Kwik Trip

Regional favorite Kwik Trip stresses groceries in its convenience stores. The vertically integrated chain controls costs and quality by producing and packaging its own items, from doughnuts and coffee to milk.

Private brands are at the core of the company’s business model. It has more than 300 SKUs of proprietary products. In 2014, stores began selling fresh meats, including hamburger, steaks, chicken and pork.

But it also stresses fuels, including alternative energies. Its first CNG location opened in April 2012, and Kwik Trip has continued to develop a functional CNG fueling infrastructure throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

Kwik Trip, which also operates Kwik Star c-stores, is revered for its employee loyalty and retention, with a benefits package that includes profit sharing. The company has an on-site health services clinic at its headquarters for its more than 3,000 employees.

Headquarters:	La Crosse, Wisconsin
No. of Stores:	476
Average Store Size:	4,000+ sq. ft.
Rank:	21
Rank Last Year:	26
States of Operation:	Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Website:	http://www.kwiktrip.com

Kwik Star convenience store, Dubuque, Iowa

Kwik Trip's "Field of Dreams" convenience store is a Kwik Star sight in Dubuque, Iowa. The store opened in July 2014.

kwik Trip convenience store muffins, croissants, breakfast burritos

Kwik Star convenience store, Dubuque, Iowa, at night

A panoramic view of the new Kwik Star convenience store in Dubuque shows the numerous merchandising sections, including fountain, cold vault, coffee, bakery, hot food and fresh fruit.

Sixteen fountain heads and multiple cup sizes, complete with colorful branding, attract Kwik Trip customers of all ages.

An employee explains some of the store’s coffee selections to a customer. Karuba wood fixtures give the area a coffeehouse feel.

The Kwikery Bake Shoppe is one of multiple sites in the store that offer fresh baked goods.

An employee replenishes hot grab-and-go muffins, croissants, breakfast burritos and other products to satisfy customers in search of a warm morning meal.

Near the coffee bar and a display case with doors are packaged bakery goods to take home and share.

The store has four doors of cold alcohol beverages, along with a beer cave positioned right between the cooler doors.

Milk is a destination item in Kwik Trip stores. Another such product is bread, and also bananas, which retail for 38 cents a pound.

Energy-efficient LED lighting casts a bright glow and conserves energy use in the fuel canopy.