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SALT LAKE CITY — A popular family-owned Midwest convenience store chain, Kum & Go, announced Tuesday that it plans to expand to Utah, opening more than a few dozen stores in the Beehive State beginning next year.
It's the company's first expansion to a new state in over a decade, according to Niki Mason, the senior vice president of store development for Kum & Go. The company plans to open more than 30 stores in Utah over the next five years, with the first store opening in the Salt Lake City area in 2022 as part of its initial rollout plan, Mason added.
The announcement not only also signals the Iowa-based chain's first new state in more than 10 years, 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.
The company offers 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 the 11 states in which it currently does business.
It was the 18th-largest convenience store chain nationwide as of 2020, according to CSP Daily News.
