Tucson Circle K Stores Slash Gasoline Retails

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The price of gasoline at some Circle K stores in the Tucson market plunged over the weekend to a little more than $2 per gallon of regular gasoline, some 30 cents lower than the average market price, according to a report in the Arizona Star Daily.

AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report put the market's average price per gallon at the time at $2.371 per gallon, the newspaper reported.

Circle K did not comment on the pricing strategy, but the newspaper speculated it may be related to the arrival of QuikTrip to the market. QuikTrip's first store in Tucson is expected to open at the beginning of next year, said Chuck Barton, QuikTrip's division manager for Arizona.

The arrival of a chain such as QuikTrip, with 18 or more fueling stations selling QuikTrip branded gasoline, generally causes trepidation among competitors -- sort of a "fear of the unknown," Greg Furrier, a principal with Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, who is working with QuikTrip to find sites, told the newspaper. "I would think they're trying to build customer loyalty with QuikTrip coming in."

Circle K sells a large quantity of unbranded gasoline, so its prices are typically on the lower end of the spectrum, noted AAA spokeswoman Michelle Donati.

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