TULSA, Okla. -- QuikTrip will reach two milestones this year. On Sept. 25, 2008, the convenience store chain will celebrate 50 years of business, and on May 15, 2008, it will open its 500th store. The Broken Arrow, Okla., location is a 4,600-square-foot building with 16-car gasoline islands."It is particularly fitting that our 500th store is located in the Tulsa area, where we opened our first store almost 50 years ago. Reaching 500 stores has been a long-range goal for us for over 10 years, so it will be nice to check that off our list. I should hope we will not take 50 years to get to 1,000 [image-nocss] stores," said Chet Cadieux, president and CEO of QuikTrip.
"QuikTrip is focused on building and operating high-volume, great looking stores; 500 stores is a milestone in our history. What makes me most proud is that every one of those stores and the people who run them meet the high standards our customers expect. In fact, over the years QuikTrip has closed 420 locations that no longer met our standards," he added.
"As we reach this milestone, I would like to thank every past and present QuikTrip employee and their families from the bottom of my heart for their dedication to excellence and providing outstanding customer service day in and day out to our valued customers," said Cadieux.
The chain is continuing its expansion. In April, QuikTrip said that it was expanding in Wichita, Kansas, announcing plans for its 38th area store, with more on the way. The store will open in 2009.
QuikTrip also is expanding in Arizona, announcing plans for an as-yet undetermined number of stores in Tucson. The company already operates 59 stores in Phoenix. The Arizona stores will include a slightly larger, 5,000-square-foot store that includes the company's QT Kitchens, which offer gourmet-style sandwiches, grilled items, wraps, pastries, cookies and muffins.
Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip has 10,500 employees at 500 stores in nine states. Its major markets are Atlanta; Dallas-Fort Worth; Kansas City; St. Louis; Tulsa; Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Neb.; and Phoenix.
Click hereto read the December 2007 issue of CSP magazine, featuring QuikTrip.
To view CSPTV's tribute to QuikTrip founder Chester Cadieux as 2007 Retail Leader of the Year, click here.
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.