Kwik Trip Furthers Its Commitment to Healthy Choices
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip Inc. signed on to the Drink Up initiative, becoming the first convenience store chain to add its name to the list of supporters pushing consumers to drink more water.
Drink Up is part of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and PHA Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama to make healthier choices easier for parents and families.
As part of its commitment to the initiative, Kwik Trip will add the Drink Up logo to all of its private-label water bottles, execute point-of-sale campaigns using Drink Up messaging, and support the brand on social media.
The chain already participates in other healthy food initiatives and is implementing a new EATSmart program. It is also well known for offering fresh food in its stores, selling roughly 400 pounds of bananas a day.
"Last year, we became the first convenience store to sign a commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America. This has greatly strengthened our business and made us a destination for those seeking out healthy options," said Steve Loehr, vice president of Support Center Operations at Kwik Trip. "Since then, other convenience stores have joined us. And we have continued to step up with the Partnership for a Healthier America. As we begin our participation in the Drink Up program, we expect it will equally deliver benefits to our customers and our stores."
La Crosse-based Kwik Trip is a family-owned business that operates more than 500 c-stores and other outlets in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
"Kwik Trip believes in offering its customers healthier options, and the company realized early on that its customers also really wanted access to those options," stated PHA Chief Marketing Officer Drew Nannis. "It comes as no surprise that Kwik Trip would also be the first c-store to join Drink Up, which aims to market water in brand-new ways — and has also fueled a 4-percent sales lift among people exposed to the campaign."
Launched in 2013, Drink Up has more than 50 supporters including bottlers, filtered water companies and fountains. To date, the Drink Up message has been seen on more than one billion products and engaged hundreds of millions of people through social media, advertising, events and celebrity ambassadors.