ANKENY, Iowa — Casey’s General Stores Inc. opened a new convenience store in Des Moines, Iowa, near Drake University, on April 22, that will not offer fuel, a first for Casey’s.
The 3,380-square-foot location is a nonfuel store designed without a gasoline pump island setup, the company said. It will focus on Casey’s convenience food and beverage offerings.
“We think that everything we have here is what the community and guests in this very walkable environment will need,” Casey's director of communications and community Katie Petru told the Des Moines Register. “This is the only store like this in our portfolio, so we will learn some things from it. And I think regardless, we’re always looking at where we’re situating ourselves and what will make sense there. I think a more urban environment or college campus environment could naturally lend itself to consider whether fuel needs to be there or not.”
The area “is a bit of a food desert,” Stephanie Brennan, a member of the Drake Neighborhood Association, told the newspaper. “There’s really nothing grocery-wise in the actual Drake neighborhood. So this really does fill a need. Obviously, students will take most advantage of it, but the neighborhood will too. It’s a walkable area. It’s really going to be a nice way to re-energize Forest Avenue, bring businesses back in and fill some of those empty buildings.”
Casey’s will open a second store in the area on April 29. The 4,163-square-foot store will offer a six-dispenser gasoline and diesel island setup.
The new stores will offer Casey’s pizza, bakery items, bean-to-cup coffee and more.
“Casey’s is proud to be based in the Des Moines area, and excited to open these two highly anticipated stores to serve more guests here,” said Darren Rebelez, president and CEO of Casey’s.
As part of Casey’s commitment in the communities, Casey’s recently made two donations to local Des Moines high schools—a $10,000 donation to Roosevelt High School and a $50,000 Cash for Classrooms grant to East High School—to support the construction of major facility projects and upgrades, which will affect more than 2,000 students in each community.
“We are here for good, which means our delicious pizza, snacks and other offerings, as well as giving back to our neighbors,” said Rebelez. “Casey’s looks forward to seeing the impact these funds can make on the vibrant, growing student populations.”
- Casey’s is No. 3 on CSP’s 2022 Top 40 Update to the 2021 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2022 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's operates more than 2,400 convenience stores in 16 states.
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