The Circle K on Central Avenue in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Circle K is eliminating potentially dozens of corporate accounting jobs from its US Midwest Region office on West Jonathan Moore Pike in Columbus, The Republic has confirmed.
“After a long and careful review, we have made the difficult business decision to transition certain accounting processes to a third-party provider that can perform these functions using the latest tools, resources and technology,” wrote Chris Barnes, director of communications for Circle K and its multinational parent, Alimentation Couche-Tard, based in Laval, Quebec, Canada.
“This decision will impact approximately 90 positions within our organization from multiple locations in North America, including Columbus, Ind., among others,” Barnes wrote in an email. Barnes did not disclose how many jobs would be cut in Columbus, nor respond to information provided to The Republic that about half of the total cuts would come from the office here.
Barnes also declined to comment regarding tips from readers who said the company plans to relocate the jobs to lower-paying positions in India.
“The positions will move at end of May 2023, and over the next several months we are committed to treating the valued team members affected by this decision with the utmost care, respect and gratitude for their dedication and commitment to our business. We will be inviting them to apply for other available roles within our business that might fit with their skillsets and interests as well as providing outplacement assistance and severance pay to aid them in their career transition,” Barnes wrote.
A source with information about the plans who spoke to The Republic on condition that their identity would not be disclosed said affected workers in Columbus were notified by the company on Friday, Oct. 14, that their jobs would be terminated next May.
The source said the company plans to eliminate jobs from the Columbus office and another Circle K corporate office in Tempe, Arizona, and perhaps from other corporate office locations, as a component of a company plan called Project Marigold.
The job cuts affect accounting positions at the corporate level that assist Circle K stores with paperwork, pricing, accounts payable and other functions, the source said.
According to information the source provided, impacted teams at Circle K include US Non-Trade AP, US Trade AP, US Fuel Accounting, US Wholesale Accounting, US Pricebook, US Indirect Taxes and Toronto Operational Accounting.
The source said many of the employees who will lose their jobs have years invested with Circle K and earn salaries in a range from about $30,000 to $60,000 annually depending on experience and responsibilities.
Circle K’s parent company, Couche-Tard, reported net earnings of $872.4 million in its most recent quarterly statement issued Aug. 30, according to a company news release.
Couche-Tard — loosely translated from French as “Night Owl” — is led by Columbus native President and CEO Brian Hannasch. The multinational operates more than 15,000 convenience stores around the globe under the Circle K and Couche-Tard brands, among others.
There are about a dozen Circle K locations in Columbus, Taylorsville and Edinburgh, with two additional Columbus stores adopting the brand name soon, according to the company’s website. Circle K also has multiple locations in Franklin, North Vernon, Seymour, Brownstown and Shelbyville, as well as a store in Nashville, among others in the region.
