With 6 locations in the works, Kwik Trip details plans for upcoming openings

“We’re in the Upper Midwest, and it seems like common sense with the type of community we like to operate in and have been successful in. We think the customer base and opportunity to be of service will be a good match for us.”

The location under construction in Brandon, which is on the northwest corner of Holly Boulevard and Heritage Road, is scheduled to open in mid-September.

The first Sioux Falls store is scheduled to open about a month after that on the northwest corner of 57th Street and Graystone Avenue, which is west of Sycamore Avenue.

Harrisburg’s first location, which is along Willow Street near the new Sanford Health clinic, is scheduled to open near the end of October.

After that will come three more Sioux Falls locations, including one at the southeast corner of 41st Street and Grand Slam Avenue.

The two newest deals will bring Kwik Star locations to southwest and north Sioux Falls, with one near 32nd Street and Ellis Road and one at 3310 N. Cliff Ave. Building permits have been taken out for all the sites.

“With all the development going on in the northeast corner of Sioux Falls, we think that it makes for a great addition to the industrial corridor along North Cliff that services that entire area,” said vice president Seth Assam of Assam Cos., which sold the Cliff Avenue property to Kwik Trip.

“The entire team was a pleasure to work with. We worked with a lot of different functions on their side to bring the deal to fruition, and all of them were great. Their company values and service mentality were very apparent in each interaction.”

Kwik Star is the brand name used in South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Locations in Wisconsin and Minnesota go by the original name of Kwik Trip..

The company’s typical convenience store is about 9,000 square feet, with pumps that allow 15 to 20 people to fuel up at the same time, and they include a car wash.

“We really try and pride ourselves on having clean stores and restrooms and hot, fresh product available,” public relations specialist Ben Leibl said. “We have daily deliveries that come out of our corporate office in La Crosse, so 80 percent of the product made in the stores is made and shipped out of our distribution center.”

The company is the most vertically integrated C-store chain in the country, he added.

“We’re going to have a good grocery offering — aisles for chips and candy bars, a very decent-size fresh case, so guests can choose from healthier options like fruits, salads and pre-made sub sandwiches.”

Customers also will find pizzas and take-home meals in the fresh case, along with eggs, butter and milk.

“Our chicken is a big thing,” Leibl added. “We’ve had a lot of success with chicken tenders, our whole birds, as well as the fact you can come in and right now they’re on sale every Monday, so you can get a whole bird for $6.99, so families can come make an entire meal.”

Boneless wings also are popular as well as mozzarella sticks, mini tacos and other finger foods that are handy on the road, he said.

Chicken is fried in the stores daily, and other food is made fresh there.

“Kwik Star will sell a ton of produce,” Mleziva added. “So there’s a substantial amount of fresh grocery filling in food deserts that might be throughout the community.”

The stores also will feature new nitro cold brew machines and smoothie machines.

Food can be ordered for pickup or delivery through an app.

The locations also have a selection of health and household-related convenience products and auto-related supplies.

“We think the customer is going to find our new sites rather quickly and really love the product that’s being offered,” real estate development manager Zach Pagel said. “Already within the market, we’ve heard from landlords and potential customers that they’re familiar with our brand … and they’re ready for it to come out here. A lot of them have favorite products they’ll be looking for on the shelves.”

The stores are larger than typical C-stores with more focus on daily needs, he added, “which is very convenient as multifamily developments continue to build out in the city along with single-family housing.”

Kwik Trip has started hiring for leadership positions, with some people already training for when Sioux Falls-area stores open. Click here to learn more about current opportunities.

“Kwik Trip is in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and we’re always in the top workplaces in those states, and that’s all co-worker driven,” Leibl said. “They vote on the company they work for, and the fact we’re in the top workplaces each year speaks volumes that we treat our co-workers very well.”

The Zietlow family “is very generous to us as co-workers and shares 40 percent of the pre-tax profits, so it’s a great benefit they give to us that helps us differentiate ourselves from the competition,” he added.

The growth in the Sioux Falls area likely will continue, Mleziva said.

“We think there’s more opportunities for us both in Sioux Falls and the surrounding communities,” he said. “This is a good start to being in neighborhoods and being close to population centers and activity drivers that we think are a good match for the quick and clean service we offer. But I think there’s still opportunities for us to add more for sure.”