LONDON (Reuters Breakingviews) - Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard may need to use the express lane for its spending spree. The founders of the Canadian convenience store operator, which dropped its bid for French grocer Carrefour after government opposition, have a super-voting share that expires in 11 months. After that they will have to convince other investors to support their expansion plans. No wonder shareholders are jittery. Though its $20 billion bid for Carrefour was met with a decisive French “non” last week, Couche-Tard is not giving up on dealmaking. Chief Executive Brian Hannasch says he has a “robust” set of takeovers to examine as he attempts to achieve a goal of doubling the $33 billion company’s adjusted operating profit by 2023. Ordinary shareholders currently have little say. Chairman Alain Bouchard and co-founders Jacques D’Amours, Richard Fortin and Real Plourde own less than a quarter of the company but control 67% of the voting rights. The imbalance is part of a nifty scheme created to give Couche-Tard insiders the power to block unwanted takeovers. But they can also use it to push through big deals. This benefit expires at the end of 2021 when the last of the founders turns 65. Bouchard and his colleagues appear to be keen to make use of it. The offer for Carrefour puzzled investors as the deal would have loaded the Canadian group with debt and offered few obvious synergies. One option is for Bouchard to revive a bid for petrol station chain Caltex Australia, now called Ampol, after abandoning a $5.6 billion offer last year due to uncertainty about the pandemic. Other European grocery chains such as Germany’s 4 billion euro Metro or even Britain’s J Sainsbury, valued at 6 billion euros, also offer an alternative to Carrefour. Such acquisitions would diversify Couche-Tard’s revenue as its petrol stations face a potential hit from the shift to electric vehicles. But they would similarly stretch financial logic. Ordinary investors are clearly nervous. Couche-Tard’s share price is down 13% since news of its Carrefour offer, and has not recovered despite the deal falling apart. Ramming through a big takeover would allow Bouchard to leave a lasting mark on the company and make it less vulnerable to a takeover. But he’ll have to move quickly.