BAXTER — It’s official. Kwik Trip is seeking to add a convenience store, gas station and attached car wash on Novotny Road in Baxter.
The news was confirmed late Friday afternoon as Kwik Trip applied for a site development plan review. Per the letter to the city, Kwik Trip multi-million investment into the city and create about 25-30 permanent jobs with an expected payroll of $500,000 annually.
Kwik Trip is proposing to construct a 24-hour store at the corner of Edgewood Drive and Novotny Road just off Highway 371 North. Brent Dusek, Kwik Trip project manager, stated in the letter the store will be like its other stores in the Midwest.
Dusek listed “fresh produce, bakery and dairy, hot and cold food and beverages, fresh meat and groceries, tobacco products, lotto, convenience store merchandise, alcohol, gasoline, diesel, E-85, ice and propane.”
The store would have two ice chests and a propane cage under the main canopy outside. Daily deliveries were requested to ensure the freshest products in the store, Dusek stated.
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The building is described as one with full brick cladding, standing seam metal roof, storefront aluminum openings and stucco accents.
Extensive landscaping, modern storm water facilities, pylon and wall signage, customer and employee parking, concrete paving with curb and gutter are also included in the overall site design, according to the letter.
“We pride ourselves in being an asset in the communities where we are located,” Dusek stated. “Families can walk or ride their bikes to our stores. Retirees on fixed income can access fresh groceries like milk, eggs, bread and fruit just steps from their car. We take pride in giving back to the communities we serve with charitable donations and by partnering with local non-profits.”
The plans will go before the city for review.
After the Baxter City Council heard a report on a traffic study for the site, Baxter Mayor Darrel Olson said: “We look forward to that development to commence and see what happens there.”
Kwik Trip opened its first store in 1965 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. From the company’s history on its website, the chain grew to 100 stores by 1986. The stores are known as Kwik Star in Iowa. In 2000, the Zietlow family purchased the Hansen’s family interest in Kwik Trip Inc.
By 2016, there were 500 stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. That number rose to 700 stores by 2019 as fried chicken was added to retail stores and the following year take home meals were added companywide. In 2022, the company added mobile ordering with curbside, carryout and delivery options with the Kwik Rewards mobile app.
Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchBizBuzz.
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