Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the timeline for when QuikTrip’s GEN4 c-stores will debut. The company will begin opening locations this spring, with its first one planned for Oklahoma.
Dive Brief:
- QuikTrip plans to open this spring its first location that follows a new, roomier convenience store design, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- The 6,400-square-foot c-store, which QuikTrip is calling its Generation 4 (GEN4) model, will debut in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa. At about 1,000 square feet larger than a traditional QuikTrip, the design aims to give customers a smoother shopping layout and help employees work more efficiently, the spokesperson said.
- This marks QuikTrip’s first new store design in several years. The Oklahoma-based retailer has mainly focused on expanding its remote travel center concept since debuting the format in 2020.
Dive Insight:
Retailers of all sizes have spent the past few years exploring new ways to build and remodel their convenience stores — usually with food at the forefront — as a means to draw in more customers. QuikTrip has led this charge with the fast rollout of its remote travel centers. Now, the company has its sights set on another store format that’s more in line with its standard locations.
Unsurprisingly, the company’s QT Kitchens foodservice program — featuring made-to-order and grab-and-go offerings like burritos, pizza, sandwiches and frozen beverages — will be a focus at the GEN4 store. QuikTrip’s spokesperson said the kitchen is twice the size of that of a standard location and includes “a new dedicated area for quick food order pickup.” Beyond food, the GEN4 site will also feature a glass vestibule and expanded storefront windows, QuikTrip’s spokesperson said.
Besides the Broken Arrow store, other GEN4 locations will open later this spring in Joplin, Missouri, and Wichita, Kansas, QuikTrip’s spokesperson said. Two other locations will debut later this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Crestwood, Missouri.
A spokesperson for the City of Crestwood confirmed that location will also feature 12 gas pumps in the forecourt. This QuikTrip will be located in the same complex as a Dierbergs Market grocery store and a Crumbl Cookies shop. The mixed-used district also includes a new subdivision featuring 81 single-family homes, according to the City of Crestwood’s spokesperson.
“We’re building this store with an approach that supports efficiency and responsible energy use, reinforcing our commitment to operational excellence,” QuikTrip’s spokesperson said in a statement to C-Store Dive. “This new design also allows us to explore features that can continue shaping the future of QuikTrip.”
