PHOTO GALLERY: Inside QuikTrip's First Store Sans Gas
ATLANTA — As a leading seller of motor fuels in all the markets in which it operates, QuikTrip customers in metro Atlanta may be surprised to find the convenience store chain’s newest site is missing one offering traditionally associated with the c-store operator: fuel.
QuikTrip Corp., winner of the 2015 Convenience Store News Retailer Innovator of the Year award, is testing a non-fuel concept as part of the company’s long-term strategy to grow and serve non-traditional market segments, according to Chuck Barton, vice president of marketing.
Located at the intersection of Peachtree and 6th streets in Atlanta, the new c-store sans gas is the first of its kind for QuikTrip since the late 1970s when the company tested a similar concept in its hometown of Tulsa, Okla.
The demand for convenience in metro areas has grown since that first experiment, leading QuikTrip to believe the time was right to try the concept once again.
“We saw an opportunity to expand the QuikTrip brand into other areas of the Atlanta market we have not historically been able to reach,” Barton told CSNews. “These sites would not allow fuel, which in the past we were unwilling to compromise. But with our increased focus on foodservice, we felt now was the time to test this concept.”
Among the unique features of this site:
- The store is a little more than half the size of QuikTrip’s typical Gen 3 store model.
- QT Kitchens, the chain’s propriety made-to-order food and beverage program, is at the forefront and, in fact, is twice as large at this store as the traditional footprint.
- This location is the first to feature made-to-order toasted subs.
- The beer category here focuses on smaller packages and craft beer.
Click above to see photos of the new QuikTrip concept.