Wawa has just reached another new market as it continues to grow at a rapid pace. After officially marking its entry into Georgia last week, the retailer has now opened its first store in Tallahassee, Fla.

The grand opening ceremony brought in a number of local dignitaries and community members as Wawa cut the ribbon to its new location. The ceremony also featured the retailer’s signature “Hoagies for Heroes” hoagie building competition.

Additionally, Wawa announced a $2,500 donation to Second Harvest of the Big Bend from the first week of hoagie sales as part of its “Lending a Helping Hoagie” initiative.

“We are excited to open our doors to our first Tallahassee store kicking off our expansion,” said Nancy Dulaney, director of store operations. “We look forward to bringing our unique brand of fresh food, beverages and convenience to Georgia and Tallahassee as we further our commitment to providing our new friends and neighbors with not only a new level of convenience, but a strong, committed community partner.”

Wawa continues to build a pipeline of new stores in the Panhandle and Tallahassee market and plans to open 20 stores in the Florida Panhandle, including 4-6 stores in Tallahassee over the next 5-8 years. To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners.

Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates with Wawa expecting to create hundreds of new jobs in Tallahassee and the Panhandle.

As for Georgia, Wawa plans to build and open more than 26 stores across the state, at a pace of around 3-4 new stores per year. It also has plans to significantly grow its footprint in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and North Carolina.

In mid-2025, Wawa hopes to have opened 60 new stores in Indiana and Ohio, 40 new stores in Kentucky and 80 in North Carolina.

In February, Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens noted that the plan for the future would be “the most aggressive growth” in Wawa’s history, and he has held true to his word so far.