Buc-ee’s breaks ground on second Kentucky location

Dive Brief:

Buc-ee’s broke ground yesterday on its new travel center in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, according to a LinkedIn post by the company’s director of operations.
The 53,471-square-foot travel center will offer 120 fueling positions in the forecourt, according to a previous announcement from Buc-ee’s. Once built, it will be the retailer’s second location in the Bluegrass State.
This comes as Buc-ee’s rapidly expands around the country, as the retailer — known for its enormous c-stores — has revealed plans to enter a number of new markets around the U.S., including Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin and Virginia.

Dive Insight:

Buc-ee’s Smiths Grove site will be nearly identical in size and to its first Kentucky location, which debuted in April 2022. That store, located in Richmond, also stands at about 53,000 square-feet and features 120 fueling positions in the forecourt.

Inside the store, customers will be able to purchase Buc-ee’s popular food products, such as Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries. The travel center will bring at least 200 jobs to Smiths Grove, according to the May announcement.

Smiths Grove will be the smallest town with a Buc-ee’s, Stan Beard, director of real estate for the company, said in the May announcement.

"We are excited to be in Western Kentucky along a beautiful stretch of I-65 between Nashville and Louisville," Beard said.

When Buc-ee’s announced last month that it would break ground on the new Smiths Grove travel center on June 5, the company said the construction ceremony would be attended by local and state leaders, including Kentucky’s senior advisor to the governor, Rocky Adkins and Smiths Grove Mayor David Stiffey.

Founded in Texas in 1982, Lake Jackson, Texas-based Buc-ee's operates 45 stores across Texas and the South. The retailer is in the midst of an ambitious expansion. Beyond Smith Grove, other areas it will open stores in over the next few years are Johnstown, Colorado; DeForest, Wisconsin; Springfield, Missouri; Ruston, Louisiana; and New Kent County, Virginia.