Wawa to expand into three new states
Wawa is extending its footprint further west.
The c-store company plans to launch its first stores in the states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The new states are part of Wawa’s long-term expansion plan to fuel future store growth in adjacent and new markets.
Wawa’s new market expansion also includes the previously announced state of Tennessee. The market launches will take place sometime after 2025 with estimated timeframes and ranges for number of stores by state to be announced in 2023.
In addition, Wawa continues to open stores throughout its current markets, with the company recently announcing expansion plans for adjacent markets in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. The first stores projected to open in those markets will be in 2024. Wawa is currently accepting site suggestions from real estate representatives for all locations, including adjacent and new market areas.
Wawa’s expansion comes as another Northeast-based c-store chain, Sheetz, is also expanding into new markets. The company recently announced plans to expand into Michigan, starting in the Detroit area, in 2025. Sheetz is also expanding its footprint in its home state, reportedly planning to open as many as 30 new stores in Western Pennsylvania, and in Western Ohio.
“At Wawa, growth means strengthening our existing markets as well as expanding to both adjacent and new markets so we can reach new friends and neighbors and welcome them as part of our extended family,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s president and CEO. “These markets are the perfect places for Wawa to expand based on their strong business communities, their family-like atmosphere, and the confidence that our unique offer and amazing associates will be welcomed by these communities.”
In April, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported that Wawa is plotting the “most aggressive growth" in its history, with plans to nearly double its footprint during the next 10 years.
Wawa currently operates nearly 1,000 locations, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
[Read More: Wawa opens its first drive-thru only store]