It’s a dark day for fans of juvenile humor and gas station coffee alike. Kum & Go is not going — it’s gone.
Grinnell’s two Kum & Go locations have officially been rebranded as Maverik convenience stores. The city’s Building and Planning Department recently approved permits for both stores to update their signage, and as of Oct. 23, the new branding is up and running.
The rebranding process was straightforward, according to Tyler Avis, director of Building and Planning. He said that Maverik’s representatives described Grinnell’s permit review as much simpler than those in the Des Moines metro area.
Avis said Maverik did not specify when the new large logo signs would go up, but only that the work would be completed within the 180- day permitted window.
“I was a little surprised to see that they started so quickly in Grinnell. It looks like they’re also doing some updates to the store as well,” Avis said.
Signage updates are a routine occurrence in Grinnell, he said. The city processed 23 signage permits in 2024, 24 in 2023 and 19 in 2022.
The change follows the acquisition by Maverik, a family-owned convenience store chain founded in 1928 in Afton, Wyo., of Kum & Go in 2023. Kum & Go, also family-owned, was established in 1959 in Hampton, Iowa, and operated for four generations before the merger.
Tanner Krause, president and CEO of Kum & Go, called the merger “the most momentous day in the 63-year history of our family business,” in an April 2023 news release.
“My family has worked for four generations to create and build Kum & Go into a business that has done an incredible amount of good for our people, for Iowa and beyond,” he wrote.
The deal brought together more than 800 stores across 21 states.
“Together, we’ll offer our customers an adventurous and differentiated convenience store experience across fuel, food service and inside-store offerings,” said Chuck Maggelet, CEO and chief adventure guide of Maverik in an Aug. 2023 news release.
Kum & Go reward points will no longer be usable once a location is rebranded to Maverik.
