Wawa Holds Grand Opening Triple-Header in Virginia
CHANTILLY, Va. — Wawa Inc. is holding three store grand openings in Virginia on Dec. 18, the first time the retailer is pulling a trifecta in the state.
Along with the fete, the retailer will welcome its first customers in Fairfax County. The new locations are in Chantilly, Hampton and Suffolk.
To celebrate the triple-header grand-opening event, Wawa will host three in-store celebrations, each of which will include a ribbon cutting and a Hoagies For Heroes hoagie-building competition benefiting local charities.
All three new stores will also offer free coffee through Dec. 20.
As Wawa opens the three stores in Virginia, the Wawa Foundation, the retailer's nonprofit foundation through which all charitable giving is funneled, will announce a donation of $30,000 to the Special Olympics, honoring Wawa's long-standing partnership with the Special Olympics and the organization's importance as national and regional partner.
"We are thrilled to celebrate this tremendous milestone in our Virginia expansion as we spread our wings to serve more customers and communities and fulfill more lives each day," said Chris Gheysens, Wawa's president and CEO. "Opening our first Fairfax County location and new stores in Suffolk and Hampton is a significant step toward furthering our ability to invest in Virginia by building new stores and creating more jobs.
"We are honored and excited to be able to open three stores on the same day, and we welcome our new neighbors three times over," he added.
By the end of the year, Wawa will have 79 stores in the Virginia market, including eight that opened in 2015. The three new Virginia locations opening on Dec. 18 will create more than 30 new jobs each, all of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the stores.
During 2015, Wawa will open 50 stores throughout its operating area, including 24 in the Mid-Atlantic market and 26 in the Florida market. In 2016, Wawa plans to open at least three more stores in Virginia.