Kwik Trip has issued an update—its most detailed so far—on the internal systems outage that has plagued the convenience-store retailer since Oct. 9. While it has slowly been able to restore full access to many of its internal systems, it said, the chain’s rewards program has remained offline. The loyalty program is now processing transactions again, said the company, which anticipates it being back online in all stores “within the next few days.”
Kwik Trip’s latest statement now describes the outage, which it previously called a “network incident,” as a “cybersecurity incident.”
Posted on Facebook and other social media on Thursday evening, the statement reads in full:
“Although a thorough forensic investigation is still ongoing and further information may be uncovered, the current findings indicate that Kwik Trip experienced a cybersecurity incident that caused disruption to systems located on the company’s internal network on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. The incident was detected within hours and mitigation efforts began immediately with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts.
“The investigation into the nature and scope of this is ongoing and in its early stages. Done correctly and thoroughly, these investigations take time to complete. To date, there is no indication that guest’s payment card information was involved.
“In general, the systems that were impacted related to production facilities in La Crosse, communication systems within the company and our loyalty program. As of Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, most internal systems are functioning, and Kwik Rewards is back online and successfully processing loyalty transactions at many of our stores today. We anticipate all locations to be successfully processing loyalty transactions within the next few days.
“At this time, the Kwik Rewards app and website will remain offline; however, members will receive an update as soon as these are restored. That communication will include plans to restore any missed rewards as a result of the outage. Once again, Kwik Trip appreciates your patience and understanding as we bring back full operations.”
Kwik Rewards, launched in February 2018, reached the one-million-member mark in May 2018.
- Kwik Trip is No. 11 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of convenience store chains by store count.
La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip has about 800 locations under the Kwik Trip and Kwik Star flags. One of the biggest independently held c-store chains in the country, it serves customers in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It produces more than 80% of the products sold in its stores, supplied by its own bakery, commissary, dairy and distribution center.
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