Alimentation Couche-Tard, which operates the Circle K gas station and convenience store network, reports a sharp increase in fuel profits despite soft demand in the United States and Europe. The outlets attribute the improvement primarily to higher fuel margins following a price spike linked to the war in the Middle East, which lifts the spread between the company’s fuel costs and retail prices. Both sources say the company’s results outperform analysts’ expectations for both sales and earnings. The articles describe the quarter as one where margin gains offset weaker overall demand conditions in key markets. While they do not provide detailed figures in the excerpts, the reporting emphasizes that the company’s earnings strength comes from fuel pricing dynamics rather than from a broad recovery in customer volumes. The news coverage characterizes the performance as a clear beat versus consensus estimates, with the margin expansion being the central driver of the profit growth.