3 Big Numbers is a weekly column that looks at a few key details from around the c-store industry.
In the space of a year and a half, Casey’s General Stores has gone from having no presence in Texas to well over 100 locations — with more on the way.
Documents from Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation show seven new Casey’s stores are either in the process of being built now or will begin construction soon. These include two in Abilene and one each in Tioga, Gladewater, Texarkana, Athens and Burnet.
In this week’s “3 Big Numbers,” we look at these new Casey’s locations as well as what’s happening with the stores it’s purchased in the state since 2023.
7
The number of new stores Casey’s is building in Texas.
Casey’s acquisitions have given it a pre-built presence in multiple parts of the state, which may explain why its seven new-to-industry sites are quite spread out.
Texarkana and Gladewater are near the Louisiana border. Tioga and Athens are closer to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Burnet is 55 miles northwest of Austin, while Abilene is closer to the center of the state.
There are more than 350 miles between some of these sites. That’s further than the width of Casey’s home state of Iowa at its widest point.
4,200
The lower-end square footage of Casey’s new builds in Texas.
Casey’s new stores in Texas will run between 4,200 square feet and 4,570 square feet. This puts them in the “hyper convenience store” range of NACS’ c-store size continuum. That’s not surprising, given how much Casey’s prioritizes its foodservice program, particularly its pizzas. All that prep and cooking requires extra space.
While these stores are likely to get Casey’s signature food program, Texas may also be home to some sites with a hybrid foodservice program that combines parts of acquired company CEFCO’s menu into the lineup, according to statements from CEO Darren Rebelez during an earnings call last year. The exact location of these test sites was not shared.
170
The number of c-stores in Texas Casey’s acquired via the Lone Star Food Stores and Fikes Wholesale deals.
In November 2023, Casey’s bought the 22-site Lone Star Food Stores chain. In July 2024, it followed up with the purchase of Fike’s Wholesale, which included 148 CEFCO stores in Texas.
While that gave Casey’s a foothold in the state, it didn’t give the retailer much brand recognition. Luckily, that’s what rebrands are for. Along with the new builds, Casey’s filed paperwork with Texas’s licensing and regulation department for renovations and alterations for some CEFCO and Lone Star sites. Store-level employees at some of these stores confirmed that the locations are being or have been rebranded — a process that has been going on for months.
If all sites are rebranded and the seven new stores open, Texas will become the seventh-biggest state in Casey’s footprint and will be in spitting distance of Nebraska at 178 sites, Minnesota at 188 and Kansas at 193, according to the company’s 2024 annual report.
