Midwest c-store chain Kum & Go announces entry into Utah with 30-plus stores over 5 years

Kum & Go, a popular family-owned convenience store chain based in Des Moines, Iowa, has announced plans to begin opening “more than a few dozen stores” in Utah beginning in 2022.

Niki Mason, senior vice president of store development for Kum & Go, said the Utah expansion is its first to a new state in over 10 years. The company plans to open more than 30 stores in Utah over the next five years, with the first stores opening in the Salt Lake City area in 2022 as part of its initial rollout plan, Mason added. Mason said the company is under contract for its first five Utah locations, expected to open next year. All stores will be in newly constructed buildings, with up to 40 employees per store.

The announcement not only also signals the Iowa-based chain’s first new state in a while, but it also marks its furthest expansion westward. The chain has more than 400 locations across Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.

In addition to gasoline, Kum & Go sells made-to-order sandwiches, pizza and baked goods in addition to offering beverages, snacks and other food. Company officials say they also pride themselves on having a “friendly staff in a well-lit store with upscale and uncluttered aisles.”

“We are excited to bring Kum & Go’s unique brand of fun, flavor and convenience to Utah,” CEO Tanner Krause said in a statement. “I love the state and the energy in a city like Salt Lake is hard to beat. I’m looking forward to bringing a new type of convenience — along with some breakfast pizza — to Utah.”

Kum & Go was established in Hampton, Iowa, in 1959 by William Krause and Tony Gentle. Now run by the grandson and great-grandson of the founders, the company employs about 5,000 workers across its 11-state footprint.