Kwik Star Banner to Enter South Dakota

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip Inc. is extending the reach of its Kwik Star banner.

The convenience store operator is making plans to open its first three South Dakota stores in the Sioux Falls area. Two locations are already planned for southeast Sioux Falls and one in Brandon. Additionally, the company is buying land in Harrisburg, S.D., reported Sioux Falls Business.

The company has applied for a building permit for a c-store, gas station and car wash at 57th Street and Graystone Avenue in Sioux Falls and it is slated to begin work on the Brandon location in the coming months. Pending approvals, both stores are expected to open this fall, according to Kwik Trip spokesperson Steve Wrobel.

The third Kwik Star store, to be located at 6301 E. 41st St. in Sioux Falls, could possibly also open by the end of 2023. Construction takes around five months.

Kwik Star is one of several c-store chains in the process of entering new markets. Last year, Pennsylvania-based Wawa Inc. announced plans to open its first c-stores in Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky as part of its long-term expansion plan for adjacent and new markets. Wawa is expected to begin opening the new stores in 2024.

Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz plans to enter the Detroit market in 2025 while Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go LC also targeted Detroit as its next new market following plans to open a set of Idaho stores in 2023. Meanwhile, Royal Farms is looking to expand into North Carolina with stores in Grandy, New Bern, Greenville, Lumberton, Kinston and Jacksonville later this year.

New market entrances that occurred in 2022 include Buc-ee's inaugural Tennessee travel center, Love's Travel Stop's first location in Connecticut and QuikTrip Corp.'s first Colorado store in Firestone, outside of Denver.

Founded in 1965, La Crosse-based Kwik Trip operates more than 800 convenience stores in the Midwest. Its stores are known as Kwik Trip in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and as Kwik Star in Iowa.