Kwik Trip Inc.

A hallmark regional c-store brand, Kwik Trip operates stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. The company is considered an innovator in the industry and is regularly lauded as a top place to work.

Kwik Trip identifies three areas of focus: food, fuel and its people. Central to the vertically integrated company's operations is a line of private-label goods produced and delivered from its own bakery, dairy, commissary and distribution center. It offers a bounty of foods, beverages and convenience items, including baked goods, groceries, snacks, sandwiches and fresh-brewed coffee.

One of the first chains in the convenience channel to shift to offering more fresh foods, Kwik Trip is known for—among other things—bananas, selling tons annually through its stores.

Newer stores are larger with more of a market feel and the addition of fresh meats, vegetables and fruits. The company was the first convenience-store chain to join the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), committing to add more fresh foods to its menus. PHA is devoted to working with the private sector to address childhood obesity.

Kwik Trip is also known for its focus on operations, strong employee-compensation programs and an upbeat, people-centric culture.

Source: Convenience Digital Resource Library, Technomic. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2017.

Photo courtesy of Corey Coyle.