Legendary convenience store brand has closed most stores

When two companies merge, the acquiring company usually starts out by being extra respectful of the legacy of the brand it has purchased. You will often hear comments about how all options are being considered and some of the management from the acquired company may join the acquiring brand.

In reality, that’s usually just press release politics and the general level of respect you should show a brand you liked enough to buy. But, once the dust settles, the company that made the purchase holds all the cards.

Remember when Mark Cuban sold 73% of his stake in the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson, but insisted he was still going to be in charge of basketball operations?

That never happened when the team traded star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, he was as surprised as the rest of us.

The company that makes the purchase almost always ends up with all the key leadership slots and its brand nearly always takes precedent. That’s what’s happening as Maverik has taken over the legendary Kum & Go convenience store brand.

Kum & Go keeps on going

When Maverik bought Kum & Go it CEO Chuck Maggelet said all the right things in a press release.

Together, we’ll offer our customers an adventurous and differentiated convenience store experience across fuel, foodservice, and inside-store offerings. We look forward to using our combined resources to grow our business and further elevate our product offerings to provide the best service to our customers.

Once the deal closed, Maverik wasted little time before sharing that the iconic brand it had purchased was going to be retired.

Maverik said it is “in the process of rebranding Kum & Go stores, with the intent to unify our entire combined footprint under the Maverik brand.” In a statement to the Des Moines Register.

The company did not provide a timeline, telling the newspaper, “we are taking a thoughtful, market-by-market approach to ensure the best customer experience before confirming each state’s rebrand.”

Since that statement, Maverik has been methodical in removing the Kum & Go brand.

Maverik rebranding of Kum & Go by state

Arkansas: Several Kum & Go stores are scheduled to close for rebranding in mid-to-late 2025. Example: Jacksonville store closes August 15 and reopens as Maverik August 19.
Iowa: Rebranding is well underway. Many stores are converting to Maverik, while some others are being sold (e.g. 20 in Iowa going to Mega Saver)

The complete rebrand in Iowa is scheduled by Thanksgiving 2025.

Minnesota: Rebrand start dates in Minnesota are scheduled; specific stores noted in November 2025.
Missouri: Some stores have already rebranded. Others are in the process.
South Dakota: Rebranding in South Dakota is set to begin in November 2025. For example, the Elk Point store will close on Nov 15 and reopen as Maverik after about four days.
Nebraska: One store in South Sioux City is scheduled: closes Nov 15, reopens Nov 19, 2025
Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma: These states had many of the earlier rebrands (in 2024 and early 2025).

Source: Maverik

The Kum & Go brand is disappearing.
Image source&colon; Chet Strange/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The end of Kum & Go is near

Maverik will begin rebranding its Kum & Go convenience stores in South Dakota in November, according to the chain’s website.

“Once work is complete, Minnesota and North Dakota — which have just eight Kum & Go stores combined — will be the only states where Maverik hasn’t finished any rebrands,” RetailDive reported.

The biggest issue here isn’t that Maverik has chosen to eliminate the Kum & Go brand. It’s that it said it would not do that.

“Several former corporate Kum & Go staffers told C-Store Dive earlier this year that despite Maverik initially saying it would maintain Kum & Go’s branding and programs, the Utah-based company never considered doing so, leading to internal conflict,” RetailDive shared.

Maverik had publicly maintained that it would implement the strengths of both brands. C-Store Dive’s sources said that was never the case.

“All three sources said that they had the impression that Maverik’s leadership was never truly open to taking on Kum & Go’s programs, or even learning from its foodservice leaders despite their combined decades of experience. The sources added that Maverik’s leaders often made decisions about Kum & Go’s food operations without consulting Kum & Go leaders altogether,” the website reported.

Maverik declined a chance to comment on the C-Store Dive story.

Maverik’s Kum & Go timeline

Maverik, along with its parent company FJ Management, completed the acquisition of Kum & Go and Solar Transport from Krause Group on August 29, 2023.
Following the acquisition, Maverik said it intends to rebrand all Kum & Go stores under the Maverik name. The goal is to unify its combined footprint under one brand.
The rebranding is being done state by state, in a measured, “market-by-market” approach to ensure customer experience is maintained.

Source: Convenience

“Kum & Go is a better brand than Maverik, in terms of how they’re communicated,” David Marcotte of Kantar Consulting told the Des Moines Register.

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