COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Circle K, the convenience store and gas station chain, is launching a central Ohio distribution center designed to support the company's Midwest stores.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based chain has signed a lease for a 266,000-square-foot building in Lockbourne, the company announced earlier this month. The Lockbourne property is one of three new distribution centers the convenience store will be opening, with the second in Minnesota and the third in Missouri.
Circle K expects the centers to collectively support 1,600 stores in 14 states, each supplying beverages, candy, snacks, nicotine products and other items. All three are set to open in late 2025 and will each employee 140 to 230 workers.
The company plans to contract out these sites to third-party logistics providers with expertise in supporting convenience and other small format retailers. Trey Powell, Circle K senior vice president of global merchandising, pointed to a successful history of operating distribution centers in Texas and Arizona with third-party providers.
"Expanding this hybrid distribution model into the Midwest will materially improve the control we have over key parts of the supply chain," said Powell. "It will unlock further opportunities to optimize and enhance food service programs and, most importantly, help ensure we are positioned to consistently meet the evolving needs of our valued customers."
Circle K is launching additional Ohio operations as other convenience store and gas station chains are expanding in the Columbus-area. Sheetz announced its expansion into central Ohio in 2019, opening the first location in Delaware in 2021. Since then, the chain has ballooned to more than 25 Columbus-area locations.
Wawa announced in late 2022 it was planning to launch its first stores in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The chain has said they wanted to expand after receiving "thousands of requests over the years." Georgia-based convenience store and gas station chain RaceTrac is opening one of its first Ohio locations in Delaware.
