QuikTrip Opens 600th Store

TULSA, Okla. -- QuikTrip opened store No. 600 today in Claremore, Okla., Tulsa World reported. The convenience store chain has been picking up speed with each milestone opening, as its 500th store opened a little over three years ago and the 400th came six years prior to that.

"If you think about scale, even the scale shrinks between these hundred-store openings," QuikTrip Corp. President and CEO Chet Cadieux told the news outlet. "But this is still very exciting."

The newest QuikTrip is located on Will Rogers Boulevard near Interstate 44 and is one of the chain's “Gen 3” models, which debuted in June 2010. The 5,700-square-foot store offers 16 fuel pumps, a manned coffee, ice cream and baked goods section, and a beverage range including soda, smoothies and tea. Fifteen to 17 workers will be employed at the store, which has already attracted attention in the community, according to manager Rick McKewon.

"People have been asking about it and talking about it for a while," said McKeon, who has been with QuikTrip for 30 years. "Especially with this style of store, everyone has been waiting for one to come here to Claremore."

QuikTrip was founded in 1958 and expanded to 100 stores by the early 1970s. Throughout its history, the retailer has opened more than 920 stores, some of which were closed, relocated or sold, according to Tulsa World.

The chain enjoys a positive reputation today, recognized this year by Convenience Store News as one of the Top 20 Growth Chains in the c-store industry, and by Fortune magazine as one of its Top 100 Best Companies to Work For.

QuikTrip will continue its aggressive growth in the South and Midwest. "You have to be to keep up in this industry," said Cadieux, son of founder Chester Cadieux. An additional 47 stores -- many built under the new model -- are under construction, indicating that store No. 700 may not be very far off.