Kum & Go Eyes June 1 Opening in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Colorado Springs retail landscape will have one more face when Kum & Go opens for business in a little more than a month. And, according to the convenience store company's chief executive officer, consumers will find something different than your typical c-store.
"We're not going to be like a stereotypical convenience store," CEO Kyle J. Krause told The Gazette in Colorado Springs. "I don't mean stereotypical to Colorado Springs, but stereotypical nationwide."
In total, Kum & Go is investing between $70 million and $80 million to build 20 to 25 stores over the next five years in the Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs region, as CSNews Online previously reported. The new stores will join 39 existing Kum & Go locations in Colorado.
The 5,000-square-foot stores are rising on 1.5-acre sites and will be generally larger than those of competitors. They will feature high ceilings and green energy technologies, he told the news outlet. In addition, the stores will offer broader food selections, with some products made in on-site kitchens.
Outside the convenience store, the fuel areas will have 10 pumping stations and be roomier to allow motorists to maneuver their vehicles. The stores will also sell E85 and diesel fuel to go with the standard three grades of gasoline, according to the report.
As for the Kum & Go employees, they will be wearing white shirts, ties, khaki pants and nametags -- and are expected to greet customers when they walk in the door, Krause said. Kum & Go expects the first area store at Academy Boulevard and Vickers Drive to begin greeting customers on June 1.
Kum & Go's growth plans in the region will put it among the top three c-store chains in Colorado Springs when it comes to local store count. Customers won't find a Kum & Go in every part of the area but Krause told the news outlet that he wants customers to be impressed enough with the stores' brand and identify so that they're willing to go out of their way to reach one of the locations.
While at larger stores, uniformed employees and other amenities are designed to attract customers, Krause added the corporate ownership of the stores also affords the chain flexibility on how it operates.
"We don't have to convince a franchisee to run our coffee promotion, yes or no," he said. "We can run things consistent in the marketplace because they're all of our own stores."