Kwik Trip buys Madison-area convenience store chain

La Crosse-based business’ expansion would add more than a thousand jobs. 

Kwik Trip is about to expand by buying the PDQ convenience store chain based in the Madison area.

“We are really interested to get into that Madison market,” Kwik Trip spokesman Dave Niemi said. “With them having a presence already there, it was the time to do that.”

A new agreement would convert 34 PDQ stores into Kwik Trips and increase the number of stores owned by the La Crosse chain to over 600.

“(Kwik Trip founder Don Zietlow) believes we could probably hit 900 stores in 3 state area that we’re doing and still serve them out of La Crosse warehousing,” Niemi said.

The acquisition would also increase Kwik Trip employment by more than a thousand jobs.

The name change for the PDQ outlets would occur next year.

PDQ was founded in 1952. Kwik Trip started in La Crosse 13 years later.