Dive Brief:
- Wawa received approval on Tuesday for one of up to 20 planned locations in southern and coastal Georgia, a spokesperson for the city of Pooler said via email.
- The application showed that the location in Pooler, a 2.3-acre undeveloped site at the intersection of Pooler Parkway and Pine Barren Road, is expected to include 16 fueling spaces and a 6,100-square-foot convenience store.
- Wawa’s latest approval comes shortly after the company announced that it plans to open more than 70 new stores in 2024 across several states, including its first locations in Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina.
Dive Insight:
The approval of Wawa’s first location in Georgia undserscores the company’s broader plan of reaching over 1,800 stores by 2030.
Besides Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama, the convenience retailer is expanding to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Wawa has already broken ground in North Carolina and received approvals in Ohio and Kentucky. Meanwhile, a former Red Robin restaurant in Indiana has been leveled in preparation for Wawa to begin construction.
The Pooler site has no date set for when construction will begin, the city spokesperson said. It’s a little larger than the average Wawa of about 5,000 square feet, while the 16 fueling positions is lower than the average of 24.
In addition to the 16 fueling positions, the store is expected to have 60 parking spaces and three that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Pooler site was recommended for approval by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 12. The City Council made the final approval on Feb. 20.
Beyond new regions, Wawa is also growing in states where it already has a presence. For instance, in 2022, the company announced plans for 40 new stores in its home state of Pennsylvania. The first of those stores are also expected to come in 2024.
Wawa operates over 1,000 stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington D.C.
