Wawa plans to open stores in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana by 2025

Wawa is coming to Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky in 2025.

This week, Wawa announced that it has sites under contract in numerous counties across the states and expects to break ground by mid-2024 on several site locations.

As part of its continued expansion beyond the East Coast, the company announced plans for the Midwest last year and now says it plans to open 160 stores across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana in the next eight to 10 years.

The first stores are expected to open by 2025, which could include up to 10 locations each in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Wawa hosted events across the three states this week to introduce itself to new audiences. Those in attendance got a taste of Wawa coffee and hoagies coming soon to their areas. Stops along the tour included Cincinnati, Dayton, Louisville, Lexington, and Indianapolis.

“Whenever we enter a new market, we always strive to get to know our new communities long before we put shovels in the ground,” Chris Gheysens, CEO of Wawa, said in a news release.

Each new store is expected to cost $7 million to build. The projects, once completed will create an estimated 5,800 jobs across all three states. Each store will employ about 35 staff members.

The company has grown from its origins as a dairy business in Wawa, Pa., to a company with around 1,000 convenience stores and gas stations in multiple states. Today Wawa has locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

The expansion to the Midwest and South is part of Wawa’s larger goal of having almost 2,000 stores by 2030. The company has plans to open stores in Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia.

Wawa has been closing stores in Center City in recent years, citing safety and security challenges. The company’s Headhouse Square location was the latest to close in July, after neighbors had complained about crime and drug use inside the store and directly outside of it.