Dive Brief:
- Kum & Go opened its first “Bistro” location in Missouri on Thursday, according to a company press release.
- The food-focused format is smaller than the company’s other formats, clocking in at just under 4,000 square feet. Including this latest store, which opened in the town of Aurora, Missouri, the convenience retailer has opened eight of these bistro-style stores in six states this year after launching the format in 2022.
- Kum & Go joins a variety of c-store companies rolling out new designs and formats to better serve different areas and community needs — from building larger travel centers to using new formats to amplify specific parts of the store, like foodservice.
Dive Insight:
Kum & Go first introduced the “Bistro” store format about a year ago in Walnut, Iowa.
The stores are a “mini-me of the retailer’s larger Marketplace stores” that offer a full selection of foodservice options as well as indoor seating in a more compact space, according to Kum & Go’s announcement. The location will feature the same foodservice options as its larger Marketplace locations, including pizza, burritos, sandwiches and more, a company spokesperson confirmed via email.
The Aurora store’s grand opening is scheduled for Monday, with several vendors including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Boston Beer Company scheduled to offer free samples throughout the week as part of the event.
The store is at 129 East Theran Ave. in Aurora, Missouri, about 30 miles southwest of Springfield. The company is hiring for multiple positions, starting at $14.30 per hour.
C-stores have been increasingly experimenting with different-sized formats as they aim for new markets and shopper profiles. Chains like Casey’s and RaceTrac are opening more travel centers. Rutter’s is building larger, more upscale locations, while Yesway plans to try a few new formats, including a 10,000-square-foot store and a “superette,” which has aspects of both a grocery store and a convenience store.
Other companies are doing more with smaller spaces. Golden Pantry, Choice Markets and Yesway are all testing out automated Juxta micro markets. These smaller stores can go into locations that might not make sense for more traditional-sized c-stores.
Des Moines-based Kum & Go has more than 400 stores in 13 states. It’s owned by Salt Lake City based Maverik, which operates more than 400 convenience stores in 12 states under that brand name.
