Dive Brief:
- The Kent Companies, operator of the Kent Kwik convenience store chain, is developing its first new-to-industry location in Tennessee, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- The site is in Ardmore, about 80 miles south of downtown Nashville, the retailer said in an announcement last week. Kent’s spokesperson said the location will be a 14,317-square-foot travel center that will feature one of its Rustic Cafe restaurants.
- Kent has nearly doubled its store count in recent years as it experiments with new formats and expands across the South and Southeast.
Dive Insight:
Kent has quietly become one of the fastest-growing regional c-store chains in the U.S., expanding from 75 locations in spring 2023 to 132 by the end of last year. That’s a pace rarely seen among small and midsize operators.
The Midland, Texas-based retailer is also broadening its store formats. Last year, it debuted a food-focused store design with a drive-thru, followed by its first mini store inside a sports complex in July.
Although the retailer operates 11 travel centers across its network, according to the spokesperson, the Ardmore project will be its first newly built travel center in Tennessee.
They said the new site is expected to open by the end of this year.
“Some of the main features will be a designated diesel island, truckers lounge, beer and ice caves, and full-service Rustic Cafe restaurant,” Kent’s spokesperson said in a statement. “We entered the Tennessee market in 2020 through acquisition and this will be our first NTI store in the market.”
The truckers’ lounge will include showers, laundry machines and other amenities for drivers making longer stops, according to Kent’s announcement. The Rustic Cafe will serve chicken fried steak, burgers, all-day breakfast and other comfort foods.
In addition to four traditional c-stores, Kent currently operates one travel center in Tennessee, per the spokesperson. That store, the Shady Lawn Truck Stop in Ardmore, sits across the street from the new site and will close once construction is complete. Kent has not yet finalized plans for the Shady Lawn property after the closure, the spokesperson said.
