Dive Brief:
- Wawa is seeking approval for its second convenience store in Ohio, this one in Huber Heights, about nine miles north of Dayton, according to city documents.
- In a planning commission meeting on July 11, Wawa sought a zoning change to to build a nearly 6,000-square-foot store on the 5.4-acre site, with eight fueling positions and 53 parking spots.
- This news comes about five months after Wawa received approval to build its first c-store in Ohio, in Liberty Township about 25 miles north of Cincinnati.
Dive Insight:
Wawa has said it intends to open a “cluster” of stores in Ohio in 2025 as part of broader plans to grow from seven to 14 states of operation over the next few years.
Along with the eight fuel pumps, the Huber Heights location will have enough infrastructure to support EV charging, and will also feature Wawa’s foodservice offering.
Beyond addressing how the property would be reworked to fit a standard c-store and traffic requirements, attendees at the planning commission meeting earlier this month also discussed why Wawa could make a good addition to the neighborhood.
“The average fast food or convenience store employment time is seven months,” said Patrick O’Leary, founder of real estate company Blue Peninsula, during the planning commission meeting. “Wawa’s is seven years. So that speaks to how they treat their people and why they’re so successful.”
The rezoning request was unanimously approved. The next step in the approval process is expected to be made in August.
Wawa has expressed plans to reach 1,800 stores by 2030. The company hit the 1,000-store mark in April. In addition to Ohio, Wawa has also revealed plans to move into North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky.
Wawa currently operates more than 1,000 stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
