Dive Brief:
- Buc-ee’s is in the early stages of developing its first Iowa travel center in Urbandale, according to planning documents filed with the city.
- Urbandale’s planning and zoning commission recommended approval of a land-use amendment that would designate a roughly 20-acre parcel near interstates 80 and 35 as “corridor commercial,” which allows for retail, offices and services along major roads.
- Although Buc-ee’s still faces more hurdles in securing final approval, its entry into Iowa would immerse the Texas-based chain in a fiercely competitive convenience retail market.
Dive Insight:
Iowa isn’t the first Midwestern state Buc-ee’s has targeted, as the chain is also developing its first location in Wisconsin and pursuing a site in Indiana, among others. If it arrives in Urbandale, a suburb just outside of Des Moines, Buc-ee’s would immediately compete with — and pose a major threat to — some of the most popular c-store retailers in the country, such as Casey’s General Stores, Maverik and Kwik Trip.
In a statement to C-Store Dive, Rose Schroder, community development director for the city of Urbandale, said the planning commission’s recommended approval of the land-use amendment on Aug. 10 “was the first step of several in the development process.”
The amendment will now move to Urbandale’s city council. If the council approves it, Buc-ee’s would then need to submit a rezoning request and site plan for review by the planning commission and city council, Schroder added.
“Buc-ee’s Travel Centers have become an economic engine that creates opportunities and growth in every community Buc-ee’s has built,” Buc-ee’s representative said in the planning documents. “The Des Moines and Iowa market is primed to support the unique brand and loyal customers that makes Buc-ee’s more than a travel center.”
Mapping Buc-ee's store footprint beyond Texas
Buc-ee’s’ closely watched expansion plans have accelerated this year. The retailer has debuted in Arizona and Ohio, broken ground on its first North Carolina store and received approvals for additional locations in Ohio and Virginia. It joins other convenience retailers like QuikTrip, Sheetz, Wawa and Dash In that are moving into new states.
A spokesperson from Buc-ee’s declined to comment.
