Last year, Mavericks, a popular fast food outlet, completed its acquisition of the Kum & Go gas and convenience store chain. Following the merger, the beloved convenience store was significantly rebranded, upsetting many customers.
Rebranding Wave Hits Local Favorite
Since the takeover, the customer-favorite store, Kum & Go, has dramatically transformed. A total of 30 stores have been rebranded, adopting the "Maverick" name and shedding the well-known Kum & Go tag.
Maverick now operates 800 stores, primarily in the Midwest. This change affects the store's name and loyalty programs. Customers must transfer their Kum & Go rewards to the new Adventure Club program to earn points at rebranded locations.
The Maverick website states, "Your points and rewards from &Rewards will not move over to an Adventure Club account. You will still have an &Rewards account and can use your account at any open Kum & Go store locations."
The made-to-order food service Kum & Go was famous for has been discontinued. Maverick has set up a tracking system on its website so customers can check when their local stores will switch to the new format.
Currently, 15 stores in Colorado are scheduled to undergo this brand and food service change by May 7.
Maverick aims to have all relevant stores rebranded by the summer of 2024. The company has also been opening new locations, initially intended to be Kum & Go stores, under the Maverick banner, further establishing the new brand identity.
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Maverik Rebrands Kum & Go for Consistency
Maverik, based in Utah, discovered through market research that it needed to rebrand its Kum & Go stores to align more closely with the Maverik brand.
"Feedback from our Utah and Colorado customers has been excellent thus far," stated Chuck Maggelet, CEO of Maverik, as reported by C-Store Dive.
The company plans to use ongoing market research and the experiences from the initial rebranded stores to shape future branding decisions. However, not all feedback has been positive. Many shoppers are upset about the change, criticizing the company for making a decision they see as unnecessary and overly cautious.
One upset user expressed dismay on social media, exclaiming, "Look! Look what they did to my boy!!" in response to the announcement.
Another commenter humorously suggested a community buyout: "If we all pool our money together, we can buy out Maverik and rename all of their gas stations to Kum & Go just to spite those squares."
Maverik announced the completion of its first store rebrand on X, formerly known as Twitter, sparking mixed reactions among followers. The post invited customers to visit their newly rebranded location in Draper, UT, saying, "Take a look inside our first fully rebranded store that just opened for business TODAY!"
However, not all feedback was positive. One user predicted financial downfall due to the name change: "Changing the name of Kum & Go will severely tank your business." Another expressed disappointment in the shift away from the brand's original identity, commenting, "You had your own thing going, and we liked it. This is pointless and boring."
As Kum & Go's rebranding unfolds, some have taken a lighter view, pointing out other humorously named gas stations as a form of consolation. "At least when Kum & Go rebrands, we'll still have Pump n Munch," one X user shared, attaching a screenshot of a map showing directions to a Pump n' Munch gas station.
Meanwhile, other customers have started speculating about the reasons behind the company's buyout. The discussions reflect the community's blend of humor and curiosity as they watch the familiar brand transition to something new.
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