New Spencer Kwik Trip store opening planned for late July

A brand new Spencer Kwik Trip store that will be well more than double the size of the existing one is expected to be open to customers by July 28. The new store will be of the largest size that Kwik Trip builds as the area is seen as one that can support the volume of business.

Kwik Trip Director of Public Relations John McHugh said last week that the current Kwik Trip along Highway 13 south in Spencer is one of its older “legacy” stores, but the decision was made to upgrade and expand it. The new store, being built just to the south and east of the existing building, will have 9,000 square feet of space, and will be one of the large “third generation” stores the company is building around the Upper Midwest.

“It’s a much more open concept, so it doesn’t feel as cramped,” McHugh said. “The customers just want that space. It’s the largest single store we build now.”

The new store will offer an increased

Please Spencer, page 8 volume and variety of products, with an emphasis on the company’s food lines such as fresh fried chicken and take-home meals. Outside, customers will also find 10 gas dispensing stations, plus a side area for diesel fuel. The first six gas dispensers will be open by late July with four more to be added by the end of August.

McHugh said the side diesel area will provide convenience to truck drivers, farm machinery operators, etc.

“It’s not a major truck stop,” McHugh said of the Spencer location, but there are enough diesel customers to warrant the side location.

Another major change for the Spencer Kwik Trip will be the addition of full hours.

“It’s not a 24-hour store now, but when it opens it’s going to be a 24-hour store,” McHugh said.

The Spencer location is part of an aggressive expansion program that Kwik Trip has been undertaking in recent years. It now has more than 820 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, and will be moving into North Dakota, South Dakota and Upper Michigan in the near future. The company is adding 40 new locations per year and doing about 10 rebuilds, McHugh said.

The Spencer location is considered a rebuild since it’s occurring on the same location, with the old store to be removed. In some locations, Kwik Trip is not replacing legacy-sized stores, so the fact that Spencer is getting a new third-generation store means it’s seen as a solid location.

“The fact that we’re building a new Generation 3 store says that it can certainly sustain the volume,” McHugh said.

An official ribbon cutting ceremony at the Spencer location is planned for Sept. 8.

STAFF PHOTO