Kum & Go Expanding Urban Store Concept

DES MOINES, Iowa — Kum & Go LC opened its first urban convenience store in May, but it will not be its last.

The convenience retailer welcomed customers at the new concept store in downtown Des Moines on May 28. Situated at the corner Seventh and Locust streets, in the Edna Griffin building, the c-store is a non-gas location, as Convenience Store News previously reported. 

Now, roughly six weeks later, the retailer is putting plans in place to expand the urban store concept with locations in other cities, including Denver.

According to BusinessDen.com, Kum & Go will open a similar c-store in the city's Riverfront Park. Niki DePhillips, senior vice president of store development for the retailer, said the location will be one of five "urban walkup" stores that Kum & Go opens this year. All five will be in high-foot traffic areas, and will not feature parking or fuel.

"It's definitely a new concept for us … We're looking at how do we flex our prototype to meet our customers in different ways," she told the news outlet.

Similar to the Des Moines urban store, the walkup stores will have many items traditionally found at Kum & Go, but it will highlight healthier food items, including in its grab-and-go offerings. They will not, however, include foodservice items like a roller grill that are featured in Kum & Go's newer Marketplace concept.

The walkup locations will also offer compostable silverware and food containers made from recycled materials. "We see this as a very upscale convenience store," DePhillips added.

In addition to the Riverfront Park site, she said the company expects to open another pump-free location in downtown Denver by the end of the year.

Des Moines-based Kum & Go's portfolio comprises 400 stores in 11 states: Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.