Expansion is the name of the game for convenience retailers in 2025. Some companies have acquired an entrenched competitor, while others are building their own stores, carefully selecting their locations.
So many retailers announced new-state expansions this year, in fact, that we needed to winnow down our list to just a few top players. We won’t get into some of the smaller deals. We also won’t be delving into a litany of retailers planning expansions later this year, like Kwik Trip’s plan to enter North Dakota in November or RaceTrac’s expected North Carolina debut in September, since unexpected problems could potentially push them back.
Below is a closer look at six of the biggest retailers that have introduced their brands to new states this year.
Couche-Tard acquisition pushes it into Oklahoma and Kansas
Alimentation Couche-Tard closed its acquisition of Hutchinson Oil Company, operator of 20 Hutch’s convenience stores, in early 2025. While the news initially broke in November 2024, it wasn’t until February that the company took possession of the stores, which marked its entrance into Oklahoma and Kansas.
The move marked a return to Oklahoma for Couche-Tard, which sold 49 stores in the state to Casey’s General Stores in 2025.
The locations include the Hutch’s Deli proprietary food and beverage program with made-to-order foodservice.
MAPCO enters three new states
Majors Management bought 25 c-stores in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania from Couche-Tard in June and plans to rebrand them to MAPCO, introducing that banner to all three states.
The deal came about after the Securities and Exchange Commission told Couche-Tard it would need to divest some locations to close its acquisition of GetGo Cafe + Market, which until earlier this year had been owned by grocer Giant Eagle.
The addition of these 35 sites grew MAPCO’s convenience store network to over 230 locations across nine states.
Wawa continues its westward march
Wawa’s eight-state expansion plan has been the topic of conversations for years in the c-store industry. The company debuted in three states last year and has so far entered the same number in 2025.
In April, Wawa held a grand opening for its first Ohio location, in Liberty Township. A couple weeks later, it celebrated its Indiana debut with a store in Daleville.
The Indiana location, coincidentally, ended up being just down the street from another major c-store player’s first site in that state.
Finally, Kentucky joined the party at the end of July. While its first site is in Louisville, Wawa plans to have roughly eight stores operating in the Bluegrass State by the end of this year.
While the retailer has not yet opened in West Virginia or Tennessee, it has broken ground on locations in both states.
QuikTrip debuts in two states
Like Wawa, QuikTrip also opened its first store in Indiana this year. The Daleville site introduced residents to the company and its QT Kitchens food program, which offers both made-to-order and grab-and-go items.
QuikTrip also opened its first Kentucky store earlier this year. The travel center in Elizabethtown, about 45 miles south of Louisville, threw open its doors in May, according to local reporting.
QuikTrip isn’t stopping there. The company has shared plans to expand into two other states, Utah and Florida. While the company does not expect to open its first Utah store until 2026, it has said it plans to debut in Florida this year. According to the company website, that store is not yet up and running.
Maverik builds first Michigan c-store
Maverik has been a consistent presence in c-store M&A discussions for the past few years thanks to its April 2023 acquisition of Kum & Go, a company with roughly the same number of stores as Maverik itself had at the time.
However, its presence on this list stems from a new-to-industry location it opened in Wyoming, Michigan, in May.
In addition, Maverik spent the summer rebranding all seven Michigan Kum & Gos to its own banner.
Buc-ee’s adds Virginia
Buc-ee’s, the company best known for its supersized travel centers along major travel arteries, opened its first store in Virginia in June.
The location in Rockingham, about 140 miles northwest of Richmond, features a 74,000-square-foot store and 120 fueling locations, as well as the company’s super clean restrooms, fresh barbecue and wide variety of company-branded snacks. It’s the first of at least three planned stores set to open in the state over the next few years.
The company also broke ground on a site in Goodyear, Arizona, in May. That state should join the Buc-ee’s brigade in 2026.
