Wawa Sets Date for Official Entry Into the Midwest
Wawa Inc. will celebrate its 61st anniversary with the grand opening of the chain's first convenience store in the state of Ohio.
Located at 7198 Cincinnati Dayton Road, Liberty Township in Butler County, the store is the first of eight to 10 Wawa locations slated to open in Ohio this year. The grand opening will mark Wawa's entrance into its 10th state and takes place on Wawa Day — the founding date of the first Wawa store that opened on April 16, 1964, in Delaware County, Pa.
[RELATED: Competition Between Grocery and Convenience Stores Intensifies]
"We are excited to fly into Ohio and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to this state for the very first time. This historic milestone kicks off our ongoing growth and expansion in Ohio as we continue to build new stores and create new jobs," said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa. "We are also thrilled about extending our commitment to being a good neighbor with the announcement of several community partnerships made on opening day!"
As the company gears up for the big day, Wawa is seeking stories from Ohio friends and neighbors about their favorite Wawa memories and will hold a "Taste of Wawa" preview event the day before the store opens. Select stories will be highlighted during the grand opening and on the retailer's social media channels on Wawa Day. To sign up and share a story, Wawa fans can visit here.
Wawa rolled out plans to open c-stores in Ohio and Kentucky in June 2024, as Convenience Store News previously reported. In Ohio, Wawa expects to open six to 10 stores each year over the next five to eight years, up to 60 stores total. In Kentucky, Wawa plans to add five to eight stores per year in the Louisville and Lexington areas over the next five to eight years, and up to 40 stores total.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa Inc. operates more than 1,100 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Washington, D.C.
This article was first reported by sister publication Convenience Store News.
