Dive Brief:
- Wawa plans to open 80 stores in the eastern part of North Carolina over the next 10 years, marking the first phase of its expansion in the state, according to a Wednesday press release.
- The first eight locations are expected to open in 2024, including two stores each in Wilson and Goldsboro and one each in Greenville, Rocky Mount, Elizabeth City and Kill Devil Hills. It plans to follow that with 15 openings in 2025 and 10 in 2026.
- Last month, Wawa also announced plans for 160 locations over 10 years in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, as part of the company’s goal of reaching 1,800 stores by 2030.
Dive Insight:
Wawa has more than 30 sites at various stages in the approval process and is looking for more locations in eastern and central North Carolina. It plans to spend about $7 million to build each new store.
Wawa’s first eight stores in North Carolina
The convenience retailer has been making the rounds in states it’s targeting for expansion, outlining long-term growth plans for new markets like Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama and Indiana. At the community events Wednesday at the Greenville Convention Center and Casita Brewing Company in Wilson, Wawa showed off store renderings, explained its story to community members and shared samples of its foodservice options, like strawberry smoothies, dragon fruit refreshers, hoagies and regular and flavored coffees.
Exact dates have not been set for the initial round of openings. “As we get closer to our grand openings in 2024, we will be sharing even more details on our growth in North Carolina,” said Kim Dowgielewicz, director of store operations for Wawa, in the release.
The Kill Devil Hills store already held its groundbreaking in May. That site is expected to have eight gas pumps and a 6,000-square-foot store, according to information from the town board of commissioners meeting where the site was approved.
The convenience retailer currently has stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. It also has plans to expand to Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.
The family-owned, Wawa, Pennsylvania-based company currently has more than 1,000 locations in six states and Washington, D.C.
