Dive Brief:
- Wawa will open its first convenience store in North Carolina on May 16, according to a Thursday announcement.
- The store will be located in Kill Devil Hills, a town in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Doors will open at 8 a.m., and Wawa will host a ribbon cutting ceremony two hours later to commence its arrival in the Tar Heel State.
- By the end of 2024, Wawa expects to reach eight to 10 stores in North Carolina, with up to another 15 set for 2025, according to the announcement. These are part of the company’s broader plans to build 80 stores in the state over the next decade.
Dive Insight:
Wawa first revealed its plans for North Carolina last October just weeks after outlining its aspirations to open 160 locations across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Previously, Wawa also detailed plans to reach Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia — all of which move the company towards its goal of reaching 1,800 c-stores by 2030.
Wawa’s arrival in North Carolina will come about three weeks after it opens its first store in Alabama on April 25. Besides Kill Devil Hills, Wawa is building locations in Wilson, Rocky Mount and Elizabeth City that are set to open in Q3 2024. The company also has stores planned for Wilmington, Jacksonville and Fayetteville.
Each location will cost about $7 million to build. Once open, each will employ about 35 team members, according to the announcement.
“As each location opens, we will further solidify our commitment to providing the community with not only a new level of convenience but a strong, committed community partner,” Kim Dowgielewicz, director of store operations for Wawa, said in Thursday’s announcement.
Wawa operates about 1,000 convenience stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
