New QuikTrip to Open Next Week

May 2 has come and gone and the new QuikTrip (QT) located on Howdershell Road is not open. But all signs point to a grand opening soon.

In fact, Mike Thornbrugh, QuikTrip's manager Public/Gov. Affairs said the new location would open next week.

The new store is QuikTrip's Generation 3 (Gen 3) line. Gen 3 is QuikTrip's new prototype store. It has been constructed directly across Howdershell Road from the location that's been in Hazelwood for almost two decades. That location will be put up for sale.

Thornbrugh previously told Hazelwood Patch the company is diversifying due to a decline in sales of what was once all gas stations' most purchased products: gasoline and cigarettes.

"There are currently 60 to 65 Gen 3 stores in operation and another 40 in construction nationwide," he said. "Generation 3 is where we are headed in the future, and the goal is to be more food proficient."

Mark Grant, with QT's St. Louis Division gave the tentative May 2 opening date last month. At that time, he he approached the Hazelwood City Council seeking to transfer the business' liquor license between stores.

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Grant said the new store will not offer hard liquor or wine; a big change for some. "At the new store it will be beer only," he said.

The new store will be larger, enabling the chain to expand its fresh-food offerings. The store will be about 20 percent larger than the current Howdershell location and will be able to compete with other coffee shops with the inclusion of the made-to-order coffee drinks and ice cream service.

Thornbrugh also said compared with a typical QuikTrip that is 4,300 square feet, there is a significant amount more parking at the 5,000 plus square feet Gen 3 model, along with  six entry and exit points into the locations to make navigating in-and-out a simpler process.