Dive Brief:
- Wawa has announced groundbreakings for its first convenience stores in three more states, according to local reporting.
- Wawa will hold groundbreakings for its first two Kentucky sites on June 5. The next day, the company will begin building its first Ohio store at 5308 Fields Ertel Road in Cincinnati and will start work on its first Indiana site at 3835 East 96th Street in Indianapolis.
- These three states play an important part of Wawa’s plans to reach 1,800 stores by 2030, as each is expected to open dozens of sites over the next few years.
Dive Insight:
After making a slate of announcements over the past couple years about its plans to expand into seven new states, Wawa is now opening stores and getting construction underway. In just the past few weeks, the company has opened its first stores in Alabama and North Carolina.
Wawa’s expansion into Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana was first announced in December of 2022. The convenience retailer is planning 60 stores each in Indiana and Ohio and 40 sites in Kentucky over the next eight to 10 years. The first of these stores is expected to open in 2025.
Groundbreaking for the first Georgia site, meanwhile, happened earlier this month in Pooler. Plans for the company’s Tennessee debut have not yet been announced.
With this rapid expansion drive, Wawa is betting that it can win over consumers in new markets with its popular foodservice program and other services. Other c-store chains like Buc-ee’s, RaceTrac and Casey’s are making similar bets as they look to grab market share from independents and regional operators.
Wawa could not be reached for comment by press time.
Wawa currently operates over 1,000 convenience stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Washington, D.C.
