CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Kum & Go LC is planning eight to 10 new convenience store locations in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion, Iowa, all incorporating its new "green" environmentally friendly design, according to a report by KCRG-TV.
The news follows last week's announcement by Kum & Go president and CEO Kyle J. Krause that the company has selected Central Arkansas from among a group of 85 metropolitan areas in 16 states for a new $70 million to $80 million major economic investment over the next five years. The initiative will see the chain nearly double its presence [image-nocss] in that state, with 20 to 25 more stores, creating approximately 150 new jobs by the end of 2012.
(Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage.)
The first of the new Iowa stores is expected to open in mid to late September, with the rest following in 2012, Catherine Huggins, a spokesperson for Kum & Go, told the news outlet, adding that each store will employ between 10 and 15 associates.
"We're excited these sites will feature Kum & Go's new store design," Huggins said. "This new store design was made possible through many ideas and suggestions offered by our associates. ... The new store concept has a greater product offering and fresh food choices such as 'made-to-order' pizzas and bakery items."
Huggins said another distinguishing feature of Kum & Go's new store design is a strong emphasis on "going green" by incorporating sustainable features.
"The focus on sustainability starts at construction and continues through the store's daily operations," she said. "These new stores will be constructed like all new Kum & Go stores with Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design [LEED] building requirements in mind. Materials used for the construction will be sustainable, coming from local companies whenever possible. This will include recycled steel and no volatile organic compounds in paint and adhesives."
Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz has confirmed that Kum & Go has expansion plans for the northern end of the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Technology Corridor.
"We met with representatives of Kum & Go not long ago, and they have a plan for more than 10 stores that they want to bring to the Cedar Rapids market," he told KCRG. "They've identified the community as a place where they want to have a significant presence."
Scott Olson of Skogman Commercial has been working with Kum & Go representatives on a number of locations. Olson said the chain is working through the planning and zoning process on locations in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion.
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go operates a store in Marion as well as locations in Coralville, Iowa City, North Liberty, Tiffin, Tipton, West Branch and Williamsburg, Iowa, said the report. The company employs more than 4,000 associates at more than 430 stores in 11 states. The fifth-largest privately-held, company-operated c-store chain in the United States ended 2010 with sales of more than $2 billion.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.