RICHMOND, Ky. — Buc-ee’s Ltd. opened a new travel center in Richmond, Ky., on April 19. Along with Buc-ee's owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky,), State Rep. Deanna Frazier Gordon (R), Richmond Mayor Robert Blythe and other local officials and members of the business community attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the destination convenience-store retailer’s first location in the Bluegrass State.
Lake Jackson, Texas-based Buc-ee’s in No. 164 on CSP’s 2021 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by number of company-owned retail outlets. (Watch for the 2022 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.)
Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 35 stores in Texas. It began multi-state expansion in 2019, and has since opened two travel centers in Alabama (in Leeds and Loxley), two in Florida (Daytona Beach and Saint Augustine)and two in Georgia (Calhoun and Warner Robins). Buc-ee’s broke ground on its first location in South Carolina in 2020, then broke ground on its first Kentucky and Tennessee outposts in 2021, which it followed with two more groundbreakings in Alabama.
Buc-ee’s is also developing its first stores in Colorado, Mississippi and Missouri. The Johnstown, Colo., site, aboutone hour north of Denver, is set to open in 2024, and it will mark the first expansion for Buc-ee's outside of the South.
According to the Buc-ee’s website, the projected new-store locations and estimated opening dates are:
- Florence, S.C., second-quarter 2022
- Crossville, Tenn., 2022
- Athens, Ala., 2023
- Auburn, Ala., 2023
- Sevierville, Tenn., 2023
- Smiths Grove, Ky., 2023
- Johnstown, Colo., 2024
- Hillsboro, Texas, 2025
- Harrison County, Miss., 2025
- Boerne, Texas, 2025
- Anderson, S.C., 2026
The Richmond site has 120 fuel positions, and the store occupies more than 53,000 square feet. It offers thousands of snack, meal and drink options, including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries. It also features the large, clean restrooms for which the chain is famous.
“Richmond, Ky., is a gorgeous destination for travelers that also serves as a Southern gateway to the Midwest,” said Stan Beard, director of real estate for Buc-ee’s. “We have so much respect for the Richmond community and are thrilled not only to join it, but to be able to offer one more great reason for visitors to stop and enjoy the region’s hospitality and beauty.”
Buc-ee’s Richmond will bring 175 new jobs to the area with starting pay beginning above minimum wage, the company said, as well as full benefits, a 6% matching 401k and three weeks of paid vacation.
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