Kwik Trip
| File:Kwik Trip logo.svg Kwik Trip logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Convenience stores |
| Founded | 1 January 1965 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Founder | Hansen and Zietlow families |
| Headquarters | La Crosse , United States |
Area served | Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota |
Key people | Scott Zietlow (President and CEO) |
| Products | Convenience store products, food service items, fuel, bakery products, proprietary snack brand "Urge!" |
| Owner | Zietlow family (privately held) |
Number of employees | Over 5000 (estimated from 2016 and growth) |
| Website | www |
Overview
Kwik Trip is a convenience store chain established in 1965, operating stores primarily across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula under the Kwik Trip name. In addition, the brand Kwik Star serves customers in Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota. The enterprise also manages outlets under the names Tobacco Outlet Plus, Kwik Spirits, and Stop-N-Go. Privately held by the Zietlow family, the company’s headquarters are located in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Distinct from many other convenience store chains, Kwik Trip stands out as a leader in food service, with vertical integration throughout most of its product offerings. The company operates its own bakery, supplying fresh bread, doughnuts, and muffins to its stores. Additionally, it markets a proprietary snack brand called "Urge!". Kwik Trip has established sponsorships with various professional sports teams in the Upper Midwest region, including Minnesota’s Twins, Vikings, and Wild, as well as Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Each store features a modest grocery area that stocks essential items such as fresh fruits, bread, canned goods, frozen products, sliced cheeses, and ice cream. Alongside standard convenience store fare like bottled beverages and hot dogs, the chain has famously offered bananas, baking potatoes, and yellow onions at 39 cents per pound as loss leaders. Fresh meats including beef, hot dogs, bratwurst, and chicken are also available. All locations provide heated ready-to-eat meals and offer made-to-order food selections from a limited menu.
Early Kwik Trip
Kwik Trip was established in 1965 by the Hansen and Zietlow families in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The inaugural store, located at 1402 South Hastings Way, introduced a "new type of store" concept to Eau Claire. This concept resembled a small neighborhood grocery outlet, akin to the convenience stores that were prevalent in the southern and western United States during that period. Initially, these stores operated every day of the year, including holidays, but did not offer fuel services.[1]
In the years that followed, Kwik Trip expanded by opening additional locations around Eau Claire and introduced gasoline sales in 1970.[2] The first store in La Crosse was launched in 1971. Two years later, in 1973, Kwik Trip constructed a distribution center and relocated its headquarters to La Crosse. Growth accelerated through the late 1970s and into the 1980s; the company enlarged its corporate offices three times and doubled the size of its distribution center. By 1986, Kwik Trip had reached a milestone of 100 stores.[3]
In 1993, to prevent confusion with QuikTrip stores already operating in Iowa, Kwik Trip opened its initial Iowa location under the brand name Kwik Star. The company introduced its first retail car wash in 1997, which quickly became a signature feature of their stores.[2] By 1999, Kwik Trip consolidated its petroleum operations, grocery services, fresh product delivery, and fleet maintenance into a single transportation division known as Convenience Transportation, LLC.[4]
2000s - present
In 2000, the Zietlow family acquired Hansen's 50% stake in Kwik Trip, Inc., becoming the sole proprietors of the company. Over the subsequent years, the business implemented an expansion plan aiming to open approximately 20 new stores annually. The introduction of Glazers, a donut inspired by Krispy Kreme, occurred in 2003 and quickly gained popularity. That same year, Kwik Trip launched the hot spot and roller grill featuring fully cooked hot food items designed for quick grab-and-go convenience. The company emphasized store cleanliness as a key differentiator, operating under the belief that immaculate environments attract more customers and enhance trust in their food offerings.
By 2016, Kwik Trip had grown to over 500 privately held locations. The following year, it expanded its portfolio by acquiring the PDQ chain, incorporating PDQ’s fried chicken recipe across all outlets. In 2020, Kwik Trip further extended its reach through the acquisition of Stop–N–Go stores. On December 8, 2020, the company inaugurated its first Kwik Star location in Illinois by converting a former Stop-N-Go store situated in Rochelle.
Plans announced in 2021 included opening new Kwik Star stores in Brandon, South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Harrisburg, South Dakota, marking the company’s initial entry into the South Dakota market. Additional outlets were also slated for development within the Sioux Falls region.
The first Kwik Trip outlet in Michigan was unveiled on September 14, 2022, located in Ironwood, followed shortly by another store in Bessemer.
On January 1, 2023, Don Zietlow stepped down as CEO to focus on family care responsibilities. His successor is his son Scott Zietlow, a former trauma surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, who assumed the roles of president and CEO.
