The exceptional, winding path of a man who is inseparable from the empire he built Combining a tobacconist, newstand, food mart, beer shop and general store, the convenience store has undergone many trans­formations over the last 35 years, ever since a man decided to turn it into his life's business. That man is Alain Bouchard. Strangely, few people know his name, even in Quebec, where he lives. He is, however, one of Canada's wealthiest entrepreneurs, as well as one of the