March 29, 2024

Git-N-Go takes over Kum & Go location

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A recent transaction means the end of one convenience store chain’s presence in Newton, and the doubling of the stores in the city operated by another chain.

Kum & Go is no longer operating the store located at S. Eighth Ave. E. and E. 17th St. S., across from the Newton YMCA. Within the past week, Git-N-Go has converted the store for its purposes, with crews changing out everything from signage to labels to product lines.

Git-N-Go’s director of marketing, Randy Ratcliff, said the store will make a nice compliment to the other store the chain operates in Newton, which is on the corner of W. Eighth St. and First Avenue West.

The new store is only the 45th in the Git-N-Go chain, which is based in Indianola and has been in existence since the mid-1970s. The chain has a somewhat different business model than Midwestern convenience store giants Casey’s General Stores and Kum & Go, which have thousands of locations and billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Thursday, Git-N-Go employees were putting the finishing touches on the store’s inventory. The store is expected to re-open soon. An employee said the only equipment still needed was a modem.

Kristie Bell, a representative of Kum & Go, said the store was sold to Git-N-Go. Kum & Go sold 21 of its Iowa stores, including a Newton store at Fourth Street East and First Avenue East, in July, so the only Kum & Go’s Jasper County location will be the Colfax store that was rebuilt in 2012. There are two Kum & Go stores in Grinnell.

“We have no immediate future plans to operate another store in Newton,” Bell said.

Newton Development Corporation Executive Director Frank Liebl said he was unaware of the Git-N-Go transaction until he saw the work being done to remove the Kum & Go sign. He said he’s happy Kum & Go was able to find a buyer, and it’s always helpful to not have a building vacant for any length of time.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com