LULING, Texas — (CultureMap Austin) The saga of the world’s biggest convenience store rolls on.
For now, the largest convenience store in the world is the Buc-ee’s location in New Braunfels, measuring a little over 66,000 square feet. But Buc-ee’s recently revealed that a new store coming to Sevierville, Tennessee, would take that title. However, it wasn’t long before Buc-ee’s topped itself by announcing the world’s largest convenience store would be a Buc-ee’s planned for Johnstown, Colorado.
Later this year, though, Buc-ee’s will start building what it now says will be its largest store — and, therefore, the world’s largest convenience store — in its home state of Texas. The iconic Lake Jackson-based chain plans to replace its existing store in Luling, nearly 45 miles southeast of Austin, with a more than 75,000-square-foot location. The new Luling store will beat the new Tennessee and Colorado stores by roughly 1,000 square feet.
Located at 10070 I-10, the new Buc-ee’s in Luling will go up next to the existing store. It will feature 120 gas nozzles at 60 pumps. The current store, built in 2003, was the chain’s first “family travel center.”
The bigger Luling store will employ more than 200 people.
In a June 8 news release, Stan Beard, director of real estate at Buc-ee’s, lauded co-founders Arch “Beaver” Aplin III and Don Wasek for their “gumption to change the industry” by opening the company’s first “family travel center” mega-store in Luling, a town of nearly 6,000 residents situated in Caldwell and Guadalupe counties.
“Since that time, Buc-ee’s has grown into an iconic Texas brand that now shares our Texas pride with new stores throughout the Southeast and West,” Beard says. “We are humbled to have this opportunity to strengthen our roots in Texas and will continue to exceed our customers’ expectations every chance we get.”
Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s operates 35 stores in Texas and eight stores in other states. The chain is known for its sparkling restrooms, abundance of gas pumps, and unique food like Beaver Nuggets snacks. Buc-ee’s easily recognizable mascot is a cartoon beaver.
Read the full article on CultureMap.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: