By LINDA LOBECK

Staff Writer

LAVAL, Quebec — A Canadian convenience store chain plans to acquire Holiday Stationstores Inc., including 16 in the Upper Peninsula, according to an announcement by the company.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. will purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of Holiday Companies, with the acquisition expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Holiday has 522 stores in 10 upper Midwest states, including 26 stores in Michigan. The 16 U.P. locations include 1523 S. Stephenson Ave. in Iron Mountain and 18 W. Adams St. in Iron River, along with stores in Escanaba, Gladstone, Ishpeming, Menominee, Negaunee, Marquette, L’Anse, Munising, Wetmore, Hancock, Calumet, Wakefield, Ironwood and Newberry.

Holiday is a privately owned company based in Minnesota that was founded by the Erickson family in 1928. All stations sell fuel under the Holiday brand; the company also operates a food commissary that provides fresh and frozen food to all stores. Holiday employs 5,963 people through its network of stores.

The acquisition of the stores by Couche-Tard is expect to generate earnings ranging between $180 million and $190 million on an annual basis. But officials with both companies have signed an agreement that keeps them from disclosing the purchase price at this time.

Couche-Tard officials said they intend to continue Holiday’s operation base at the corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Minn.

“We are pleased to entrust Couche-Tard with carrying forward the Holiday brand and our highly successful programs. Our 90-year history and our promising future are being placed into excellent hands,” Ronald Erickson, chairman and CEO of Holiday Stationstores Inc. said in a press release.

This year, Couche-Tard also acquired CST Brands Inc. bringing the company’s coverage of convenience stores in North America to 9,500. CST Brands, a fuel and convenience retailer, is the second-largest of its kind in North America, with 1,900 outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

“The acquisition of Holiday is a great fit for Couche-Tard and will allow us to build our geographic growth strategy. The Erickson family and its management team have created one of the strongest, well-run companies in the northern tier region of the U.S. with a great brand and consumer offer,” said Brian Hannasch, president and CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

He added that this purchase gives the company a good entry point into the Upper Midwest with a strong position in the greater Twin Cities area.