Wawa Details Plans for 2025 Expansion to Indiana
WAWA, Pa. — This week, Wawa Inc. wrapped up its fall season Community Partnership Tour in Indiana and shared new details on the chain's expansion plans into the region.
The company's announced growth plans will include ventures into both Kentucky and Ohio, with its first foray into the Hoosier State to include approximately 60 stores that will open over the next eight to 10 years.
The first Indiana-based groundbreakings are slated to begin in mid-2024. So far, Wawa has more than 16 sites under contract across Clark, Dearborn, Delaware, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion and Wayne Counties. Wawa plans to announce the specific locations and estimated timing for the first store openings once the local permitting and approval processes are complete.
Like its projected plans for Ohio and Kentucky, the first Indiana store locations are slated to open by mid-2025, followed by up to 10 more locations that year, 10 additional stores in 2026 and five stores each year thereafter.
Details on the stores for the Indiana market were unveiled on Sept. 28 in Indianapolis at the NCAA Headquarters and Museum, where the company used the opportunity to introduce itself to the community and connect with local neighbors, VIP customers, town officials and partners. Attendees also received a glimpse of new store design renderings based on a prototype store Wawa recently opened in Virginia.
The chain also provided guests with free samples of freshly made hoagies, as well as coffee and other handcrafted beverages from its Wawa Community Care Beverage Vehicle. Altogether, the retailer distributed thousands of samples of its store-brand strawberry smoothies and Dragon Fruit Refreshers, alongside hundreds of cups of coffees and hoagie samples.
Wawa additionally announced contributions of $10,000 to two regional community partners: Riley Children's Hospital and Gleaners Food Bank.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa operates 1,000 c-stores throughout the Northeast and Florida. The company has also broken ground on locations in North Carolina and Alabama — Wawa's first forays into those states. The retailer currently has plans to double its footprint within the next decade.
Wawa is No. 7 on the 2023 Convenience Store News Top 100 ranking.