Mr. Alain Bouchard reports

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD ANNOUNCES ITS INTENTION TO REPURCHASE 4.4 MILLION OF ITS SHARES HELD BY METRO

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has reached an agreement with a subsidiary of Metro Inc. to repurchase, for cancellation, 4,372,923 Class B subordinate voting shares in Couche-Tard held by Metro after converting the same number of Class A multiple voting shares for a total repurchase price of approximately $250-million.

The repurchase price was set at $57.17 per Class A share and represents a discount of 3 per cent for subordinate shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In addition, Metro will pay a 1-per-cent commission fee.

In a separate transaction, 11,369,599 Class A shares held by Metro will be acquired by Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec.

Finally, 11,369,599 Class A shares held by Metro will also be converted to subordinate shares and sold through a syndicate of brokers.

The shares sold by Metro pursuant to these transactions represent approximately 85 per cent of the 32 million shares it was holding before the transaction. After the transaction, Metro will still own 5,114,923 shares of Couche-Tard.

Quotes

Alain Bouchard, founder and executive chairman of the board of Alimentation Couche-Tard: "This transaction is a unique opportunity for Couche-Tard to repurchase shares at an attractive price, which represents a worthwhile business opportunity that benefits our shareholders.

"As representatives of the leading Canadian company in terms of revenues, the Couche-Tard team, the group of founders and I are proud that we can count on the support of exceptional partners like the team at Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, a Quebec shareholder that supports homegrown companies and fosters their growth all over the world."

Christian Dube, executive vice-president, Quebec, the Caisse: "Couche-Tard has an impressive track record, as shown by its ability to successfully make acquisitions in global markets and innovate to adapt to consumer needs. Today, it is one of the largest convenience store retailers in the world, and it continues to have significant growth potential in the United States, Europe and Asia."

Eric R. La Fleche, president and chief executive officer of Metro, said: "Metro has been a significant shareholder of Couche-Tard since 1987, and we are extremely pleased with the performance of the company. At this time, we decided to realize the majority of our investment to finance the recently announced strategic acquisition of the Jean Coutu Group."

The repurchase will be paid using Couche-Tard's available cash and existing revolving credit facilities, as well as proceeds from the future sale of non-strategic assets, which will align with the previously announced debt reduction plan.

This transaction was approved today by the members of Couche-Tard's board of directors, which concluded that the share repurchase represents a wise use of its cash, one that is in the best interest of Couche-Tard and its shareholders.

The share repurchase remains conditional upon a decision by the Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) to grant the usual exemption from issuer bid requirements under the securities legislation applicable to the transaction. The share repurchase is expected to be settled in the days following the AMF's decision.

Couche-Tard will issue no other press release in relation to the share repurchase and, as the AMF decision is pending, will make no further comments on the transaction.

About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Couche-Tard is the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry. In the United States, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores. In Europe, Couche-Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and in Ireland, and also has an important presence in Poland.

In addition, under licensing agreements, close to 1,700 stores are operated under the Circle K banner in 13 other countries and territories (China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam), which bring its worldwide total network to more than 15,000 stores.

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