Wawa Begins Journey Into Central Pennsylvania
WAWA, Pa. — Wawa Inc. is officially taking its first steps into central Pennsylvania.
The convenience store retailer broke ground at Harrisburg Pike & Meade Road in Middletown, Pa., on April 17 during a ceremony that marked the start of construction on its first store in the region.
On the same day as the groundbreaking, Wawa held a Community Partnership Event at the Pennsylvania State Capitol to preview its expansion plans while marking its 60th anniversary.
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Wawa welcomed VIP customers, local officials and charity partners at both events while sharing its growth goals for Pennsylvania. The company also announced contributions to its first community partners, with its first grant award supporting the Greater Pennsylvania American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign this spring.
At the Community Partnership Event, Red Cross and Wawa volunteers assembled smoke alarm kits for distribution at homes in the surrounding communities.
"It's official — Wawa is spreading our wings to reach central Pennsylvania, and we couldn't be more thrilled to share details of our exciting growth plans with our newest soon-to-be neighbors!" said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa. "Our Community Day and groundbreaking events gave us the opportunity to meet new faces and share a little bit about our history and what makes Wawa such an ideal fit for communities here. We are thrilled to break ground on our first store in the region, launch our expansion plans and get closer to our first grand openings in 2024."
The retailer announced its plans to enter central Pennsylvania in 2022, as Convenience Store News previously reported.
The c-store chain's central Pennsylvania market will include stores in Middletown, York, Dover, Williamsport, Hanover and Enola as of late 2024, the company said. Wawa is continuing to build a pipeline of sites in the region and is currently working towards having up to 12 stores open in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lycoming, Northumberland, Union and York Counties by the end of 2025.
Over the next five years, Wawa plans to open five to seven stores per year and have up to 40 stores serving central Pennsylvania as it continues to expand its footprint and reach new Pennsylvania markets along the Susquehanna River.
To build each new store, Wawa will invest approximately $7 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once upon, each store will employ an average of 25 associates.
Wawa expects to create 1,400 new long-term jobs as a result of its central Pennsylvania expansion.