Dive Brief:

• Former Kum & Go owner and CEO Kyle Krause was surprised when Maverik began its years-long process of retiring the banner, according to an interview this week with the Des Moines Register.
• Krause told the newspaper that although it was never in writing, Maverik's owners told him they planned to keep Kum & Go’s name and branding at its roughly 400 convenience stores that Maverik acquired in late 2023.
• Maverik began rebranding Kum & Go under its own name a few months after the acquisition, a move that has stirred controversy and raised questions about its future within Kum & Go’s communities and the broader c-store industry.

Dive Insight:

Kyle Krause, whose father founded Kum & Go in 1959, was the retailer’s chairman and CEO from 2004 to 2020. Although his son was leading the company at the time of the sale to Maverik, Krause appeared to have played a key role in discussions with the Utah company. 

During those talks, Maverik “communicated to me that they intended to run both brands,” Krause told the Des Moines Register.

But that hasn’t been the case. Maverik has spent the past year and half removing Kum & Go's brand and services, from its made-to-order food program to its mobile app and digital presence. There were about 400 Kum & Go stores at the time of the acquisition, and as of this week, roughly 81 remain, according to its website.

"It’s their decision,” Krause told the newspaper of Maverik’s decision to retire Kum & Go. “They can choose what they do... But certainly talking to them, their intent prior to the sale was to maintain both brands.”

Krause’s comments echo what several former corporate Kum & Go team members told C-Store Dive earlier this year. Despite Maverik initially saying it would maintain Kum & Go’s branding and programs, staffers believed the Utah-based company never considered doing so.

Beyond the rebranding, Krause told the newspaper that he was disappointed with Maverik’s workforce cuts at Kum & Go’s headquarters in Iowa earlier this summer. The move, which resulted in about 100 team members losing their jobs, was part of Maverik’s plan to consolidate its headquarters in its home base of Salt Lake City.

"Certainly I want the best for our people,” Krause said.

A spokesperson from Maverik did not respond by press time to a request for comment on Krause’s remarks.