Dive Brief:
- Kwik Trip plans to begin remodeling 17 c-stores later this year, Bjorn Berg, the convenience retailer’s project manager of store engineering, said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
- Each of the remodels will add space onto the existing stores, Berg said. The locations are scattered across Kwik Trip’s two largest markets — Minnesota and its home state of Wisconsin, he added.
- Construction on all 17 stores is set to begin this fall with an estimated completion date of mid-summer 2026, Berg said.
Dive Insight:
Kwik Trip usually aims to remodel roughly 10 to 20 stores annually, and while each typically includes building additions and extensive remodeling, the scope of each project varies, Berg said.
A Kwik Trip store in Rochester, Minnesota, that Berg confirmed is part of the project will get 1,800 square feet of additional space, including an expanded sales floor as well as updates to the kitchen, freezer, restrooms, trash enclosure, parking lot, utilities and HVAC system, according to city building plans submitted last week.
Another location in Savage, Minnesota, is set to receive a new roof and floors, as well as updated doors, coolers, plumbing and signage, according to city building plans submitted in May.
Each of the 17 stores will remain open during the remodel process, Berg said.
Kwik Trip is also in the process of making lighter updates across its footprint that include painting and re-imaging locations, Berg said. About 150 such updates are planned annually until Kwik Trip completes these renovations, he added. He did not specify if that only applied to Wisconsin and Minnesota — where Kwik Trip operates over 700 of its roughly 900 c-stores — or across its entire network, which also includes Iowa, South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois and the forthcoming North Dakota.
Building bigger c-stores has become a major trend in recent years as convenience retailers across the U.S. continue to experiment with unique layouts and formats. Experts have said that the industry’s increased focus on made-to-order foodservice — and the drive to compete with QSRs — has been the catalyst for the spike in these types of remodels.
