Dive Brief:
- Convenience store retailer Kwik Trip has revealed plans to expand to South Dakota with three new c-stores set to open in the Sioux Falls area, according to a report by Sioux Falls Business.
- The stores — which will operate under the retailer’s Kwik Star banner seen at locations in Iowa and Illinois — are expected to open “within months,” according to the report. Two will be located in southeast Sioux Falls, with the other in Brandon, about 10 miles east of downtown Sioux Falls.
- Kwik Trip’s expansion to South Dakota is its furthest move west, and comes four months after opening its first store in Michigan — its furthest move east — as the retailer continues its nationwide expansion.
Dive Insight:
By establishing roots in Sioux Falls, Kwik Trip will directly compete with Circle K, as well as well-known regional chains Cubby’s, Stop ‘N Cart and Food-N-Fuel, all of which have numerous locations in the area. Kum & Go and Casey’s General Stores each have locations in Sioux Falls as well.
A Kwik Trip spokesperson told Sioux Falls Business the retailer hopes to have two of the locations open this fall, with the third up and running by the end of the year. New Kwik Trip locations “typically” take five months to build, Kwik Trip’s real estate development manager said in the report.
Kwik Trip did not respond by press time to an inquiry for more details on its expansion to South Dakota.
Besides the three stores scheduled to open in the coming months, Kwik Trip is also buying land in Harrisburg, about 10 miles south of downtown Sioux Falls, according to the report.
La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip is one of the largest c-store operators in the U.S. with over 800 locations in its network. South Dakota will be the retailer’s sixth state of operation, alongside Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.
