Dive Brief:
- Buc-ee’s is in the early stages of planning a new travel center in Meridian, Idaho, which would mark the company’s first location in the Gem State, a city spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- Leaders from Buc-ee’s spoke with the city’s economic development team on June 12 about a potential site in Meridian, which is located about 12 miles west of downtown Boise, the spokesperson said. No land use or building permit applications have been submitted, they added.
- The Meridian site would not only be Buc-ee’s first travel center in Idaho, but also its westernmost location, continuing an aggressive U.S. expansion that’s seen the popular retailer grow its footprint on the East Coast and Gulf Coast and in the Midwest.
Dive Insight:
Buc-ee’s expansion has become one of the most followed storylines across the c-store industry in recent years, as the Texas-based retailer has grown its network of supersized c-stores, bringing its barbecue and high-paying jobs to 54 locations across 11 states with more in the works. Out West, Buc-ee’s is also building its first location in Arizona, which is expected to open next summer.
News of Buc-ee’s potential arrival in Idaho was first reported by BoiseDev, which noted that the 74,000-square-foot site would cost more than $50 million to build and employ between 175 and 225 people.
The city’s spokesperson emphasized that nothing is set in stone regarding Buc-ee’s arrival.
“We understand that the potential size, layout, and/or scope of the potential project is conceptual at this time, pending additional review and analysis,” the spokesperson said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
A spokesperson from Buc-ee’s did not respond by press time when asked to comment on the company’s potential expansion to Idaho.
Buc-ee’s biggest competition in Meridian would be Jacksons Food Stores, which operates fifteen locations in the city under its own banner and the ExtraMile brand, as well as Maverik, which operates six of its 70 Idaho c-stores in Meridian.
