LAKE JACKSON, Texas -- Leapfrogging Louisiana, destination convenience-store and travel center chain Buc-ee’s Ltd., which has 34 locations in Texas, has opened its first store outside of the Lone Star State. The company opened a location in Robertsdale, Ala., in Baldwin County, on Jan. 21.
At more than 50,000 square feet, the new location offers all of the merchandise for which Buc-ee’s is known—barbecue, beef jerky, fudge and Beaver Nuggets (corn snacks), as well as clothing, souvenirs and private-label items. It also offers 124 fueling positions. And it features the clean restrooms for which the chain has become famous. The size of Buc-ee’s stores and their unusual merchandise mix has also made its locations tourist attractions. Its New Braunfels, Texas, travel center covers 68,000 square feet and features 120 fueling positions, 83 toilets, 31 cash registers, four Icee machines and 80 fountain dispensers.
Buc-ee’s is planning further expansion along the travel corridors to Florida, the focal point for a lot of recent c-store activity. It is also slated to build stores in Daytona Beach and Fort Myers, Fla.
“We’re taking our love of Buc-ee’s on the road, sharing the best convenience-store experience with America and spreading Buc-ee’s passion for excellence into Florida and Alabama,” said Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s, in 2017. “As we expand, we remain committed to bringing our customers clean restrooms, a wide variety of merchandise and great customer service, as we’ve been doing since 1982.”
In October 2016, eight months after Lake Jackson, Texas-based Buc-ee’s announced plans to open a store in Louisiana, the company canceled its plans in the Bayou State because it could not secure additional locations there.
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