Ultramar
{{Short description|Canadian gas station chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Ultramar
| logo = Ultramarlogo.png
| type = Subsidiary
| foundation = 1961
| defunct (company) =
| area_served = Eastern Canada
| location = Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| industry = Oil refining and marketing
| products =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| parent = Ultramar plc (1961–1991)
Lasmo (1991–1992)
Valero Energy (2001–2013)
CST Brands (2013–2016)
Parkland Fuel (2016–present)
| subsid =
| website = {{URL|www.ultramar.ca}}
| slogan =
| footnotes =
}}
Ultramar is an Eastern Canadian gas and home fuel retailer, with its head office located in Montreal, Quebec. Ultramar operates gas stations and home fuel delivery in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
History
File:Raffinerie Jean-Gaulin.jpg, Quebec]]
British oil company Ultramar plc established operations in Canada in 1961. Retail stations were originally branded "Golden Eagle".[http://www.ultramar.ca/en/our-company/ultramar/history/ Ultramar: Our history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822103004/http://www.ultramar.ca/en/our-company/ultramar/history/ |date=2012-08-22 }} Its refinery in Lévis, Quebec was built ten years later.
From 1979 to 1996, Ultramar grew by acquiring stations from several other companies, including Canadian fuel marketers Texaco Canada, Gulf Canada, Sergaz, Sunoco and Spur.
In 1981, Ultramar acquired Hanford, California-based Beacon Oil Company. It retained the name.{{Cite web|last=Doyle|first=Alan|date=10 November 2002|title=Some Beacon stations reclaimed in deal|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2002/11/11/story5.html|access-date=2 April 2021|website=San Francisco Business Times}}
In 1990, it acquired the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia refinery with the purchase of other assets of Texaco Canada.
In 1991, Lasmo, a British oil company, bought Ultramar plc and in 1992 Lasmo spun off the North American refining and marketing operations which became known as Ultramar Corporation.{{cite web|url=http://www.scripophily.net/diamshamrmin.html|title=Diamond Shamrock R & M, Inc.|website=Scripophily}}
In 1994, Ultramar acquired Sergaz (founded in 1971 by André Ducharme) and Sunoco's Quebec gas stations. Some gas stations still operate under Sergaz but most were closed.
In 1996, Ultramar Corporation merged with Diamond Shamrock to form Ultramar Diamond Shamrock.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-24-fi-46966-story.html |title=Ultramar to Buy Gas Retailer for $1.96 Billion |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |agency=Bloomberg Business News |date=September 24, 1996 |access-date=May 12, 2014}}
In 1997, the Sunoco name was withdrawn from Quebec, and all stations converted to the Ultramar brand.
The refinery in Lévis was renamed in honour of retired Ultramar Diamond Shamrock CEO Jean Gaulin in 2001.
On December 31, 2001, Valero Energy Corporation completed its acquisition of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-may-08-fi-60787-story.html Valero plans to buy Ultramar] Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2001
On May 1, 2013, Ultramar was spun off from Valero into CST Brands. Following the 2016 purchase of CST by Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Ultramar brand and most of CST's Canadian assets were acquired by Parkland Fuel.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/parkland-to-buy-csts-canadian-assets-in-965-million-deal/article31496253/|title=Parkland to buy CST's Canadian assets from Couche-Tard in $965-million deal|date=2016-08-22|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=2018-03-16}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/couche-tard-gets-us-4-4-billion-deal-with-cst-brands-1.3038213|title=Couche-Tard gets US$4.4-billion deal with CST Brands; Parkland Fuels gets a piece|date=22 August 2016|agency=Canadian Press|access-date=2019-06-30}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/mergers-acquisitions/parkland-acquire-most-csts-canadian-assets|title=Parkland to Acquire Most of CST's Canadian Assets|date=August 22, 2016|first1=Greg |last1=Lindenberg |website=CSP Daily News|language=en|access-date=2019-06-30}}
Couche-Tard retained 36 Ultramar stations in Atlantic Canada. In June 2018, Couche-Tard and its partner Irving Oil announced that these stations would become Circle K locations with Irving as fuel supplier, and that 13 of them would be sold to Irving outright—with Couche-Tard operating them under a lease as with most other Irving locations.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/business/a-dozen-nl-ultramar-stations-being-converted-to-irving-and-circle-k-as-part-of-joint-venture-233556/|title=A dozen N.L. Ultramar stations being converted to Irving and Circle K as part of joint venture|website=The Telegram|language=en|access-date=2019-06-30}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-st-peters-road-ultramar-rebranding-irving-circle-k-1.4735132|title=Irving purchases St. Peters Road Ultramar, rebranding to begin soon|date=July 5, 2018|website=CBC News|access-date=June 30, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://huddle.today/irving-oil-buys-13-ultramar-gas-stations-across-atlantic-canada/|title=Irving Oil Buys 13 Ultramar Gas Stations Across Atlantic Canada|last=Intiar|first=Inda|date=2018-07-04|website=Huddle|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-30}}
In October 2019, Ultramar became part of Parkland's new national loyalty program Journie.{{Cite web |last=Healing |first=Dan |date=2019-11-05 |title=The Lower Mainland's sole supplier of motor fuel will be shut down for 8 weeks |url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/the-lower-mainland-s-sole-supplier-of-motor-fuel-will-be-shut-down-for-8-weeks-1.4671416 |access-date=2022-08-26 |website=British Columbia |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Parkland partners with CIBC for new rewards program |url=https://ccentral.ca/parkland-partners-with-cibc-for-new-rewards-program |access-date=2022-08-26 |website=CCentral |language=en}}
Operations
Ultramar was also active in industrial sales and wholesale supply.
Statistics
Ultramar had 983 service stations, 87 truck stop facilities and 169,000 home heating oil customers.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
It directly employed 3,600 people and indirectly employed 10,000. The refinery in Lévis produced 265,000 barrels (or 41.5 million litres) per day.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commonscatinline}}
- {{official|www.ultramar.ca}}
Category:Oil companies of Canada
Category:Companies based in Montreal
Category:Automotive fuel retailers
Category:Retail companies established in 1961
Category:Gas stations in Canada
Category:Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies
Category:1991 mergers and acquisitions
Category:1996 mergers and acquisitions
Category:2001 mergers and acquisitions