Dive Brief:
- Yesway will open its first convenience store in Arizona on Oct. 2, the company announced Thursday.
- The 6,277-square-foot store in Willcox, about 85 miles east of downtown Tucson, operates under Yesway’s Allsup’s banner. It features 10 fuel dispensers, five diesel lanes and 17 truck parking spaces, along with Allsup’s popular burritos, private label snacks and other convenience store staples.
- Arriving in Arizona is a key piece of Yesway’s current growth plan, which calls for opening 130 new-to-industry stores — primarily across the Southwest, Oklahoma and Texas — over the next five years.
Dive Insight:
Yesway revealed plans to enter Arizona during its first-quarter earnings call in June. At the time, President and CEO Tom Trkla said Arizona will be home to the majority of the company’s planned six to eight new stores this year and 26 next year, with additional locations opening in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
Yesway’s first location in Arizona is set to open its doors next week, marking the convenience retailer’s 10th state of operation.
In its announcement, Yesway called Arizona a “natural extension” of its Southwest footprint, citing the state’s growing communities, fuel market dynamics, development opportunities and fit with the Allsup’s brand.
Trkla called the expansion “one of the most significant milestones in Yesway’s history” in the Thursday announcement.
"We see tremendous long-term opportunity here,” Trkla said in a statement. “This is not simply the opening of another store for Yesway; it represents the beginning of what we hope will become a significant and enduring presence in Arizona."
Yesway’s Arizona debut follows a second fiscal quarter that Trkla called the company’s best in its history. Yesway set new records across several key areas, including fuel gallons sold, fuel gross profit, inside merchandise sales, inside merchandise gross profit and store contribution.
Yesway is funding its expansion both directly and through partnerships with real estate investment trusts and other real estate groups, the company said earlier this year. In March, Yesway said it expected to spend $40 million to $50 million opening six to eight stores this year.
Most of the company’s new stores are being developed through Yesway’s “build-to-suit” program, in which a third party contributes the majority of the capital to construct the new store while Yesway oversees site selection, permitting, design and the construction processes. Once construction is done, Yesway operates the location under a long-term lease.
The retailer is also expected to close the $17.5 million sale of its 29 locations across Iowa and Kansas by the end of the year. C-Store Dive reported in 2025 that Nebraska-based Mega Saver agreed to purchase these locations.
