Casey’s building two Cedar Rapids stores

Casey's General Stores will be constructing two stores in Cedar Rapids this year.

The Ankeny-based convenience store chain hopes to begin construction fairly soon on a 4,200-square-foot store at Third Street and Eighth Avenue SE to replace its existing 2,916-square-foot location at 201 Eighth Ave. SE.

Brian Johnson, Casey's vice president of finance, said the company expects to receive final approval of a city easement agreement shortly.

'The store will be our latest design,” Johnson said. 'We want to get concrete in the ground as soon as possible.”

Casey's acquired the Eighth Avenue building when it bought the 33-store Handimart chain in October 2006. The convenience store was constructed in 1984 on the site of a Martin Oil service station that had operated since 1942.

Casey's will construct the new building on an adjacent gravel lot with the store facing Second Street. Johnson said the opening date for the new store will depend on the start of construction.

He added that Casey's purchased the former Sonic property at 560 33rd Ave. SW and will build a 4,200-square-foot store. Johnson said Casey's will continue to operate its existing 3,500-square-foot store up the street at 380 33rd Ave. SW.

'We feel that the existing store pulls traffic off the interstate,” Johnson said. 'The goal for the new store will be to pick up the heavy traffic on Sixth Street as well as the lunch crowd from the industrial area to the west,

'The store will have our made-to-order sandwich program, a walk-in beer cave, expanded cooler doors for beverages and our expanded coffee bar.”

Johnson said the new store is expected to open in September. Demolition of the former Sonic building and removal of the parking lot began earlier this week.

Johnson said Casey's has been very pleased with the performance of its 6,600-square-foot travel center at 9001 Sixth St. SW, just off the Wright Brothers Boulevard exit on Interstate 380.

'I think it's our highest volume store for fuel in the chain,” Johnson said. 'We were really surprised at the volume of gasoline sales that we picked up without impacting our existing store on Wright Brothers Boulevard with the A&W restaurant.

'We were a little nervous about jumping into the travel center market, but fortunately it has gone very well.”