Founded in 1958, QuikTrip entered the Dallas-Fort Worth market about 10 years ago, said the report. The company now owns and operates 76 stores here, with three more under construction. It plans to open eight to 10 stores a year in the North Texas for the next 10 years, Thornbrugh said.
"The opportunity [image-nocss] for us to have tremendous growth (in North Texas) in terms of store count and additional employees is phenomenal," he told the paper. "When you reach that critical mass, where people know who you are, you become a destination for those who are out of gas, those who are thirsty and those who are hungry."
In all, QuikTrip has 552 stores in nine states: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Arizona and Georgia.
It owns and operates all of its stores and adds locations through new construction, the report said.
"We don't change our strategy for anyone," Thornbrugh told CSP Daily News, not even "in 7-Eleven's backyard."
He added, "QuikTrip thinks the growth potential for Dallas-Fort Worth is great."
One of the biggest reasons for the North Texas growth is the relaxation of laws governing the sale of beer and wine, Thornbrugh told the Journal. On average, those items make up about 10% of the nongasoline purchases at convenience stores, he said.
"You're seeing more and more of the Metroplex go wet," Thornbrugh added. "That's going to open up a lot of opportunities for people to build business, QuikTrip included."
Thornbrugh would not discuss details of QuikTrip's pending purchase of a 316,000-square-foot distribution center in Midlothian, Texas, said the report, as the deal has not yet closed. On May 11, Ellis County Commissioners approved a tax abatement with QuikTrip company Quik N Tasty Foods Inc. to pave the way for the building purchase, the report said. The deal would give QuikTrip a 50% reduction in the county portion of its property taxes for seven years.
But Thornbrugh hinted to the Journal that it may be used as a bakery/commissary. QuikTrip recently began manufacturing its own doughnuts, pastries, muffins and other food items, he said. "Beyond store count, that's going to be the next growth area for QuikTrip," he said.
Like QuikTrip, 7-Eleven is in aggressive-growth mode, with plans to add 15 to 18 stores each year in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the next three years, Dan Porter, vice president of real estate and new store development for Dallas-based 7-Eleven told the paper. The plans to open at least 300 stores in the United States and Canada this year.
7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 8,200 stores in North America.
QuikTrip, a private company, declined to release its overall growth plans.
7-Eleven allows for construction of stores from the ground up, leases, acquisitions and conversion of other retail outlets, Porter said. "While QuikTrip is an admirable competitor, our growth strategy is somewhat different and more flexible," he told the Journal.
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