Wawa has plans to open 30-40 North Florida stores in the coming years.

Wawa Inc. has announced that the company has big plans for its expansion into North Florida.

According to a report from The Daily Record, Wawa has announces that the company will begin the roll-out of stores with up to five gas station-convenience stores by the end of 2017, and the company intends to add 30-40 additional locations, eventually.

The Daily Record reported that each new Wawa location will cost the company at least $5 million, putting the company’s investment at approximately $150 million for the first 30 intended locations. Additionally, each store will employ 40 individuals, meaning that 1,200 jobs will be created by these 30 new Northeast Florida stores.

Company executives recently presented the new store initiatives at events in Clay County and Jacksonville, Fla., The Daily Record reported. Wawa’s senior director of site acquisition and development, John Poplawski, along with regional real estate manager, Brian Duke, stated during the Clay County, Fla. presentation that four area sites have been identifies and are in the process of receiving approvals and permits.

The Daily Record reported that company executives have announced the following in regards to new site locations:

• Three of the sites for the new stores are in Duval, Fla.
  • One at Southwest Monument and McCormick roads in Fort Caroline
  • One Beach Boulevard and Central Parkway in EastPark; and
  • One in The Crossing at Gate and Town Center parkways near St. Johns Town Center.
• One site is being considered in Clay County, Fla. The site is located at Blanding Boulevard and Filmore Street in Orange Park.
• No additional sites were identified, but the company has announced that six sites are already under contract and another dozen are being reviewed.

The CBRE commercial real estate firm is assisting Wawa in the evaluation of the new Florida sites, according to The Daily Record. The company expects that groundbreaking on the first new site will be in April 2017, and the first locations are expected to open by late 2017. The company expects to open 10 or more new Florida stores in 2018, and then two to four more stores yearly, beginning in 2019.

Wawa currently operates 731 stores in six states, including its home state Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The Daily Record reported that Wawa opened its first Florida location in July 2012, and the company now has 92 locations in the Orlando, Tampa, Southwest, Daytona and East Coast markets.