Dive Brief:
- QuikTrip plans to break ground this summer on 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 at a multi-use development in Crestwood, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. 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 vestibule and more energy-efficient construction materials, QuikTrip’s spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the City of Crestwood confirmed that the new site will also feature 12 gas pumps in the forecourt.
“All in all the added space, better workflow and updated building features make this store layout an exciting step forward for both customers and employees,” QuikTrip’s spokesperson said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
The GEN4 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.
Missouri is one of QuikTrip’s largest markets. The Show-Me-State is one of four states — alongside Texas, Georgia and Arizona — that have over 100 QuikTrip stores, according to the company’s website. As of late last year, QuikTrip had over 70 stores in the greater St. Louis area, according to planning documents for the GEN4 location.
