Wawa Breaks Ground on First Georgia C-stores
WAWA, Pa. — Wawa Inc. is officially spreading its wings into southern and coastal Georgia.
The convenience store chain broke ground on its first two Peach State stores, located at U.S. 341 & Community Road in Brunswick and 356 West Orange St. in Jesup, on March 7.
"It's official — Wawa is coming to Georgia, and we couldn't be more thrilled to share details of our exciting growth plans with our newest soon-to-be neighbors!" said Robert Yeatts, senior director of store operations for Wawa. "Our two groundbreaking events gave us the opportunity to meet new faces and share with our new markets 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 stores and get closer to our first grand openings in 2024."
[Read more: Wawa to Add Nearly 1,500 Associates in Spring Hiring Initiative]
At the groundbreaking events, Wawa welcomed VIP customers, local officials and community partners, who received a first look at the chain's initial plans for the market, including the opening of the Brunswick and Jesup stores in late 2024. Wawa also announced groundbreaking events will take place May 1 for new stores located in Hinesville and Pooler, Ga.
The convenience retailer continues to build a pipeline of sites in southern and coastal Georgia and currently has sites under contract in: Brunswick, Jesup, Hinesville, Pooler, Waycross, Bainbridge, Tifton, Valdosta and Albany. Over the next five to eight years, Wawa plans to build and open 26 stores in southern and coastal Georgia, opening three to four stores per year.
To build each store, Wawa will invest approximately $7 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates. Wawa expects to create almost 1,000 long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Georgia.
Additionally, at Community Partnership Day events, Wawa announced contributions to its first community partners: the Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia and the USO Georgia, with first grant awards totaling more than $10,000 to support local initiatives.
Over the course of the next year, its 60th in business, Wawa plans to open more than 70 new convenience stores. This includes expanding its footprint into Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina for the first time.
Wawa first announced expansion plans into Georgia in 2022, as Convenience Store News previously reported.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa is a privately held, family-owned chain of more than 1,040 convenience stores currently operating in six states and Washington, D.C. The company has plans to double its footprint in the next decade.