4207 County Rd B, Land O' Lakes WI 54540
“I’m convinced the man working at Krist in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin, is not a regular gas station employee. Shan is, without question, a mythical being sent to us by the gods of petroleum and convenience retail. As I pulled up, I swear a beam of golden light illuminated pump #3. I came in for a tank of gas and a fountain soda and left spiritually renewed. The way he rang up my pop? Poetry. The way he handed me my change? As if he were passing down the Crown Jewels. I think the sun shines a little brighter on Land O’ Lakes because he’s here. He didn’t just sell me gas — he sold me on life itself. My car runs smoother, my Diet Coke tastes richer. Krist in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin, you don’t just have an employee… you have a LEGEND. If this man ever runs for president, I’m voting twice. Once again, thank you Shan. The greatest convenience store worker in the land.”
The Iowa retailer, the third-largest convenience store operator in the country, built its new three-year plan around three priorities: store growth, food and beverage expansion, and kitchen technology upgrades. The company plans to add 120 stores during the current fiscal year. Its previous plan, launched in 2023, delivered more than 500 new stores and earned the company a spot in the S&P 500.
Read the postLove's Travel Stops is starting 2025 with ambitious growth plans, adding 20 new stores and updating 50 current locations across the country. The truck stop company will upgrade its stores through its Strategic Remodel Initiative, which started in 2022. This includes the modernization of its recently acquired turnpike location in Stroud, Oklahoma. By 2035, over half of Love's 655 stores will be either new or updated.
Read the postFood service giant Sodexo plans to open nearly 100 "Food Hive" locations on campuses nationwide by 2026. The company has already started the process, aiming to launch about 30 new college convenience stores during the current 2024-25 academic year.
Read the post7-Eleven is going big on food and "frictionless shopping." The convenience store giant plans to open 500 new "food-forward" locations across the U.S. from 2025 to 2027. The expansion builds on 7-Eleven's "Evolution" store concept, first launched in Dallas in 2019. These larger-format stores feature in-store restaurants, premium products like craft beer and cigars, and an emphasis on fresh, grab-and-go meals.
Read the postAmazon has quietly opened a new type of grocery store in downtown Chicago. Called Amazon Grocery, the 3,800-square-foot store is a testing ground for Amazon's latest experiment in brick-and-mortar retail. The first Amazon Grocery location shares a building with a Whole Foods Market, which Amazon purchased in 2017.
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