (opened late 2015)
- Chatham–Kent, at Petrol Canada station at 5 Grand Avenue West and St. Clair Street
- Hamilton, Ontario, at Herkimer and Caroline in the Durand neighbourhood (March 2017, having been a Mac's that closed unexpectedly in late 2016)
- Kingston, Ontario, at an Ultramar filling station on Ontario Highway 15
- Mississauga, Ontario, at Derry Rd and 7235 Bellshire Gate (a rebranded Mac's, 2017)
- Petawawa, Ontario, at 3520 Petawawa Blvd.
- Seaforth, Ontario, at 22 Goderich Street W.
- St. Thomas, Ontario at Ultramar filling station (opened late 2015)
- Toronto, Ontario, on Ellesmere Road (opened summer 2016)
- Toronto, Ontario, St. James Town neighbourhood, on Wellesley Street East near Sherbourne Street
- Toronto, Ontario, at 1674 Kingston Road
- Toronto, Ontario, at 637 Pharmacy Avenue
References
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/197295775/frank-bazos
- "Where It All Began". mybeckers.ca. Beckers Convenience Stores. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
