Wawa has announced that it will open its second Ohio c-store on Thursday, June 26. Located in Fairfield, Ohio, this is the first of 8-10 Wawa stores slated to open in Ohio by the end of the year, the retailer noted in a statement.
“We are grateful to the Buckeye State for embracing us with open wings when we opened our first store in April in Liberty Township and are excited to continue to serve the Ohio community with our second store in the state located in Fairfield,” said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa. “With each new store, we bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to local communities, and we extend our commitment to being a good neighbor through community partnerships.”
Over the next five to eight years, Wawa plans to build and open 6-10 stores per year in Ohio, with expectations to open up to 60 stores in the state.
To build each store, the statement read, 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 employees, with Wawa expecting to create 2,100 new, long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Ohio.
Wawa’s Ambitious Growth Plan
Back in February 2024, Wawa released a statement with CEO Chris Gheysens noting that the company would be undergoing “the most aggressive growth” in company history. At the time of the announcement, Wawa planned to add more than 280 new stores to its network over the next decade — a goal that the chain continues to make strong progress on.
Since the announcement, Wawa has opened new stores in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, central Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida and Ohio.
Prior to its Ohio move, Wawa’s most recent endevour was Indiana, which it officially entered earlier this month with the opening of three sites in Daleville, Noblesville and Clarksville.
“We’re thrilled to fly into Indiana and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to new friends and neighbors,” said Schaller at the time. “This historic milestone kicks off the next chapter of our growth in the Midwest, and we’re overjoyed at the warm welcome we continue to receive from so many communities we’re now proud to count as part of the Wawa flock.”
To commemorate the expansion, Wawa, alongside its philanthropic arm, The Wawa Foundation, presented the following grants:
- $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana in conjunction with Wawa’s Lending a Helping Hoagie program, where a portion of the Daleville store’s first week of hoagie sales are donated to fight food insecurity.
- $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana and $10,000 to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana through The Wawa Foundation’s Fly Beyond Key Issue Grant that supports the community by fighting food insecurity while also providing access to more nutritious and healthy meal options for youth.
- $5,000 to Riley Children’s Hospital, a CMN Hospital Partner, to support the Child Life Program.
- $2,500 to Dare to Care Food Bank to support their mission to feed the hungry and conquer the cycle of need in the community.
- $2,500 to the USO to support military members and families serving our county through various programs throughout the year.
- $6,000 to charities selected by local first responders as part of Wawa’s signature Hoagies for Heroes hoagie building competition.
“We are also thrilled about extending our commitment to being a good neighbor to Indiana, and our partnerships with local organizations supporting health, hunger and everyday heroes,” Schaller continued.
Wawa’s next Indiana store is slated to open in Indianapolis this coming July. By the end of 2025, the retailer expects to operate eight stores in the state, with additional sites planned for Brownsburg, Cumberland, Plainfield and Westfield.
After that, Wawa plans to open 8-12 stores per year in the state, reaching 60 Indiana locations over the next six years.
