Wawa, Pa. — Wawa, a privately held, family-owned chain of more than 1,040 convenience retail stores currently operating in six states and Washington, D.C., has officially started construction on its first two Georgia stores. The new stores will be located in Brunswick and Jesup, Ga.
“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!” says 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.”
The Brunswick and Jesup stores are expected to open in late 2024; additional groundbreaking events will be held on May 1 for new stores in Hinesville and Pooler, Ga. Wawa 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 5-8 years, Wawa plans to build and open 26 stores in southern and Coastal Georgia, opening 3 to 4 stores per year. To build each store, Wawa will invest approximately $7 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, Pa., in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa has nearly 1,000 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
SOURCE: Wawa, Inc.