Kwik Trip is investing more than $151 million to expand operations at several Wisconsin locations, a move that will create more than 500 jobs by 2027, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC).
This newly proposed capital investment is for further expanding its dairy, commissary and bakery facilities in La Crosse, buying and renovating a commercial office building in Onalaska, and building a new satellite distribution center.
The expansion also will qualify La Crosse-based Kwik Trip to earn $15 million more in performance-based enterprise zone tax incentives from the Madison-based WEDC.
“Kwik Trip is one of Wisconsin’s most instantly recognizable success stories,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “While most of us are familiar with Kwik Trip for its retail operations, the company continues to grow its manufacturing and supply chain base in our state, which is creating hundreds of jobs and new investments even faster than anyone could have anticipated.”
- Kwik Trip is No. 11 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of convenience store chains by store count.
This is the third time Wisconsin has invested in Kwik Trip’s growth in the state, raising the convenience-store chain’s eligibility for tax credits to a total of $41 million, the WEDC said. The state and Kwik Trip, which has 506 stores in Wisconsin, entered into the enterprise zone agreement in 2017, and since then the company has invested more than $325 million into its Wisconsin support center operations, created nearly 1,800 new eligible full-time jobs and grown and fostered mutually beneficial relationships with numerous Wisconsin supply chain partners.
“As a result of the growth at its La Crosse support center and the construction and acquisition of 168 new retail locations, Kwik Trip’s total eligible Wisconsin employee count has increased from 4,342 in 2017 to 12,442 in 2023, a total increase of 8,100 workers,” WEDC said.
Kwik Trip thus far has spent more than $325 million in capital investment and created 1,793 new jobs eligible to earn tax credits at their non-retail locations—well above what was anticipated at this point in the project, the WEDC said. Because Kwik Trip is exceeding the goals of its enterprise zone, the WEDC board voted in November to amend Kwik Trip’s contract to make it eligible for the aforementioned $15 million in tax credits. The actual amount of credits to be awarded will depend on the number of jobs created and amount of capital invested.
“Growth is good, not only for Kwik Trip, but most importantly for our coworkers and the communities we serve,” said Scott Zietlow, Kwik Trip CEO and president. “As a (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel named) Top Workplace, we are able to provide strong, vibrant jobs throughout Wisconsin. We appreciate the support from the WEDC to make this happen.”
Kwik Trip is a family-owned company that serves customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and South Dakota with 865 convenience stores.
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