Kwik Trip opened its inaugural Kwik Star store in South Dakota on September 21, 2023, in Brandon, with five additional locations planned before year-end. Future developments include more stores in northern Sioux Falls, one in Harrisburg, and another near the forthcoming interchange between Interstate 29 and 85th Street. A further Kwik Star is anticipated to open in Brookings.
Until May 2024, Kwik Trip offered bagged milk and orange juice pouches under its Nature's Touch label through its proprietary dairy operation.
The company has also initiated home delivery services for hot food items in selected markets via a collaboration with EatStreet.
Locations
As of January 2025, Kwik Trip Inc. manages 898 retail outlets spread across six states, operating under five distinct brand identities.Kwik Trip and Kwik Star represent full-service convenience stores offering a core grocery assortment, prepared meals, and fuel. The Kwik Star name is utilized in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota to avoid confusion with the similarly named QuikTrip brand present in those regions. The Stop-N-Go brand encompasses smaller-format stores acquired in 2020 that provide a reduced range of services compared to the standard offerings.
Locations situated near major highway exits function as comprehensive truck stop facilities, featuring dual-pump fueling stations. These sites offer amenities such as overnight parking and shower facilities and operate around the clock. Numerous stores also include automatic car wash services, though availability and operational hours may be limited by local noise and environmental regulations.
Introduced in December 2022, Kwik Spirits focuses on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. These outlets can either operate independently or be incorporated within existing Kwik Trip stores to adhere to local laws governing these items. The Tobacco Outlet Plus chain, acquired in 2015, consists of smaller stores dedicated exclusively to tobacco products with age restrictions; since acquisition, only a limited number have been converted into Kwik Trip or Kwik Star locations.
Kwik Trip runs a restaurant called Hearty Platter located in Bonduel, Wisconsin, which serves the same menu items found in their convenience stores but in a sit-down dining environment. Starting from 2015, Denny's has taken over operations of restaurants at four former Hearty Platter sites within Kwik Trip stores.
In 2017, Kwik Trip expanded by acquiring PDQ Food Stores, which primarily operated in Madison and Milwaukee. All PDQ locations have since been rebranded as Kwik Trip stores.
The company's headquarters and primary distribution center occupy a 140-acre campus in La Crosse, Wisconsin, established in 1973 and expanded over time. A second distribution facility is under construction in DeForest, Wisconsin, scheduled for completion in 2025.
Vertical integration
Kwik Trip operates with a high degree of vertical integration across the majority of its product categories, with approximately 80% of its sales consisting of items under the Kwik Trip brand. The company's facilities located at its La Crosse headquarters encompass both production and distribution centers, enabling products to be manufactured and delivered to stores within a single night. Convenience Transportation LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, manages the distribution logistics and oversees the maintenance of the company’s truck fleet.
The company’s portfolio of private label brands includes:
- Karuba: specialty coffee served in-store
- Kitchen Cravings: a range of pre-packaged meals, hot food selections, and fresh raw meats
- Kwikery Bake Shop: bakery products such as Glazers donuts and multiple types of bread
- Nature's Touch: beverages like water and juice, along with eggs and dairy items
- Urge: snack foods
Role in Upper Midwestern culture
Kwik Trip has earned the status of a "cultural icon" and enjoys a "devoted following" throughout the Upper Midwest. Certain Wisconsinites have even chosen to capture wedding photos at Kwik Trip locations or purchased merchandise such as Kwik Trip-themed underwear. Wisconsin-based comedian Charlie Berens has contributed to promoting the brand, highlighting that part of Kwik Trip’s charm lies in the community connection it fosters, especially in more isolated areas.
Company values
Kwik Trip places significant emphasis on how it treats its workforce. The company allocates 40% of its profits to employees, resulting in an annual bonus averaging around 10%. Ownership of Kwik Trip’s retail assets is shared among employees through Convenience Store Investments Inc.
Workplace honors
In 2011, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recognized Kwik Trip as the top large employer (with over 500 staff) in Southeastern Wisconsin, surpassing Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) for the leading position.
Later, in 2018, Convenience Store Decisions awarded Kwik Trip the title of 2018 Convenience Store Chain of the Year.
References
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:3 - ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
- Pages with reference errors
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Retail businesses headquartered in Wisconsin
- Privately owned companies in Wisconsin
- Midwestern United States economy
- Convenience store chains in the United States
- Fuel stations in the United States
- Retailers founded in 1965
- 1965 establishments in Wisconsin
- Retail companies based in Wisconsin