Buc-ee’s new SW Ohio location will be one of the largest nationwide

Store planned for region will be a little less than half the size of a Walmart Supercenter.

The new Buc-ee’s coming to Huber Heights will be one of the largest Buc-ee’s in the nation when it opens.

Ohio’s first store for the chain will have 74,000 square feet of retail space, according to plans submitted to the city. That’s the same size as a Buc-ee’s in Tennessee that, for now, holds the world record for the world’s largest convenience store. But both those stores will be eclipsed by a new Buc-ee’s of more than 75,000 square feet that is under construction in Luling, Texas.

To give a little perspective, the new Huber Heights Buc-ee’s will be:

• a few thousand square feet larger than the former Kroger in Miamisburg, a 68,860-square-foot edifice;

• large enough to fit at least 12 Sheetz convenience stores inside it;

• nearly 40% of the size of a Walmart Supercenter, which is 187,000 square feet on average, according to the company’s website.

Founded in Texas in 1982, Buc-ee’s operates 58 stores across Texas and the South. While most locations are the size of a typical convenience store, about 3,000 square feet, its travel centers are gigantic. Since launching a multi-state expansion in 2019, Buc-ee’s has opened larger locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee. New locations are on the way in Mississippi, Missouri and Colorado.

Springfield, Missouri, on its website, says a 53,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s opening there in December is expected to create 200 jobs. The larger size of the Huber Heights store means hundreds of jobs are coming to the Dayton area as well.

The size of the Huber Heights site — 53 acres — gives Buc-ee’s ample space for not only 120 gas pumps, but also 24 Tesla Superchargers.

“This is great for travelers and local EV owners, especially now that Tesla is opening up its network to all OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in 2024,” said Tim Benford, immediate past president of non-profit Drive Electric Dayton.

Plans also show the Huber Heights location will carry DEF (diesel exhaust fluid).

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