Dive Brief:
- Kwik Trip is closing some of its Kwik Spirits and Tobacco Outlet Plus stores, according to reporting from WXOW, an ABC affiliate in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
- The sites, which sell beer, wine, liquor and cigars, are shutting down between April and the end of August. A Kwik Trip spokesperson declined to comment when reached by C-Store Dive.
- Kwik Trip is closing these locations due to downtrends in alcohol and tobacco sales in the U.S., company Public Relations Specialist Ben Leibl told WXOW, which reported that 13 sites are slated for closure.
Dive Insight:
While Kwik Trip still sells alcohol in its c-stores, category headwinds have made Kwik Trip shift focus away from its alcohol- and tobacco- focused stores. Liebl noted that the workers at the closing stores are being offered employment at nearby Kwik Trip locations.
“I would say moving forward, we are looking to move past the standalone Kwik Spirits and Tobacco Outlet Plus stores, especially these 13 locations,” Leibl told WXOW. "Again, due to the nature of the declining sales for both alcohol and tobacco."
Liebl could not be reached by press time when asked to comment. A separate Kwik Trip spokesperson declined to comment on how many Kwik Spirits would be left after the closings or what future plans the company may have for the banner.
While Kwik Trip did not confirm how many Kwik Spirits and Tobacco Outlet Plus locations are still open, the company’s location data shows it has nine Kwik Spirits across Wisconsin and parts of Iowa and 12 Tobacco Outlet Plus stores across the two states.
Alcohol consumption hit record lows in the U.S. in 2025, according to Gallup data, and beer, wine and spirits are increasingly seen as unhealthy by consumers. Inflation has also continued to weigh on the category — the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed beer at home prices grew almost 3% year over year in May.
