At nineteen, Bouchard worked as a stock boy in his brother’s Perrette milk store and in 1969 was hired by Perrette's owner to scout and set up new stores. At age 24, Bouchard began working for the grocer, Provigo, and given the responsibility of implementing a new convenience store concept, branded as Provi-Soir. In the late 1970s, Bouchard worked independently as a retailer before founding Alimentation Couche-Tard in 1980. Serving as Chief Executive Officer of Alimentation Couche-Tard from 1980 to 2014, Bouchard led the company as it expanded from one convenience store to more than 12,500 convenience stores around the world. Maintaining a decentralized organization structure and using the best ideas found in the organization has been noted by Bouchard as factors in Couche-Tard's success.