Kum & Go

Kum & Go in December said it was shuttering all but one of its five nonfuel convenience stores because they no longer fit the retailer's growth strategy.

Elsewhere, Kum & Go partnered with fleet payments platform AtoB to cut fuel costs when customers use AtoB's Visa fleet card. Cardholders now can save 10 cents per gallon on all fuel purchases at more than 400 Kum & Go convenience stores. Through the partnership, AtoB cardholders will automatically receive the discount on every gallon of gasoline and diesel purchased. Savings are applied automatically, and operators can apply for AtoB's fuel card on its website.

The retailer also announced continuing its expansion into Michigan with a set of Detroit-area convenience stores it expects to open in 2024, with plans for more than 50 total locations in the market over the next several years. It opened its first Michigan location on Jan. 19, 2023, in Walker, Michigan. This is Kum & Go's 13th state of operation.

Kum & Go also partnered with Upside to bring that company's consumer technology approach to driving store traffic to more than 200 of its convenience stores. Upside identifies nearby users, driving them to participating locations through its mobile app and encouraging them to transact using personalized cash-back offers.

In 1959, W.A. "Bill" Krause and T.S. Gentle formed a partnership and created convenience-store chain Kum & Go. The two, a father-in-law and son-in-law, created Hampton Oil Co. in Hampton, Iowa, which became the Krause Gentle Corp. and later Kum & Go LC. Krause Group is parent company to a diverse set of businesses that include convenience retail, logistics, Italian wineries and hospitality, real estate, agriculture and soccer clubs.

Kum & Go has long been dedicated to the communities it serves, sharing 10% of its profits with charitable causes. Leadership speaks out on issues such as racial and sexual equality and racial injustice.

Kum & Go was acquired by the Maverik c-store chain in April 2023.

For benchmarking purposes, store counts are as of Jan. 1, 2023.